Elbert County News February 1, 2024

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 1, 2024

VOLUME 128 | ISSUE 49

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Republican candidates square off in debate Race for 4th congressional seat brings feisty forum

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A long list of Republican candidates seeking to replace U.S. Rep. Ken Buck in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District sparred over their experience while talking about immigration, abortion and the economy at a raucous debate.

The debate, hosted by the Republican Women of Weld in Fort Lupton, kicked off what has already been a lively primary season marked by attacks and posturing. Nine Republicans who are campaigning for the 4th District seat, which is opening because Buck is retiring, shared the stage.

Candidates voiced their support for former President Donald Trump, touted how their experiences made them the best fit for the job, and didn’t resist taking shots at one another.

U.S. Rep Lauren Boebert faced questions from opponents about her decision not to run for reelection to the 3rd District on the Western Slope and instead switch to the 4th District. At one point, state Rep. Mike Lynch asked her to define the term “carpetbagger.”

Boebert said at the Jan. 25 forum that she has moved to Weld County,

Candidate Jerry Sonnenberg speaks Jan. 25 during the Republican Women of Weld’s Congressional District 4 debate in Fort Lupton.

Colorado Republican congressional candidates for District 4 make their introductions Jan. 25 at a debate hosted by the Republican Women of Weld in Fort Lupton.

PHOTOS BY BELEN WARD

adding that she and her children needed a change of setting after her recent divorce.

“I’ve been very clear that this is a fresh start for my family and myself,” Boebert said. “The crops may be different in Colorado’s 4th District, but

VOICES: 12 | CALENDAR: 17 | SPORTS: 18

the values are not.”

She also asserted that her move ensures Republicans will win both districts.

The 4th District leans 27 points in SEE DEBATE, P2

Candidate Mike Lynch answer a question Jan. 25 during the Republican Women of Weld’s Congressional District 4 debate in Fort Lupton.

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Candidate Ted Harvey speaks Jan. 25 during the Republican Women of Weld’s Congressional District 4 debate in Fort Lupton.

PHOTOS BY BELEN WARD

DEBATE FROM PAGE 1

February 1, 2024Fe

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert at the Women of Weld GOP candidate debate Jan. 25 in Fort Lupton. Boebert currently serves as the District 3 representative and is now seeking District 4.

the GOP’s favor, according to a nonpartisan analysis of election results from the last two presidential elections by staffers for the Colorado leg-

Candidate Deborah Flora Jan. 25 during the Republican Women of Weld’s Congressional District 4 debate in Fort Lupton.

Candidate Chris Phelen speaks Jan. 25 during the Republican Women of Weld’s Congressional District 4 debate in Fort Lupton.

islature.

And, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office, there are 187,011 Republicans (35%) in the 4th District and 90,110 Democrats (17%). Unaffiliated voters outnumber either party with 243,598 registered voters in the district. The total active number of voters in the district is 529,393.

“We have an opportunity now to absolutely secure that seat and keep it red,” Boebert said, adding that she was heavily targeted by Democratic interests. “The Republicans in the 3rd District will now have a fair fight against their opponents rather than Hollywood elitists and dark money groups pouring into the district.”

Boebert served a few barbs of her own, such as calling out Lynch for losing access to his gun because he is on probation for driving under the influence in 2022.

Lynch stepped down from his position as the state’s House minority leader on Jan. 24 after The Denver Post brought the DUI charge to light.

At the debate, Lynch addressed the matter, saying he is asking for forgiveness and putting it behind him.

He said he could represent people from a variety of life experiences and was working to overcome his mistake.

“It’s not how you get knocked down, it’s how you get back up on your feet, learn from it and move forward,” he said.

Boebert also poked fun at Peter Yu for having unsuccessfully campaigned in Colorado’s 2nd District in 2018 and for the U.S. Senate in 2022.

The second-term congresswoman touted her work helping to pass the Pueblo Jobs Act and working to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy “Everyone will talk like a Freedom Caucus member, but I’m the only one who governs as a Freedom Cau-

cus member,” Boebert said.

The House Freedom Caucus is an allied group of representatives advocating for far-right policies.

“I’ve been very responsible with my legislative duties in this majority,” she added.

Other candidates pushed back on Boebert’s claim that she is the only one with “proven experience.”

Former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, pointed to his history serving the residents of the Eastern Plains and knowledge of agriculture, water and cost of living issues.

“This district needs somebody who understands those issues and has grown up with those issues,” he said.

Ted Harvey, a former state senator from Highlands Ranch, highlighted his work on a political action committee that funds pro-Trump candidates, as well as his history fighting for pro-life legislation. Harvey helped to pass the only abortion restriction on record in Colorado.

“There’s nobody up here that has a more consistent record of fighting for conservative values,” he said.

Deborah Flora, a conservative radio host from Highlands Ranch, emphasized her work in pro-life and parent’s rights spaces.

Douglas County is the most populous county in the district and has the most registered voters. In addition to Flora and Harvey, two other candidates have ties to the area: Trent Leisy and Chris Phelen.

“I’m not a career politician looking for my next job or my next paycheck, I’m a citizen servant,” Flora said.

When asked about their top priorities, all of the candidates said some variation of dealing with immigration and closing the border or addressing the economy.

Leisy and Harvey said they would push to deport all illegal immigrants SEE DEBATE, P4

3

February 1, 2024 ADVERTISEMENT

How Much Did Home Sales Fall in 2022 and 2023, and Was It a Record Drop?

At right is a chart showing the number of residential sales within a 25-mile radius of downtown Denver over the past 10 years. I was inspired to do this research because I read in an email newsletter that the nationwide drop for 2023 versus 2022 was the biggest drop in 30 years. As you can see, however, here in the Denver metro area, the 2023 drop in sales was the biggest drop since… the prior year!

Moreover, the drop in 2022 was only so big because the increase during the first full year of Covid was so big.

As I said, my statistics were for the area within 25 miles of downtown Denver, which I consider to be a reasonable definition of “metro Denver.” The Market Trends Committee of the Denver Metro Association of Realtors uses the same data source as me, namely REcolorado.com, but they define “metro Denver” as 11 counties, many of which extend far from downtown Denver. Here’s what the same chart looks like using those criteria: (11-County Metro)

(Full MLS)

the metro area distort the figures enough to paint a less than accurate picture of the Denver metro market.

I’ve added a third chart above top right, this time using the full REcolorado database, which covers much of the state. It’s common to refer to REcolorado as the “Denver MLS,” but it can and does include listings from all over the state. There are other MLSs in the state, but if a listing agent wants to reach Denver buyers, as he or she should, then entering those farflung listings on REcolorado is a must.

The third chart tells an important story. If you recall the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, workers throughout the state (and country) were forced to work

from home. When it looked like the pandemic was going to linger, many of those workers decided that working at home could be a long-term arrangement.

Moreover, they wanted to move somewhere that was less populated, so they wouldn’t be rubbing shoulders with possibly infected neighbors. That caused a huge surge in out-migration from Denver, which is best reflected in the third chart, where the slow market in rural listings pulled down the statewide average — until the pandemic. Looked at statewide, you’d think that the big drop in 2023 sales was more of a return to pre-pandemic levels than an absolute drop — which it certainly was if looked at on the metro Denver level.

REcolorado has released the rules for a new kind of listing called “Private Exclusive.” It replaces an earlier status called “Office Exclusive,” which made listings by individual brokers only visible to fellow agents in their office, which I felt discriminated against brokerages with fewer agents, like Golden Real Estate.

many sellers wanting to limit the exposure of their listing so drastically. When a listing is active on the MLS, it is displayed not only on REcolorado and other regional MLSs, it is displayed on Zillow, Redfin and every other consumer website, including the websites of virtually every brokerage including Re/Max, Coldwell Banker, Century 21 — and Golden Real Estate.

The one likely application for this non-public status would be if the home is in a multi-million dollar neighborhood and is owned by a sports star or celebrity who values his or her privacy, and the listing agent has sold scores of such homes and has a huge personal database of prospective buyers, including other celebrities and ultra-rich persons.

The motivation of our MLS to create this new status was to maximize the accuracy of its sold database.

When a home is sold off-MLS or as a pocket listing, it’s less likely to be posted on the MLS once it has sold, thereby limiting its visibility to appraisers and other agents looking for comparable sales. When a private exclusive listing is sold, it must be updated with the sold price and terms and is then fully visible as a “closed” listing for all to see, including on those consumer websites like Zillow, homes.com and others.

Large brokerages still have an advantage over us smaller brokerages, because other agents within the brokerage can search for and find those listings. They have the same sharing limitations as the listing broker.

MLS Introduces ‘Private Exclusive’ Listings to Combat Pocket Listings

I have been trying for years to get the Market Trends Committee and other real estate statisticians to switch from using the county definition to using the radius definition of the metro area. At right I have overlaid the 25-mile radius of downtown Denver over the 11 counties used

by DMAR and other statisticians.

Clearly, the rural components of those 11 counties which touch

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The new status is intended for sellers who desire a higher level of privacy, by not publicizing widely that they are selling their home and for how much. Under this status, the listing agent cannot put a sign in front of the house and can only promote the listing one-onone to other agents or to prospective buyers in his or her sphere of influence. That means that the listing may not be promoted on social media or be mass emailed, and will not be displayed on the MLS or consumer-facing websites like Zillow until it has sold.

The problem with “private exclusive,” of course, is that it severely limits the number of potential buyers who will see it. The advantage for the listing agent of off-MLS listings or “pocket listings” is that he or she is more likely to “double-end” the sale and not have to give half his listing commission to the buyer’s agent.

