Fort Lupton Press 7
November 10, 2022
Weld promotes county Veteran Services office BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Weld Commissioners lauded former Air Force veterans Stephanie Davis and James Wicks for passing down the greater good to help veterans at the Weld County Veteran Services. “We owe so much to those who’ve sacrificed for our freedoms,” said Weld County Commissioner Chair Scott James in a statement. “Helping veterans and their families get their benefits is an important element of military service, and we’re proud to be able to assist in that process. We encourage veterans to
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programs that Kruger describes as a “really amazing confluence of incentives” via tax rebates. A new Colorado law will award an income tax credit equal to 10% of the purchase price for storage systems purchased in 2023 and 2024. The systems are also exempt from sales tax. The federal Inflation Reduction Act provides an even bigger tax incen-
reach out to Veterans Services and see how they can help.” David and Wicks said they look forward daily to helping veterans navigate the system to apply for military service benefits. With their experience as former military vets, they can relate to veterans’ needs and help them feel comfortable to ask for help and talk about their frustrations. “We can relate to what they’re facing and empathize,” Davis said, who came to Weld County in March after seven years serving as a Veterans Service Officer in Wyoming. The Department of Veteran Affairs provides the benefits. The Weld
County Veteran Services assist veterans and families with many services, such as applying for education and former service and disability benefits. Also, Veterans Services helps veterans and families with VA health benefits services, burial, and items like headstones and markers. The Weld Veterans Services department monitors the claims process for each veteran and keep in contact with the veteran about their claims’ progress. According to the National Center of Veterans Analysis and Statistics, for the fiscal year 2021, Weld County veterans received over $171 million in funding from VA, a 14 million dol-
lar increase from 2020. Weld County Veteran Services processed 6,700 veteran case requests in 2022. The office is busy with in-office visits, responding to emails, and mailing benefits packages. Since Jan 1, 2022, the staff has received 4 489 phone calls, according to officials. “The walls come down when people learn we’re veterans because we can relate to what they’re going through and how important it is to look into getting someone their benefits. “They don’t have to be nervous to tell us things. We’ve all been in that same boat when it comes to getting benefits,” Davis said.
tive of 30%. Xcel customers will be eligible for additional incentives next year: $500 per kilowatt of storage up to 50% of the cost of the battery and $800 per kilowatt for Income-qualified (up to 75% of the cost of the battery) Supplies of batteries remain tight, but manufacturing capacity has been ramping up and prices should fall. Globally, capacity grew by a third last year to reach 600 gigawatthour in manufacturing capacity. Wood Mackenzie, a consultant,
reports 3,000 gigawatt-hours being planned or under construction. In “The Big Fix,” Aspen-reared Hal Harvey and co-author Justin Gillis describe how scaling up of industrial process has caused prices of everything from Model T’s to computer chips to tumble. They call it “the learning curve.” The most recent examples were wind and then solar. Cheaper lithium-ion batteries alone will not alone allow Holy Cross and other utilities to realize their goals of 100% emissions-free
electricity by 2030. We also need longer-term storage. Options include molten salt, hydrogen and pumped storage-hydro, the latter a technology use in Colorado since the 1950s that remains the state’s largest “battery.” Nuclear and geothermal are other options. All will take time to deploy. Likely a decade. For now, it’s time to charge the batteries.
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Allen Best publishes Big Pivots, an e-journal from which this was extracted. See BigPivots.com.
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allieventcenter.com
Laurel Leah (Olsen) Swarr May 8, 1944 - October 31, 2022
Laurel was born in Oakland, California May 8, 1944 to Virginia Payton and Bjarne Mathias Olsen. She was married to Herbert Ryde Swarr August 23, 1963. Together they moved to Brighton, Colorado to start their family.
and Morgan were her pride and joy and she considered them her own “gifts from God”. She spent many years attending school activities, sporting events, volunteering as room mom and leading the Booster Club. She was her boys’ and grandkids biggest fan.
Laurel’s life centered around her family and serving the community. At School District 27J she was the School Board President for nearly a decade in the 80’s and 90’s and also worked with special needs students at Brighton High School. She loved working with each one and felt that they taught her so much.
Laurel is survived by her husband Herbert, sons Eric (Vicki), Luke (Sandy) and Morgan (Tina), her beloved grandchildren Jerrett (Valerie), Mason, Kaden, Tyler (Sarah and great-granddaughter Abigail), Andrew (Allison), Matthew, Austin, Allison and Alayna and her special nephew Bryce Olsen. Her friends Theresa and Jim Hood, Sidney Linzmaier, Diann LaVere were very dear to her heart. She was preceded in death by her parents, much loved Aunt Lorraine Poulson, Aunt Norma and Uncle Leif Olsen and brother Bruce Olsen.
During her years as an active member of the 1st Presbyterian Church of Brighton she started the Courtesy service, providing meals for the ill in the community. She also served her church as an Elder and Deacon and by organizing Mother-Daughter Banquets and Women’s Association activities. Laurel was known for her generosity and warm heart. She loved others deeply but fiercely loved her family. Her sons Eric, Luke
As testimony to Laurel’s heart, she has requested in lieu of flowers to “please do something for someone in need, check on your neighbor, visit someone who is lonely, give to a food bank, or donate a coat for child in need.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.