That’s why the listing agent is required to affirm during the listing entry process that the seller requested keeping the listing private, and that that the seller was informed of the implications of not being displayed on the full MLS. With such an affirmation, if valid, it’s hard to imagine

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Candidate Peter Yu Jan. 25 during the Republican Women of Weld’s Congressional District 4 debate in Fort Lupton.

PHOTOS BY BELEN WARD

Candidate Richard Holtorf speaks Jan. 25 during the Republican Women of Weld’s Congressional District 4 debate in Fort Lupton.

DEBATE FROM PAGE 2

who entered the country within the past few years, while Colorado Rep. Richard Holtorf advocated for deporting all Middle Eastern men.

Leisy and Boebert were the only two candidates to raise their hands when asked if they believed the 2020 election was stolen from former President Trump.

All of the candidates said they would vote for Trump in 2024.

In a recent interview with CNN, Buck cited lies over the 2020 election as one reason he is retiring and called it a challenge that Republicans will have to overcome.

“In addition to that, Republicans who have answers to these issues – and are at least aware of them, and hopefully will work on them someday — have a huge credibility problem because we continue to talk about and lie about the 2020 election as if it was stolen, as if Joe Biden wasn’t the real winner of that election,” Buck said on CNN’s “The Source.” “I don’t think we can have the credibility we need with

Candidate Trent Leisy makes a point Jan. 25 during the Women of Weld’s Congressional District 4 debate in Fort Lupton.

the American public if we continue the lies that we’re now telling.”

Candidates were split on support for a federal abortion ban, with Boebert, Flora, Harvey and Sonnenberg in favor.

An unofficial straw poll of debate attendees showed Sonnenberg to be the favorite, followed by Lynch, Flora, Holtorf and Boebert.

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February 1, 2024

Douglas County School District is grappling with shifts in enrollment, leading to the COURTESY DOUGLAS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT need to open and close schools.

Douglas County discusses plans to build, close schools

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The Douglas County School District plans to tackle growing demand for schools in newer neighborhoods and declining enrollments in Highlands Ranch.

Hundreds of students in Sterling Ranch, Ridgegate, the Canyons and Crystal Valley don’t have a neighborhood school, and the district is not able to build new schools without a voter-approved bond.

Meanwhile, Highlands Ranch’s population is aging and schools in the area are enrolling fewer students.

That means the district buses students from neighborhoods without schools to schools in Highlands Ranch. Superintendent Erin Kane said the strategy is only a short-term solution because it strains the transportation system and district finances.

Kane said maintaining optimal enrollment levels allows the district to offer the same opportunities, like extracurriculars, special education programs and advanced coursework, at every school.

“At the end of the day this is about making sure that every student across our district, no matter what school they attend or neighborhood they live in, has access to the best of our amazing opportunities that our district has to offer,” she told the board at the Jan. 9 meeting.

For Highlands Ranch, the district plans to close or consolidate elementary schools in 2026, taking the time before then to finalize details. No schools have yet been identified for pairing or closing.

School buildings would be repurposed for other district uses and staff

impacted by future closures will not lose their jobs, Kane said.

“We’re in a unique position right now to make that kind of commitment because we have such a high vacancy rate, so there really are plenty of jobs to go around,” she said.

There are 13,000 homes in Sterling Ranch, 8,000 in Ridgegate East, 5,000 in the Canyons and 4,500 in Crystal Valley that don’t have access to a neighborhood school.

Enough children are living in Sterling Ranch to fill an elementary school, Kane said.

With the need for a new school urgently, the district considered seeking a charter partnership to open a school in Sterling Ranch in 2026 or 2027.

At the Jan. 23 meeting, the school board was split on whether to request proposals from charter schools to build on district owned land in Sterling Ranch.

Board members Susan Meek, Brad Geiger and Valerie Thompson raised concerns about the loss of an ideal property for a neighborhood school and noted there is community opposition to a charter school.

Three residents of Sterling Ranch gave public comments at the meeting advocating for the district to focus on building a neighborhood school.

Board members Christy Williams, Kaylee Winegar and Becky Myers were inclined to request proposals because the district wouldn’t be committing to accepting a charter.

The motion to move forward with requesting proposals failed on a 3-3 vote.

Kane indicated to the board that staff may recommend putting a bond on the 2024 ballot to build new schools and address ongoing building maintenance.

Reminder: first half property tax payments due First half payment is due by the last day of February, second half payment due by June 15, or full payment due by April 30. For more information, please visit douglas.co.us/treasurer or douglascotax.com

Skip the trip - motor vehicle services just a click away Renew your driver license or motor vehicle registration and more from the convenience of your smartphone, tablet, desktop or laptop. You can also renew vehicle registrations at MVExpress kiosks. Find information at DouglasDrives.com

Keeping Your County Healthy…

You can help keep your community healthy. The Douglas County Health Department investigates communicable diseases. You can help by reporting infectious diseases along with animal bites that break the skin. To report, visit douglas.co.us and search Health Department.

Visit douglas.co.us

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February 1, 2024Fe

Water advisers to have own advisers

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

With ongoing concerns about supplies of water across Douglas County, elected leaders recently created an advisory board to help them plan for the future.

And, now, the county has decided those advisers will need advisers.

But members of the Douglas County Water Commission are expressing confusion about the role of the second advisory group.

“I hate to just bring a whole bunch of people in and have them set (as) kind of a mirror,” said Douglas County Water Commissioner Roger Hudson, also a Castle Pines city council member.

Hudson raised the issue during a Jan. 22 water commission meeting.

The county hasn’t yet selected any advisers to the water commission.

Douglas officials envision the advisers to the water commission as “technical,” a committee of people with expertise in water.

But the water commission, which

only held its first meeting in December, already has some members with a deep background in water.

So far, the water commission has been unable to decide how to fill the list of advisory experts. Its January meeting brought a stalemate to the issue.

“I think we need to somewhat determine what we need from these people,” Frank Johns, another water commission member, said at the meeting.

The Douglas County Water Commission is expected to help create a long-term plan regarding water supply and improving conservation.

Water lawyers, current and former elected officials, and people who serve on local districts that supply water to many county homes and businesses sit on the commission.

That includes James Eklund, who worked on the state’s water plan, and Johns, who has worked on various water plans for communi-

ties over the years. Johns sits on the board of the Centennial Water and Sanitation District, which serves Highlands Ranch.

A layer of advisers to the commission could skew toward more experts, but what type of input the water commission wants from them remains an open question.

“We’re not looking for the engineers to run in here,” said Jack Hilbert, one of Douglas County’s former elected leaders and a water commission member. He felt the body needs a “high-level view” of the county’s water situation.

Potentially complicating matters, the water commission has also brought up the idea of seeking outside help, separate from the advisers to the water commission.

Tricia Bernhardt, another water commission member, noted in December that developing a long-term water plan is a large undertaking and asked whether the commission could find money to pay for a consultant to help with the process. County staff indicated

they could request to do so.

At the January meeting, the water commission also floated the idea of having large, experienced water providers speak to the commission in person.

“Denver Water and Aurora and Colorado Springs … they’ve done a lot of planning,” said Jim Maras, a water commission member, advocating for big-city providers to advise the commission.

The water commission doesn’t have the final say on who joins its technical advisory committee. It can only make recommendations.

Ultimately, the board of elected, county-level commissioners — George Teal, Lora Thomas and Abe Laydon — will make the final decisions on who sits on the technical advisory committee, according to county staff.

At the January meeting, the water commission decided to continue to another day the discussion of who might serve as advisers.

The water commission’s next meeting is set for Feb. 26.

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February 1, 2024

Family pets clean up their acts at Wag N’ Wash

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

When Jen and John Park decided to take over a local Wag N’ Wash, the Highlands Ranch couple wanted to give pets a chance to be pampered, maintain their health and owners a chance to connect with them.

“It’s a lot of work to wash your own dog,” said John. “But it’s a very bonding experience as well. It really helps the animal understand they are being taken care of.”

For years, the Parks and their dogs were customers of the Wag N’ Wash on Reserve Parkway. Then, in 2019, the owner asked the couple if they were interested in buying the location.

With entrepreneurial spirits, the Parks jumped on the opportunity. Jen began working at the store, learning all

the ins and outs of the business and, despite the pandemic, they became the owners in December 2020.

Over the past three years, the couple has invested in innovation improvements, such as expanding the grooming salon.

Given the improvements, the Parks held a grand-reopening late last year for their one-stop, neighborhood operation that offers a full-service grooming salon, a self-serve pet wash and variety of products.

“We just want to be able to reach that many more pets,” said Jen. “Making sure that they’re getting the right care and grooming, the right self-wash options and being able to increase that bond.”

In addition to washes, all experienced groomers provide speciality services, like nail trims, ear cleanings and

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more. Also, a pet wash attendant provides pet parents with aprons, shampoo, conditioner, brushes and cleans up everything after they are done.

Along with a pet bakery, toys, apparel, collars, leashes and wanting to help owners know they have alternatives, the store now carries some of the big brands that a lot of vets and breeders recommend for both dogs and cats, said Jen, which can be delivered or picked up curbside.

The Parks also strive to help owners become educated about nutrition and supplements, even bringing in vendors to talk to customers directly.

“It’s all about the pups,” said Jen. “When it comes down to it, we love our human customers, but it’s really all about the pups.”

Although the store sees mostly dogs, the Parks do have one cat client. The

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location is equipt to cut cat’s nails and with an additional expansion to be completed by the summer, they hope to grow their services for both dogs and cats.

When the Parks first began managing the store, they wanted to establish connections with other local community organizations. They partner with local tap houses, sponsor events for the Highlands Ranch Community Association and hire students from ThunderRidge high school who help ensure the store gets sanitized and cleaned.

They also collect donations for Colorado Pet Pantry, a food bank for family pets.

Wag N’ Wash Natural Food and Grooming is located at 2229 Wildcat Reserve Pkwy. and can be contacted at 720-344-9274 or wagnwash.com.

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February 1, 2024Fe

A publication of

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

Teen set for sentencing in school threats William ‘Lily’ Whitworth pleaded guilty in 2023 incident STAFF REPORT

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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William “Lily” Whitworth, 19, was set for a sentencing hearing on Jan. 30 in Elbert County District Court, with possible sentences ranging from no prison time to 16 years.

The sentencing hearing was after press time for this edition of the Elbert County News. To learn the outcome, go to coloradocommunitymedia.com and click on Elbert County.

The sentencing was in connection with threats to shoot up schools and churches in Colorado Springs, according to arrest documents.

Whitworth, who was referred to with feminine pronouns and the name “Lily” in the first part of a sentencing hearing on Jan. 19, was arrested on March 31, 2023 at home a few miles

south of Kiowa after a sibling called police and said Whitworth had made threats to shoot up a school.

In November, Whitworth pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, and two charges of attempt to commit first-degree murder were dropped.

The Jan. 19 sentencing hearing in Elbert County District Court was continued to Jan. 30 when Judge Theresa Slade expressed dissatisfaction with reports from the probation and community corrections departments that lacked clarity on possible dispositions for Whitworth.

Whitworth’s defense was seeking a sentence that would allow a move to Texas without jail time, while the prosecution was seeking a long prison term.

An arrest affidavit describes a drunken Whitworth last March telling Elbert County sheriff ’s personnel of plans to carry out a shooting, with Timberview Middle School described as a main target. Whitworth allegedly showed sheriff ’s personnel a manifesto and a list of people to be killed.

William “Lily” Whitworth was set for a Jan. 30 sentencing hearing.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY 18TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

Public invited to author talk

lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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

We welcome letters to the editor.

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

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

ELBERT COUNTY NEWS (USPS 171-100) A legal newspaper of general circulation in Elizabeth, Colorado, the Elbert County News is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110.

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The Douglas County Garden Club invites the public to attend a talk with Colorado author Mary Taylor Young at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6. The presentation will be at the Castle Pines Library, 260 Village Square Lane. A $5 donation is suggested at the door to help support the garden club’s community projects.

Attendees are urges to RSVP to riccijeanne@ yahoo.com.

Taylor is the author of 22 books on the landscape, heritage and natural communities of the American West and has won awards for her work. Her latest book is “Bluebird Seasons: Witnessing Climate Change in My Piece of the Wild.”

Colorado author Mary Taylor Young, whose most recent book is “Bluebird Seasons: Witnessing Climate Change in My Piece of the Wild,” will speak at the Feb. 6 meeting of the Douglas County Garden Club at the Castle Pines COURTESY OF DOUGLAS COUNTY GARDEN CLUB Library.

“Bluebird Seasons: Witnessing Climate Change in My Piece of the Wild” is by Mary Taylor Young, who has been writing about the natural world in Colorado for decades.

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AdventHealth Parker

AdventHealth Parker is proud to celebrate two decades of caring for our community.

Since opening the doors in 2004, we have grown into a regional medical center, received prestigious designation as a Magnet Recognized Hospital, and become one of only five hospitals in the nation — and the only hospital in Colorado — to receive Joint Commission Certification for Bariatrics.

This year, we are honored to be recognized in the America’s Best-In-State Hospitals ward List 2024.

10

February 1, 2024Fe

Colorado has less time to spend $1.5B in COVID aid

BY BRIAN EASON THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado state budget writers are in a race against the clock to spend $1.5 billion in leftover federal pandemic aid before the end of 2024 thanks to new guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department.

The deadline is two full years sooner than state lawmakers and Polis administration officials had expected. That has set off a mad scramble to rewrite the budget for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, to allow the state to spend federal Ameri-

can Rescue Plan Act dollars faster than lawmakers intended.

The time crunch arose from shifting guidance from federal officials on how they define “obligated,” a term that doesn’t exist in state law.

Federal law has long required ARPA recipients to “obligate” all of their funding by the end of 2024, but the final spending deadline is not until the end of 2026. That led state officials to assume they could spend their $3.8 billion allocation through 2025 and 2026, as long as they had passed legislation committing to do so by this year.

“The state had been operating under the understanding that it would have some ability to define that term itself,” Amanda Bickel, a Joint Budget Committee staff analyst, told lawmakers in a hearing this week. “Now that is absolutely not the case. Legislative staff and the executive staff all agree that what we need to do is expend this money as fast as possible.”

Under the new federal guidance, the state is generally prohibited from spending ARPA money beyond the 2024 deadline, with limited exceptions.

That’s left the Polis administration and lawmakers looking to swap out the funding sources for at least 36 programs in order to get the money out the door before the federal government requires Colorado to give it back.

Here’s how the funding swap would work: State agencies would spend the pandemic aid money as soon as possible on qualifying government services, a broad category that includes employee salaries.

Doing so will free up state tax dollars that can be spent at any time.

That money would be redirected to the programs the state had planned to use the ARPA money for in future years, such as behavioral health care, teacher stipends and wildfire prevention projects.

But the clock’s ticking. The JBC on Wednesday directed its staff to present the funding swap plan by midFebruary. It would then need the full legislature’s approval. Meanwhile, the JBC must submit its 2024-25 budget proposal to the legislature by mid-March.

The fear of losing the federal money has been a constant theme on the budget committee in recent months.

Colorado budget writers this fall

asked every state department for a detailed accounting of how they were spending ARPA dollars and how much they had left.

“We knew that there was a self-destruct time on those funds,” said Sen. Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village, who serves on the JBC. But no one was sure what the 2024 “obligation” deadline actually meant.

Colorado’s not alone in facing a time crunch. As of June 2023, states had only spent about half the money the federal government provided, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

The stakes are high. Lawmakers don’t want to risk losing federal money — the leftover dollars represent 40% of the state’s entire ARPA allocation. So if the new spending plan doesn’t work as intended, there could be pressure to call a special session later this year.

“The more thoughtful the General Assembly can be in tackling this issue in a bill, the less likely a special session will be required in fall 2024 to fix ARPA-related problems,” Bickel wrote in a briefing document.

Bridges told The Colorado Sun he doesn’t think it will come to that.

Other states have already done similar funding swaps of their own to work around the deadline, he said, indicating that Colorado’s plan should pass federal muster.

“It is a well-trodden path,” Bridges said.

Colorado Sun staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.

This story was printed through a news sharing agreement with The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonprofit based in Denver that covers the state.

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LOCAL

February 1, 2024F

VOICES Consistently confident and courageous

W

hen dreams whisper just out of reach, our instinct is often to shrink back, feeling underqualified for bold pursuits. But buried beneath selfdoubt, embers of our true potential still glow. Now is the time to fan those embers into flames. It’s time to embrace our created purpose with confidence and courage.

Confidence silences the nagging inner critic. It drowns out voices shouting, “Who do you think you are?” Confidence straightens slumped shoulders and lifts the chin.

It declares, “I am filled with strengths and talents to offer this world. I have a rightful place and voice.” Our fright shrinks because our confidence believes the best about us.

Initially this column started out as piece that would help salespeople understand the importance of confidence in their profession. Many sales leaders today share that confidence has become a major issue as advancement in technology, fierce competition, and other factors are causing sellers to doubt themselves.

My guidance has always been that sellers need to master three levels of confidence: confidence in themselves, confidence in their products and services, and confidence in their company to stand behind their products and services and fully support their customers.

But as I socialized the idea for this

column, my inner circle encouraged me to make it about all people because there is so much disruption going on in the world coupled with fear and uncertainty, that we could all use a shot of confidence and courage.

Courage is confiMichael Norton dence on fire, propelling us past paralysis into action. Courage says, “I feel afraid but will forge ahead anyway.”

It risks failure for the sake of fulfilling our calling. As we move forward while still trembling, courage builds muscle memory for our next brave act. Our capabilities multiply as we climb the stairsteps of growth. And remember that our confidence and courage are built while we take the stairs and avoid the false promises of an easy elevator ride.

With inspired confidence and courage, we break free from confining expectations and dead-end jobs.

We pivot into purpose-fueled vocations that energize us. We build platforms sharing hard-won wisdom.

Our authentic voice leaves a unique impact on those we live and work with.

With confidence and courage, we escape stagnancy. We learn new skills, then launch inspiring ven-

WINNING WORDS

tures. We adopt healthier rhythms and mindsets. We enrich community through our gifts. We turn stumbling blocks into steppingstones, where once we teetered and wobbled, but now thrive and conquer.

True confidence is not arrogance that fluctuates with circumstance.

Lasting confidence emanates from an identity rooted in unconditional love. This soul-deep assurance fuels consistent courage to live out purpose, no matter the cost. With confidence as our foundation, consistency abounds.

The world peddles counterfeit confidence based on achievement and approval. But when statuses change or critics attack, false confidence crumbles. Basing our worth on shifting sand leads to inconsistency, soaring in success but plunging at the first sign of failure.

Genuine confidence stands on the bedrock of our faith-based foundation. When we internalize the grace and blessings that surround us, our confidence stabilizes. Our moods, mistakes and critics no longer control us. Confidence coupled with our inner strength sees us through our weaknesses, helping to liberate us from fear while living boldly.

Confidence-fueled consistency manifests in persevering despite hardship, staying true to values amid temptation, and speaking truth with grace not judgement. Consistent

confidence steps up when others retreat. It keeps believing the best about people and possibilities when cynicism abounds.

Living confidently also means resisting perfectionism that sabotages consistency. Progress over perfection is grace in action. When we stop berating ourselves, consistency builds momentum. Small consistent steps compound into massive transformation.

As our true confident consistent courageousness increasingly defines us, restlessness gives way to deep purpose and joy. We show up authentically without pretense. Our glow comes from within. We finish each race with heads high, already eager for the next.

How might the world change if you bravely stepped into your full potential? Your gifts are irreplaceable. It’s time to stand tall, claim divine affirmation, and let courage have its way.

You were made to shine. As always I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com and when we can be consistently confident and courageous, 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.

New cartoon, ‘Never Will I Ever,’ hits puzzle page

BY MICHAEL DE YOANNA MICHAEL@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

On the beloved puzzle page of this week’s newspaper, you find something new to give you a laugh. It’s a comic from lifelong Coloradan Marc Vargas called “Never Will I Ever.” They’re single panel comics that will run weekly and debut this week.

In one, for example, a man sits in a chair and is covered in cats.

“Never will I ever have to turn up the heat… again,” the comic reads.

Whether it be teaching a grand-

child to drive or ignoring an emergency alert on your mobile phone, Vargas’ weekly comics highlight the small disasters of daily life and outcomes that typically make us wiser the next time. The comic is punctuated by the word, “again.”

It implies it really happened “and ended horribly wrong,” as Vargas said.

Or, in some cases, only mildly wrong, because life could be much worse than being covered in cats on a cold day.

Vargas is a longtime illustrator.

He’s put his pen to work for papers

in Denver and Boulder, the Colorado Rockies and for books and other publications.

So, where does he get his ideas?

“I’m a trained observer,” he says.

“I love to watch people interact.

I’m the guy in the back of the room watching everything happening. My ideas come from overhearing conversations, watching people do crazy stuff and my own catastrophes.

These get my brain percolating.”

Vargas got his start as a kid, admiring the likes of Charles Schultz of “Peanuts” fame. He went to Colorado State University, but also the

Joe Kubert School of Cartooning in Dover, New Jersey, which he calls a life-changer. After working for the college paper, including editorial cartoons, and receiving an honor from the Society of Professional Journalists, he got hooked.

“I hope people are entertained,” he said. “Possibly they will laugh or smile. Maybe they’ll say, ‘Yes, I remember trying to shovel snow with a crappy shovel.’ A smile, a laugh, a little seltzer down the pants (I stole that from somewhere). This is an absurd and crazy world we live in.

Laughing is our only armor.”

13

February 1, 2024

Revisit a critical historical moment at Wings Over Rockies

W

hen people think of the Cold War, images of nuclear bombs and covert spies are probably among the first images that come to mind. But for Stewart Bailey, collections manager at the Wings Over the Rockies museum, there’s something else he likes to focus on.

“The first battle of the Cold War was won by the Western Allies and was won with airplanes,” he said.

“Not only that, but those airplanes didn’t have guns or bombs. Instead, for 11 months the Allies worked to support a city of 2.6 million people entirely by air.”

The story of that battle is told in the Air and Space Museum’s, 7711 East Academy Blvd. in Denver, new exhibit, The Berlin Airlift: Supplies from the Sky. The exhibition runs through Monday, May 27, and marks the 75th anniversary of the Airlift.

The exhibit tells the story of the nearly year-long effort by the United States, Britain and other countries to keep the people of Berlin alive during the Berlin Blockade, when the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies’ railway, road and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control.

“At the beginning, the Allies were using any kind of plane that could handle cargo and there were some accidents and a lot of confusion,” Bailey said. “Eventually it got better and the efforts were extremely efficient. There were planes coming in with materials like coal on average of every three minutes.”

The creation of the exhibit is largely due to donations from two families who had members who participated in the Airlift, including Denver resident Thomas Moss, who was a C-54 pilot during the events.

His daughters Barbara Drury and Linda Lewis donated many of their father’s artifacts to the museum and that provided the backbone for the story told in the display.

“This exhibit isn’t so much about the planes and technology as it is about the people and the human experience of what they went through,” Bailey said. “I think it’s powerful because it shows how people’s opinions can change — we went from years of fighting the Germans to helping them and Germans went

through years of

COMING fearing the sound ATTRACTIONS of Allied planes to

finding hope in it.”

As well as donated artifacts, the exhibit features a lot of photos and creative set dressing to give just a taste of what being in bombed-out Berlin would be like.

Clarke Reader The aim was also to make it interactive for all ages, so it includes activities like weight and balance exercises and more.

In addition to learning more about a historical event that many people might not be aware of, Bailey hopes visitors come away with a greater appreciation of the many ways the Berlin Airlift influenced the ensuing decades.

“One of the key takeaways from this exhibit is that freedom is something to be valued and supported,” he said. “In many ways, the Airlift still echoes through our world today.”

Tickets and details can be found at https://wingsmuseum.org/exhibits/berlin-airlift/.

LSO uses ‘Peter and the Wolf’ to enchant young audiences

Get ready for some family fun at the Lakewood Symphony Orchestra’s annual children’s and family concert, which will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3 at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway.

Not only will it feature Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf,” as it does every year, but also “Add Story and Play,” where the audience will create a story with several characters, develop a plot and choose music to go along with the story. Then the narrator, Joel Hillan, from CBS 4, will tell the brand-new story while conductor Matthew Switzer leads the orchestra, performing the music the audience has chosen to go along with the story.

Information and tickets can be found at https://lakewoodsymphony.org.

SEE READER, P16

Memory In Loving

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

14

February 1, 2024F

Meet some of the people behind the new automated trains at Denver International Airport

BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Twenty-six new automated trains are coming to Denver International Airport this summer, according to operators.

Currently, 31 automated trains carry ticketed airport passengers from the three active concourses. About half the fleet has been in service since the airport opened in 1995 and has run over 1.4 million miles, so replacements are sorely needed, according to the airport.

The new trains are also automated, but more than 73 people are responsible for keeping them running every day around the clock.

“Passenger traffic at Denver International Airport is expected to reach more than 78 million by the end of this year alone, and 100 million annual passengers are expected within the next three to five years. We are preparing for the future in a variety of ways, including renovating the Great Hall, adding gates to concourses and adding capacity to the trains to the gates,” DIA CEO Phil Washington said.

“New train cars will increase the number of passengers that can be moved to the gates by approximately 850 per hour. They will reduce the time between arriving trains and allow us

to run a more effective operating schedule.

These efficiencies are going to be felt by passengers and make for a more seamless experience at DEN.” The first of the new trains arrived in December 2023 and will be tested through the next six months.

Everyone is excited, from the director of operations to the mechanic who maintains the trains. The new trains may be automated, but the people who keep them running are skilled, working people who are eager to enter the next era of moving people around DIA. The automated people mover and airport nerd stuff

The trains are important to the operation of the airport, according to DIA Senior Director of Operations Matt Robb.

“You can’t get to B and C concourse. The only way you can get there is on the train,” Robb explained. “It is a single point of failure, which is why we put such a heavy emphasis on maintaining (the trains). If we get the train doesn’t move, the airport doesn’t move.”

Robb said that trains and airports have been his passion since age 13, when he took a trip through the O’Hare International Airport.

SEE PEOPLE MOVER, P15

Roberto Cortez, of Commerce City, has been working on the trains at DIA for Alstom for 24 years.

He explained how his military background (maintaining helicopters) and experience as an auto mechanic helped when he started learning to fix the trains.

PHOTO BY JO DAVIS

The new trains are at the shop and being tested by a special team right now. RJ Henessy Alstom DIA Site Production Manager and Maintenance Manager, said the new train PHOTO BY PETER SCOTT BARTA is testing now, with styrofoam bumpers on the sides to ensure that measurements and other stats keep the train from bumping into the walls.

15

February 1, 2024

DIA TRAINS

BY THE NUMBERS

Alstom, the company contracted to operate and maintain the DIA trains, has a display of flags in its shop. The flags represent the United States, Colorado and the branches of the military represented by their staff. According to Matt Fasbender, human resources manager, more than half of the people who work for Alstom are military veterans.

PHOTO BY JO DAVIS

PEOPLE MOVER FROM PAGE 14

“There were so many people here.

So many airplanes. So much space.

The logistics of operating a place like that, the challenges, again, it’s all about the movement of people,” Robb said. “So how they could operate a place like that was beyond what my 13-year-old brain could comprehend. So really, this is like some next-level airport nerd stuff.”

Robb fell in love with airports as a teen, taking trips with his dad to airports in Oklahoma City and Dallas Forth Worth. “We just ride the train around and walk around the airport and spend a morning and afternoon just in the airport,” Robb said. His love of airports and moving people started there.

Robb explained that the DIA trains are operated by Alstom, a contractor that manufactures French rails.

“They build a lot of surface rail trains, the traditional trains actual trains,” Robb said.

According to Robb, besides himself, only one other DIA employee, the automated guideway transit system administrator, works with the train system inside the airport.

The rest of the people behind the trains work for Alstom.

Keeping the trains running around the clock

Robb noted that the trains are not actually trains on a track. They have wheels and tires.

“We call the train the AGTS, which is an automated guideway transit system,” Robb explained. “We also sometimes call it an APM, which is an automated people mover. It’s not, it is a train. But really, they’re just like big, automated buses, they run on big rubber wheels.

And then there’s a guideway in between that kind of keeps them going where they are supposed to, but there’s no rail or anything.”

Alstom makes the trains and also operates a section of the airport accessed beneath the concourses by way of the tunnel system. Alstom owns and operates the shop where the trains are maintained, repaired and tested.

According to Aurora resident and Environmental Health and Safety Manager for Alstom DIA Marcus Huff, the site had gone 812 days without an accident at the time of Colorado Community Media’s interview at DIA. Because of the importance of the trains, Huff said safety is a top priority.

The reason, according to Alstom DIA Operations Manager Shawn Bingham, also from Aurora, is because of the downtime commitment between Alstom and Denver.

Bingham said the trains have to be available 99.94% of the time that the airport is open. And the airport never closes.

“In a 31-day month, there are 44,600 minutes in that month,” Bingham explained. “We have about 20 minutes of downtime out of those 44,600 minutes every month. So, we can try to paint that picture for taking such a small amount of downtime on average every month out of those 44,600 available minutes. And that’s about 99.94% availabilities.”

Alstom DIA Site Production Manager and Maintenance Manager RJ Hennessy, from Brighton, explained that up to seven trains run each day to keep up with the demand. The highest demand for the trains is in the spring and summer, not during the holidays, Hennessy said.

“Don’t get me wrong. We typically have (high demand) maybe two days around each of those holidays,” Hennessy said. “That’s it.

The people coming in for the holiday season and the people leaving for the holiday season are pretty much it. So, it’s two days around the Thanksgiving timeframe. And around the Christmas timeframe.

That’s it — just two days. In the summertime — take those two days and now put them over probably two weeks. And it starts at

26 new trains will come online at DIA by the end of 2024 6,500 passengers ride the trains every day 78 million passengers expected in 2024 100 million passengers per year by 2027 31 trains in the fleet before the new trains 16 of the old trains were in operation for 29 years 1.4 million miles run by the old trains being retired 41 trains will be in the DIA fleet by the end of 2024 15 minutes maximum amount of downtime allowed for the train system each month.

812 days since the last accident in the Alstrom DIA shop (as of Jan. 11, 2024) 73 employed by Alstom to operate and run the trains at DIA 2 DIA employee works with the train system

spring break.”

Keeping the trains going all year, with only 20 minutes of downtime per month takes the help of all 73 Alstom employees, according to Bingham.

Who keeps the trains running

Alstom DIA Senior HR Manager Matt Fasbender said the Alstom team is more than 50% military veterans. The employees come from all over the Denver Metro area.

Many of the Alstom team members have been working at DIA for more than 20 years.

“About 27 people have 25 years or more,” Fasbender said.

Roberto Cortez, a mechanic from Commerce City, is one of those military vets with a long tenure at the site. “I had like I had 10 years in the Marine Corps,” Cortez said.

“So, I had already been through a lot of oopsies and the mistakes when you start turning wrenches.

It made the transition pretty easy.”

Cortez said that his experience working on cars and military helicopters helped when he started working on the DIA trains 24 years ago.

“It’s not that technology is the same, but technical aspects and using logic, stuff like that is,” he said.

SEE PEOPLE MOVER, P16

16

February 1, 2024Fe

PEOPLE MOVER FROM PAGE 15

Ryan Parrish, a train mechanic for Alstom DIA from Thornton, agreed that his military background prepared him for work on the trains.

“I was in the army for five years. I worked on the Patriot missile system,” he said. “I guess I wanted work that kind of translated.”

Parrish went to Spartan College of Aeronautics in Broomfield to acquire more skills. His counselor at the college directed Parrish to Alstom.

“I mean, there’s no money in the civilian world for taking out aircraft, but money is in fixing things,” he said.

Parrish has been with Alstom at DIA for six years.

Carlos Alvarez is a helper mechanic from Aurora with two years at Alstom DIA. Alvarez was also educated

READER FROM PAGE 13

Sink Into Walker Fine Art’s Nomadic Daydreams

There are few times during the year when the relationship between man and nature is rich and nuanced as it is during winter. This makes it the perfect time for the opening of Walker Fine Art’s, 300 W. 11th Ave., No. A, in Denver, first exhibition of

The trains are maintained in the Alstom shop, underneath the Denver International Airport.

Mechanics, technicians and others access the trains from these platforms for cleaning and service.

PHOTO BY JO DAVIS

at Spartan College. He worked on wind turbines before coming to Alstom. His previous skills helped ease the learning curve when he came to work on the trains.

“Once you know how to read schematics and turn wrenches, it’s all the same,” Alvarez said.

The mechanics, managers and ev-

eryone else at Alstom are eager to get their hands on the new train.

Cortez said they are just “peeking over the shoulders” of the new train’s testers for now. “They don’t want us to touch it,” Cortez said. “But the testing process is a little regimented so that they’re not gonna let us put our hands on the train until they figure

2024 — Nomadic Daydreams.

The group show runs through Saturday, March 16, and features the works of Angela Beloian, Derrick Breidenthal, George Kozmon, Bonny Lhotka and Ben Strawn. According to provided information, the artists use two-dimensional mediums like oil, photography, drawing to explore the all-important interactions between man and nature.

Find all the details at www.walkerfineart.com.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Lydia Loveless at Globe Hall

Lydia Loveless, who hails from Columbus, Ohio, is a songwriter’s songwriter. Over their career they’ve delved deep into the rather nebulous “alt-country” world and in 2023 they released “Nothing’s Gonna Stand In My Way Again.” As usual, it’s an astounding collection of songs, chronicling a breakup and the struggle to find a way to move forward in a difficult world.

In support of the record, Love-

it out. And get it going. Then, they’re gonna give it to us so we can tear it up. I mean, so we can work on it.”

“We have a team that is here specifically for introducing the new trains,” Bingham said. “And they have a very, as (Alvarez) said, regimented plan that they follow, testing and making sure the train functions the way it’s supposed to. That it assimilates into our system the way it’s supposed to.”

He said the train must run 300 hours without fail before Cortez and the others get to it.

According to Bingham, the new trains should be online and transported by the public this summer.

Until then, these people will see to the trains, and to moving people throughout the Denver International Airport.

For more information on the new train system, Alstom and the Denver International Airport, visit FlyDenver. com. less will be performing at the Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St. in Denver, at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3. They will be joined by singer/songwriter Jason Hawk Harris and alt-country upand-comer Cousin Curtiss.

Get tickets for the concert at https://globehall.com.

Clarke Reader is an arts and entertainment columnist for Colorado Community Media. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail. com.

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February 1, 2024

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Inline Hockey: Adult- Lower Int Drop In League-Thurs -Feb

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@ 4am Feb 2nd - Feb 23rd Parker Fieldhouse, 18700 E Plaza Dr, Parker

Mustard Plug @ 8pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 South Broadway, Englewood

Ninety Percent 90s @ 8pm Western Sky Bar & Taproom, 4361 S Broadway, Englewood

Featured Mick Flannery

@ 7pm / $10 Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live @ 8pm Wild Goose Saloon, Parker

Move Like A Kid Again @ 10am / $39 Upswell, 1842 S. Broadway, Den‐ ver. jamie@kinetikchainden ver.com

Mustard Plug & Save Ferris & Catch 22

Tue 2/06

@ 8pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐ wood

Mayer Hawthorne

@ 3:30pm Cherry Creek High School, 9300 E Union Ave, Greenwood Village

@ 7pm Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St, Lone Tree The Mike G Band

Modern Swing Mondays 2024

@ 8pm Swallow Hill, 71 E Yale Ave, Denver

A-Mac & The Height: Colorado Youth Diversity Conference

Benny Benack Jazz: JALC Presents Sing & Swing

Mon 2/05

Kids Cooking Valentine Surprises (6-12yrs) @ 4pm PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker

Immortal Sÿnn w/Cönaxx + Dead Man's Alibi + War Kitten

@ 7:30pm Takoda Tavern, 12311 Pine Bluffs Way # A, Parker

@ 7pm Moe's Original BBQ, 3295 S Broadway, Englewood

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@ 8pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 South Broadway, Englewood

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LOCAL

February 1, 2024Fe

SPORTS Meet the 8 locals preparing for Olympic marathon trials in Orlando

Former high school athletes gun for glory at the top of their sport

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

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Above, Garret Lee runs in the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon. He finished 17th. Lee qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for marathon running with a 2:16:57 PHOTO COURTESY OF LYLE DICKIE time at the 2023 Grandma’s Marathon in Minnesota.

goal dangles in front of them like an elusive, eternal-glory-bringing carrot: a shot at the 2024 Olympics.

Only 150 runners in the country are chosen to partake in the U.S. Olympic Team Marathon Trials in Orlando on Feb. 3, and several are from around the Denver metro area.

Only three will be chosen for the Olympics from the 150 who qualified for the trial run.

We counted eight different runners from the Colorado Community Media coverage area. Though we could only speak with a few of them, meet all your local runners below.

Garret Lee

For Lee, a strong high school athlete at Heritage High School, his tunnel-vision approach to the Olympics sparked a second wind in his love for running.

“I think I always loved running, but I took a little break,” said Lee, who didn’t run in college at the University of Denver. “Once I graduated college and started working, running kind of became my main reprieve.

In college, I liked to play intramural sports. But I found once I graduated and everyone was working, it was much more difficult to get groups together to play sports. I found that running every day was a better outlet for me.”

Lee finished in fifth place at the 2010 5A cross country state championships for Heritage, which finished second as a team that year.

He also finished 10th place in the 2011 5A track 3200-meter run.

“I’ve always been pretty good at running, so I think once I jumped into running marathons, it became a bit of a calling to try and make the

sh Te

is M in 20 M

Olympic trials,” Lee said. le It’s been Lee’s focus for the lastth four years, he said. hi To qualify, runners have to runsa a marathon in two hours and 17le minutes or less during a 23-monthM qualifying period. Lee just made it with a time of 2:16:57 in the 2023re Grandma’s Marathon in Minnesota.er His goal is to finish in the top 30 inA Orlando. fe an Connor Winter la Winter was a decorated high school runner for Arapahoe HighTy School. In 2010, Winter was a 5A state champion in the 800-meter,qu 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs. In20 2011, Winter returned for a sweep in all three categories to become a two-w time state champion.

C He also finished second in theru state in 5A cross country in 2010. Butte he knows it’s a very different ball-C game now.

“It is humbling. Anytime you gocr from the best in high school to evenC college at CU, when my teammate is lapping me on the first day of practice, it’s tough,” Winter said. “Now going from college to professional runners, I know it just gets even harder. But it’s always you versus yourself.”

Winter qualified with a time of 2:15:51 at the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. It was a big fullcircle moment for Winter, who tore his Achilles while training for the Olympic trials in 2021.

It’s been two years of recovery and training, but he’s now back to running 100+ miles per week. If he finishes in the top three in Orlando, he said he’ll take a week off running and spend time with his family.

Scott Fauble

Fauble is one of the more famous and trophied runners in the entire poll of 150 participants. For one thing, he finished fourth in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials; just one spot SEE OLYMPICS, P19

19

February 1, 2024

OLYMPICS

Ian Butler

FROM PAGE 18

short of being selected to represent Team USA. He was also the top American finisher in each of the last three Boston Marathons, finishing seventh place in each one. His qualifying time for 2024 was 2:08:52 in the 2022 Boston Marathon.

Fauble is a Nike athlete and released a book called “Inside A Marathon,” which recorded Fauble and his longtime former coach Ben Rosario during their training regimen leading up to the TCS New York City Marathon in 2018.

After multiple championships and records for the Wheat Ridge Farmers, Fauble was a multiple-time AllAmerican, All-Region and All-Conference selection in cross country and track for the University of Portland.

Tyler Pennel

This Golden High School graduate qualified with a time of 2:12:16 in the 2023 Chevron Houston Marathon.

After a strong high school career in which Pennel was selected as an AllConference cross country and track runner and All-State in the 3200-meter in track, he attended Western Colorado University in Gunnison.

Pennel’s accolades include being crowned the 2014 USATF Marathon Champion.

Butler is a Green Mountain High School graduate who still lives in Lakewood. His qualifying time was 2:14:48 in the 2022 Boston Marathon, but his personal best marathon time is 2:09:45.

Butler famously overcame two brain injuries to become an AllAmerican runner in the early 2010s.

He also attended Western Colorado University and racked up accolades which can be found on the school’s website.

Connor Weaver

Weaver’s hometown is Parker but he attended Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch before running cross country at BYU. He qualified with a time of 2:15:46 in the 2022 Grandma’s Marathon.

According to his BYU cross country profile, Weaver: • Received All-Academic honors all four years in high school • Was named to the All-State team in track for the 1600m and 3200m • Led cross country team to two state championships • Was named cross country and track and field team captain • Was a two-time national champion in Olympic distance triathlon • Was an All-State cross country runner • Was a Nike cross cou ry All-Region athlete • Was a three-time national champion triathlete Weaver was also a member of the

only national championship cross country team at BYU in 2019.

Ben Payne

Payne currently lives in Colorado Springs but is from Arvada. He cut his teeth as a runner at Faith Christian High School and qualified with a time of 2:17:15 at the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

As a pilot, Payne works for Southwest Airlines and flies for the Colorado Air National Guard.

This will be Payne’s third Olympic trial after trying in 2016 and 2020. He finished 17th and 31st in the previous trials, respectively. Career highlights include finishing ninth at the 2016 New York City Marathon.

Paxton Smith

Smith is now an eighth-grade English teacher in Miami, but he’s from Highlands Ranch and ran at Mountain Vista High School. He qualified with a time of 2:17:24 at the 2022 Grandma’s Marathon.

Smith’s list of accolades in both high school and for the Colorado University Buffaloes is too long to list here but can be found on his Buffs athletic profile on the university’s athletic website.

For the Buffs, Smith ran for two cross country Pac-12 Championship teams in 2019 and 2021. He is the youngest runner on this list at 25.

Colorado camaraderie

Both Lee and Winter said they know the strength of athletes and

runners in Colorado, and not just from training at 5,280 feet up. There’s a sense of support and brotherhood that comes from growing up here together.

“It is special to be able to train in some of the best locations and with great runners who call Colorado home,” Winter said. “I have learned so much from my high school coaches and then at CU that have shaped me into the tough runner I am today.

My goal is to continue to perform at a high level and inspire the next generation of Colorado runners to do even better.”

They admitted they lean on each other for training, discipline, friendship and strength. Waking up to run 20 miles alone for training could seem almost impossible, Lee said.

But with Winter ready to tackle it with him, it becomes not just possible, but something to be conquered.

“Above all else though, the community of runners in Colorado is what inspires such great performances from Colorado athletes,” Lee said. “There are always people to run with and friends to help get you out the door. We all root for each other and together we can go further than we could alone. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

For more information about the 2024 Olympic Trials in Orlando, including how to watch your locals in the race, visit www.orlando2024trials.com.

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February 1, 2024Fe

Elbert County draws line on surveillance Commissioners end camera contract over privacy concerns

BY NICKY QUINBY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Elbert County is embarking on 2024 without a Flock Safety camera contract after the county commissioners chose not to renew the deal, due in large part to privacy concerns.

The commissioners decided not to renew the contract at their Dec. 13 meeting. The Elbert County Sheriff ’s Office has used the cameras for less than a year, but the practice is ending due to the cutoff of money and the contract.

Flock Safety cameras are a brand of Automated License Plate Recognition cameras (ALPR or LPR). Flock sends instant alerts to law enforcement officers if any license plates captured by the cameras show up on a “Hot List,” a list of wanted vehicles, or if they match a wanted vehicle description.

In addition to reading plates, Flock can categorize by things like color, make, model, and whether or not a vehicle has a bumper sticker or roof rack.

The system will trigger an alert if a plate is flagged for any number of reasons — stolen vehicle, stolen plates, Amber Alerts, Silver Alerts, etc. According to Flock, the data stays in their system for 30 days and is then deleted.

A screenshot from the Elbert County commissioners’ meeting with Flock Safety on Oct. 30, showing company representative SCREENSHOT FROM ELBERT COUNTY WEBSITE Hector Soliman-Valdez.

County Commissioner Dallas Schroeder said the “retention of data, how it’s secured, who may or may not have access, and what it’s used for” are his primary concerns.

The more Schroeder learned and read, the more uneasy he became about the “whole idea of the capturing of data” and surveilling the comings and goings of county residents, he said.

Schroeder largely agrees with the ACLU’s stance on LPRs. A February

2023 ACLU article points out that “while license plate readers have been around for some time, Flock is the first to create a nationwide mass-surveillance system out of its customers’ cameras.” Every new customer that buys the cameras extends the network. The fear is that the technology could be used to create comprehensive records of everybody’s comings and goings.

Regardless of what the cameras are used for, the ACLU feels that “police

do not need records of every person’s coming and goings, including trips to doctor’s offices, religious institutions, and political gatherings.”

Schroeder noted that this technology has advanced so quickly that regulations haven’t had a chance to catch up. In his opinion, there is no oversight and the field is largely unregulated.

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February 1, 2024Fe

CAMERAS

story said. Half of those LPRs are owned by homeowners associations and the other half are owned by the police department, but information from all cameras goes back to police.

Douglas County has LPRs placed on major roadways and in every patrol car. A CBS News Colorado article on car thefts from December reported that “thefts originating in the county are down 27% and cars eluding police are down 44% since last year,” citing Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly.

Before the Elbert County commissioners rescinded funding, Flock cameras were the focus of discussion at several county meetings.

In an Oct. 5 commissioners’ work session, Sheriff Norton and Undersheriff Dave Fisher explained their rationale for maintaining the Flock cameras to the county commissioners. Topics covered included the length of time Flock retains data, whether or not Flock makes additional profit selling data and whether or not the federal government can access that data.

In a subsequent work session on Oct. 30, Hector Soliman-Valdez of Flock Safety spoke to these and other questions about the system.

Commissioners Grant Thayer and Chris Richardson were present, as well as Sheriff Norton and Undersheriff Dave Fisher. Commissioner Schroeder was ill and spoke with

FROM PAGE 20

Sheriff sees value in cameras

Elbert County Sheriff Tim Norton disagrees with this assessment and feels that Flock cameras are a “great tool” for the Elbert County Sheriff ’s Office to have. Norton believes that with Elbert County’s manpower issues, the Flock system was another “tool in our toolbox to fight crime” that has been taken away.

Elbert County has had the Flock system for less than a year. Norton said in the first week with the cameras, Elbert County recovered three stolen vehicles. In early January, Elbert County’s Flock cameras flagged a stolen vehicle at the local Wal-Mart. The sheriff ’s office ended up arresting three fugitives from the Department of Corrections.

Norton explained that the system simply notifies the department of a flagged plate and deputies have to follow up and do police work to verify whether or not a vehicle is rightfully flagged. He said several Colorado law enforcement agencies utilize Flock cameras and have had success lowering crime.

Castle Rock Police Chief Jack Cauley partially credited LPRs for a significant decrease in crime in a 9News article from March 1, 2023.

Castle Rock has about 40 electronic license plate readers in town, the

Flock representatives at a later date.

Soliman-Valdez said the rationale for storing data for 30 days is to give law enforcement more time to gather information. He went on to say that Flock data is encrypted, stored on Amazon web servers, and Flock does not have access to it to sell or share it. When asked who had access to the data, Soliman-Valdez emphasized that the sheriff ’s office owns it and any data sharing would fall under their purview and policies.

Officials express their views

Norton and Fisher spoke in favor of Flock cameras at the commissioners’ meeting on Dec. 13 before Schroeder added his own thoughts.

Schroeder explained how his concerns regarding Flock and privacy were related to his thoughts on the federal government moving toward a police state. “... Federal law enforcement calling parents who attend school board meetings domestic terrorists is concerning to me. As well as people in the highest levels of our government referring the same to MAGA Republicans as domestic terrorists,” Schroeder said. “That’s rhetoric that’s extreme and it’s dangerous and it’s leading us down a bad path ... That’s kind of where I’m coming from with my concerns and my questions about this Flock system.”

At this point in the meeting, the commissioners formally voided the Flock contract, set to renew in February 2024, and also chose not to set aside any funds for it in the 2024 budget. Schroeder said he would “like to continue to sit down with our sheriff ’s office and come to a happy medium.”

Commissioner Richardson asserted that the decision to defund the cameras was only made after much consideration. “... This wasn’t a decision made lightly and not a reflection of the level of confidence we have in our sheriff or his deputies,” he said. “It does, however, reflect our concern with protecting the civil liberties and privacy rights of our citizens.”

Flock was founded in 2017 by a former electrical engineer after several break-ins in his Atlanta neighborhood. The company adapted vehicle surveillance for the general public while their main competitor, Vigilant Solutions, sells primarily to local governments and police. Flock cameras are marketed to law enforcement agencies, as well as to neighborhood associations and private businesses.

Elbert County commissioner meetings take place the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, from 9-10 a.m., at 215 Comanche St. in Kiowa. Meeting agendas and minutes are available at elbertcounty-co.gov/129/ Agendas-Minutes.

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February 1, 2024

Real news in real time.

Artist Robert Quimby works in his Franktown-area studio.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT QUIMBY

Artist shares love of Elbert County Robert Quimby specializes in scenes of Western life

BY COURTNEY BAKOS SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Specializing in Western art, Franktown-area artist Robert Quimby finds no shortage of inspiration in Elbert County.

He enjoys the vastness of subject matter and accessibility that Elbert County provides. Quimby was drawn to Elbert County because of the rural appeal he grew to appreciate during his childhood in a ranching community in western Nebraska. He moved

to Franktown in 1999.

“I know we have our issues with growth and encroachment, but Elbert County has numerous historic and impressive ranches and I enjoy being close to that authentic beauty and scenery,” Quimby said.

Visiting these ranches is a part of his artistic process he thoroughly enjoys. “I’m no cowboy,” he said, “but being on these ranches and watching these professionals work is inspiring. It is an honor to be invited into their spaces.”

His interpretation of the beauty of ranch life comes through in the art he creates. His primary motivator SEE QUIMBY, P31

Visit us online for breaking news and more.

February 1, 2024Fe

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Flexible scheduling with the opportunity to complete some work from home. To apply for this position, please visit our website ecboces.org and click on the “Jobs” page, click on the job you are interested in & then click on the green button “Apply Online”, located at the bottom of the job listing. Questions contact Tracy at (719) 775-2342, ext.

101. EOE

Cemetery Plots FOR SALE Inside eye level cript for sale at Crown Hill. Located inside front mausoleum facing Wadsworth. Worth $16,000 selling for $10,972.

Call 303-480-0320 or 720-620-2731.

Classifieds Continues Next Page

26

February 1, 2024Fe

MARKETPLACE Classifieds

Merchandise

Health & Beauty

Miscellaneous

Instruction

Antiques & Collectibles

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Pets

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Classifieds

Continues Next Page

SERVICE DIRECTORY Air Conditioning Serving the Front Range since 1955 Furnaces • Boilers • Water Heaters Rooftop HVAC • Mobile Furnaces Commercial • Residential Install • Repair • Replace

AC, Furnace and Boiler Specials

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Buildings, Metal

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27

February 1, 2024

SERVICE DIRECTORY Deck/Patio

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WOOD

..

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Kurt E. Walberg, P.C. Esq.

Classifieds Continues Next Page

28

February 1, 2024F

SERVICE DIRECTORY

ng

Hauling Service

Cut Rate Hauling

h / Debris Trash / Rubbish / Debris and Junk Removal emoval

Professional and Reliable Year Round Service

nd Reliable ServiceRubin (720)434-8042 | Kerwin (720) 519-5559 34-8042 519-5559

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Painting

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• Stain Handrails and Renew Custom Handrails • Stain and Renew Custom • Free Estimates - Insured • Custom Interior &•Exterior • Custom Interior & Exterior 30 Years Serving Metro Denver • Residential & Commercial Painting Guaranteed • Residential & Commercial Painting • Satisfaction A+ • Paint Kitchen Cabinets • Paint Kitchen Cabinets Rating

“We’re Crazy About Plumbing” CUSTOM HOMES • REMODEL • FINISHED BASEMENTS SERVICE AND REPAIR • LICENSED & INSURED ALAN ATTWOOD, Master Plumber

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• Free Estimates - Insured

BBB LS@LSPaintinginc.com • lspaintinginc.com • 30 Years Serving Metro Denver

IS YOUR FURNACE 10 YEARS OLD OR OLDER? MAKE SURE YOU’RE READY FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON!

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CANNOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFERS.

Lawn/Garden Services

Colorado Lawn Care Fall & Winter: Landscaping, Fall Aeration, Overseed, Fertilizer, Gutter Cleaning, Lawn/Leaf Cleanup, Fence & Deck Install/Repair, Tree & Shrub Trimming/ Removal, Snow Removal, Residential/Commercial

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• Satisfaction Guaranteed

LS@LSPaintinginc.com www.lspaintinginc.com

I am a Master Plumber that has 15 years of experience, licensed and insured, and trying to get my own business up and going. I would be grateful for the opportunity to earn your business, to help a Colorado Native business grow. Mountain Men Plumbing has been around for almost two years now!

Residential Experts

Residential Experts paintHomes over 800Per Homes Per No YearDeposit Ever We paint overWe800 Year.

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DANIEL’S PAINTING

exterior • interior • residential repaints Re-caulk all home complete prime all caulked areas / replace any damaged boards / popcorn removal drywall and texture repair / fences and decks / insured and bonded

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VOTED BEST ROOFING COMPANY Complimentary Roof Inspections

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• Benjamin Moore Paints • Labor and Materials Warranty • Free Estimates • Color Consultation Included • Kind/Highly Communicative Staff Helpful Ace Hardware Pro Painters is a residential painting company which specializes in exterior and interior painting. Our core values are honesty, integrity, service, quality and beauty and our focus is on delivering an outstanding customer experience. We currently include a full color consult, test pints and a detailed walkthrough with all of our paint jobs.

Give us a call to set up a free estimate! (720) 432-6125 helpfulacehardwarepropainters.com

Please support these amazing local businesses

Service Directory Continues Next Page

29

February 1, 2024

SERVICE DIRECTORY Tile

Roofing/Gutters

HARDWOOD Have a Hail Damaged Roof?

..

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Great Impressions.

. ,

- Gutter cleaning /gutter covers available now - We are 100% Local & Have Great References FOOTPRINTS HARDWOOD, TILE, floors BACKSPLASHES & LAMINATES Great F1oors.

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- Call Dave Vaughn 720-427-7422 Call today for a free estimate!

- davegoldenspikeroofing@gmail.com

720-344-0939 | FOOTPRINTSFLOORS.COM 720-344-0939

WWW FOOTPRINTSFLOORS COM

Thomas Flooring & Tile Siding & Windows

• All Types of Tile • Granite-Ceramic • • Porcelain • Natural Stone • • Vinyl • Bathroom Remodel • 32 Years Experience • Work Warranty

303-781-4919 FREE Estimates Tree Services

Siding & Windows Siding Repairs • Hail Damage Repairs Insulated Vinyl and Steel Siding

Free Estimates • Call Sam 720.731.8789 Solar

ABE’S TREE & SHRUB CARE Abraham Spilsbury, Owner/Operator

Certified Arborist Licensed & Insured Veteran

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Phone: 720-283-8226 Cell: 720-979-3888

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Visit us online for news on the go.

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February 1, 2024Fe

TV WITHOUT COMPROMISE. Stop worrying about your TV bill and start watching with DIRECTV. Taxes/fees apply. Req’s 24-mo. agmt.

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w/ 24-mo. agmt. Advanced Receiver ServiceFees $15/mo. and Regional Sports Fees up to $15.99/mo. are extra & apply.

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Availability of channels varies based on package selection. Regional Sports Networks included in CHOICE Package or higher. Blackout restr’s apply. Avail. of RSNs varies by zip code and pkg.

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Req’s separate paid subscription for Max, Netflix, Prime Video (see amazon.com/amazonprime for details) and other 3rd party apps. Restrictions apply. High speed internet-connected Gemini Air required. Google login required.

*New approved residential customers, price incl. TV pkg & equip. fees for first TV. Add’l fees may apply to non-qualified customers. Early agmt termination fee applies ($20/mo.) & add’l fee(s) may apply if equip. not returned. Credit card req’d. Restr’s apply. Equipment lease req’d in some sales channels.

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877.328.1512 Service subject to DIRECTV delivered via internet terms and conditions (see directv.com/legal/legal-policy-center/). Available only in the U.S. (excludes Puerto Rico and U.S.V.I.). Some offers may not be available through all channels and in select areas. Early termination fees apply for a maximum of $480, prorated at $20 per month over the 24-month term. Requires high speed internet. Minimum internet speed of 8Mbps per stream recommended for optimal viewing. Pricing: $84.99/mo. for two years. After 2 years, continues month to month at then-current prevailing prices unless cancelled. Additional Fees & Taxes: Price excludes Advanced Receiver Service Fees of $15/mo. (which is extra and applies to all packages) and Regional Sports Fees of up to $15.99/mo. (which is extra & applies to CHOICE pkg or higher. State and local taxes or other governmental fees and charges may apply including any such taxes, fees or charges assessed against discounted fees or service credits. See directv.com/directv-fees/ for additional information. Gemini Air Device: First device included for well-qualified customers, otherwise $120 for new Gemini Air. Applicable taxes due at sale. Additional Gemini Air: Additional device for well-qualified customers $10/mo. for 12 mos., otherwise $120 each. Purchased Gemini Air may be returned within 14 days of the Ship Date for a full refund however all monthly fees, including additional monthly fees, will continue to apply. Additional Gemini Air(s) purchased on installment agreement subject to additional terms and conditions. If service is cancelled within the first 14 days of ordering, you must return the included device to avoid a $120 non-return of device fee. A full refund of charges will be applied, and the early termination fees will be waived. If service is canceled after 14 days, you can continue to access DIRECTV through the end of the bill period, but there is no refund or credit for partial-month or unwatched content. See cancellation policy at directv.com/CancellationPolicyStream for more details. If you are subject to a lease agreement, $7/mo. lease fee per each additional device will be charged on your account. Lease Equipment Non-Return-Fees: If you cancel your service, you must return your leased equipment.

Failure to return any equipment will result in fees of $120 for each DIRECTV device. Regional Sports & Local Channels: Regional Sports available with CHOICE and above. Not available in select areas. Channels vary by package & billing region. Device may need to be in billing region in order to view. Limits: Programming subject to blackout restrictions. DIRECTV Svc Terms: Subject to Equipment Lease (equipment lease not available in select sales channels) & Customer Agreement. Taxes, surcharges, add-on programming (including premium channels), DIRECTV TECH PROTECT, transactional fees, and Federal Cost Recovery Fee are not included in two-year price guarantee. Visit directv.com/legal/ or call for details. All offers, programming, promotions, pricing, terms, restrictions & conditions subject to change & may be modified, discontinued, or terminated at any time without notice. See directv.com for details. ©2023 DIRECTV. DIRECTV and all other DIRECTV marks are trademarks of DIRECTV, LLC. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

31

February 1, 2024

QUIMBY FROM PAGE 23

is to portray the Western way of life with accuracy and in a way that his subjects feel proud of what they do.

Quimby also finds purpose and fulfillment in teaching art to children. “I love seeing young people interested in the arts, and seeing their excitement and satisfaction when they create something.”

Quimby took art classes through elementary school himself, but never really knew what he could do with his skills. “I often heard, wow you’re a great artist, but you still need a way to make money.” Today he enjoys nurturing the creative interests of his students and showing them what is possible through art. “`When teaching, I like to start

“The Trio” demonstrates artist Robert Quimby’s love of Western imagery.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROBERT QUIMBY

with pencil, and work on fundamentals and composition,” he said, since those are skills he feels are necessary to develop before moving on to paint. “You could watch a video online, follow along and recreate a painting, but to really learn how to create, drawing is essential. I think

“End of the Day” by Robert Quimby is among his artworks depicting Western life.

more people are skilled in this area, they just lack the confidence.”

Quimby aims to create a stressfree, no-pressure environment for

his students so they are able to create and develop confidence. Quimby feels strongly that effort is more valuable than outcome.

For Quimby, success is measured by the impact his art makes on the viewer. He strives for viewers to have a connection with his work. “That’s the challenge, because not every piece is like that. I’ll quote the artist Bruce Green, who said it best that what makes a piece interesting is when you keep going back to it, but you don’t know why.”

He adds, “I’m trying to capture the appeal or splendor of a moment in a way that moves someone to ask questions, piques their curiosity or influences their views or thoughts.”

Like the ranches and rural lifestyle of Elbert County, Robert Quimby’s approach to art illustrates the rustic beauty in the creation of something enduring.

www.ColoradoCommunityMedia.com/Notices

PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 Legals Public Trustees PUBLIC NOTICE Parker NOTICE OF SALE Public Trustee Sale No. 2023-0189 To Whom It May Concern: On 10/31/2023 10:31:00 AM the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in Douglas County.

Original Grantor: MARCOS VIRAMONTES AND MEGAN GOULDING Original Beneficiary: MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. AS NOMINEE FOR M2 LENDING SOLUTIONS, LLC, ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: PHH MORTGAGE CORPORATION Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 11/9/2022 Recording Date of DOT: 11/14/2022 Reception No. of DOT: 2022072098 DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $515,000.00 Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $514,436.31 Pursuant to C.R.S. §38-38-101 (4) (i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Borrower's failure to make timely payments as required under the Evidence of Debt and Deed of Trust.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN. The property described herein is all of the property encumbered by the lien of the deed of trust.

Legal Description of Real Property: LOT 69, LINCOLN CREEK VILLAGE FILING NO. 1, 10TH AMENDMENT, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO. Which has the address of: 6699 Longpark Drive, Parker, CO 80138 NOTICE OF SALE The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust described herein, has filed written election and demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that on the first possible sale date (unless the sale is continued*) at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at the Public Trustee’s office, Philip S Miller Building Hearing Room, 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, I will sell at public auction to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will deliver to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law. If the sale date is continued to a later date, the deadline to file a notice of intent to cure by those parties entitled to cure may also be extended.

First Publication: 1/4/2024 Last Publication: 2/1/2024 Publisher: Douglas County News Press

legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Dated: 10/31/2023 DAVID GILL DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: DAVID R DOUGHTY Colorado Registration #: 40042 9540 MAROON CIRCLE SUITE 320, ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO 80112 Phone #: (303) 706-9990 Fax #: (303) 706-9994 Attorney File #: 23-031127 *YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/ Legal Notice No. 2023-0189 First Publication: 1/4/2024 Last Publication: 2/1/2024 Publisher: Douglas County News Press PUBLIC NOTICE Parker NOTICE OF SALE Public Trustee Sale No. 2023-0200 To Whom It May Concern: On 11/28/2023 9:28:00 AM the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in Douglas County.

Original Grantor: KENNETH NEAL PAULICK AND CONNIE J PAINE Original Beneficiary: MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. ACTING SOLELY AS NOMINEE FOR UNITED WHOLESALE MORTGAGE Current Holder of Evidence of Debt:

NEWREZ LLC D/B/A SHELLPOINT MORTGAGE SERVICING Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 6/25/2019 Recording Date of DOT: 7/2/2019 Reception No. of DOT: 2019039010 DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $418,599.00 Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $390,763.48 Pursuant to C.R.S. §38-38-101 (4) (i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust and other violations of the terms thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN. The property described herein is all of the property encumbered by the lien of the deed of trust.

Legal Description of Real Property: LOT 8, BLOCK 3, STROH RANCH FILING NO. 9C, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO. Which has the address of: 12649 Buckhorn Creek St, Parker, CO 80134 NOTICE OF SALE The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust described herein, has filed written election and demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that on the first possible sale date (unless the sale is continued*) at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at the Public Trustee’s office, Philip S

Miller Building Hearing Room, 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, I will sell at public auction to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will deliver to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law. If the sale date is continued to a later date, the deadline to file a notice of intent to cure by those parties entitled to cure may also be extended.

First Publication: 1/25/2024 Last Publication: 2/22/2024 Publisher: Douglas County News Press Dated: 11/28/2023 DAVID GILL DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: RYAN BOURGEOIS Colorado Registration #: 51088 1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 700 , DENVER, COLORADO 80204 Phone #: (303) 350-3711 Fax #: Attorney File #: 00000009905324 *YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/ Legal Notice No. 2023-0200 First Publication: 1/25/2024 Last Publication: 2/22/2024 Publisher: Douglas County News Press

###

Parker | Elbert Legals February 1, 2024 * 1

32

February 1, 2024Fe

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM

DON’T LET YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPERS GO SILENT.

This year, even more than ever before, the news is in crisis.

More than 17,000 news media jobs were cut just by June, at national and local outlets including at some of the biggest names like NPR, The Texas Tribune and Gannett. In fact, newsroom layoffs are up 20% from last year. Some of these outlets laid off more than 10% of their staff in the last few months — even as we head into a critical election year.

These are devastating numbers. But all is not lost.

Many local and independent newsrooms continue to launch across the country. With your contributions and subscriber memberships, small newsrooms like ours continue to grow, adding new journalists and expanding reporting and investigations.

We’re committed to bringing the news to Coloradans. That’s because you deserve access to local, independent journalism that keeps you connected and informed — especially during challenging times. This is #newsCOneeds.

PLEASE SUPPORT LOCAL NEWS AND THE COMMUNITY CONNECTION WE PROVIDE. To contribute online: www.ColoradoCommunityMedia.com/give-to-CCM To contribute by phone: Please call 303-566-4100 • Monday-Friday 9am-4pm To contribute by mail please send your contribution to the following address:

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