Week of March 24, 2022
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
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ParkerChronicle.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 24
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 17
Fed-up conservatives started organizing Lawyer responds
to Douglas County School Board questions about Sunshine Laws
Now they’re winning — and they don’t plan to stop BY JENNIFER BROWN THE COLORADO SUN
Loveland grandmother Mickie Nuffer grew more concerned by the day as she watched people on television shouting about “defunding the police” and later, in her own county, when businesses required proof of vaccination to enter. In Highlands Ranch, mom and former teacher’s aide Donna Jo Tompkins was growing increasingly frustrated with mask mandates, last-minute school quarantines and the latest curriculum controversy: critical race theory. And in Arvada, Angela Marriott was alarmed by the way people on Nextdoor pounced on any conservative sentiment, especially against masks, and was exasperated pretty much every time she watched the news. “I would turn on the news and just be enraged within minutes, watching our police being abused, properties being destroyed and trying to erase our history with tearing down and damaging statues,” she said. “I just decided one day I had had it. I was going to take this negative energy and put it into something constructive, to fight for freedom and my children’s future.” None of the three women had ever been political, but said they were compelled by the 2020 COVID shutdown and other government policies of the past two years to get involved. Similar to the way Democratic women mobilized after the election of former President Donald Trump, conservative women who never before attended a caucus or canvassed a SEE FED-UP, P6
BEST OF THE BEST
A motion to dismiss the lawsuit is still being debated in court filings BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Being a part of the Liberty Girls fosters friendship and support, said one member. “In the beginning, I felt kind of lost. You’re coming out of 2020 feeling really isolated and feeling alone. And then when we got together last March, we were all just crying. ... It’s much easier to tackle politics as a group, and to discern together. That really has brought us together and made this a group of action.” PHOTO BY OLIVIA SUN/THE COLORADO SUN VIA REPORT FOR AMERICA
An attorney involved in the lawsuit alleging Douglas County School Board members violated open meetings law has responded to some directors who said they are confused about how to comply with a judge’s order prohibiting serial meetings. The letter came amid ongoing efforts to dismiss the lawsuit, and ahead of what could become a months-long court dispute. In a letter to the board, open government attorney Steve Zansberg said he contacted the board’s legal representation in the lawsuit at Hall and Evans, a Denver law firm, after observing directors’ March 11 special meeting, where some board members said they wanted more clarity about a preliminary injunction in the case. Douglas County resident Robert Marshall sued the board in February alleging majority Directors Mike Peterson, Becky Myers, Christy Williams and Kaylee Winegar broke open meetings law by using a chain of private, one-onone meeting to discuss removing SEE LAWS, P10
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2 Parker Chronicle
March 24, 2022
Aurora gets closer to passing an urban camping ban BEST OF THE BEST
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Will there be enough shelter space for the displaced? BY TATIANA FLOWERS THE COLORADO SUN
If a new camping ban passes in Aurora later this month, people living outdoors may be removed from the sidewalks and parks where they live, as soon as April 30. Allowing them to continue to live on the streets is inhumane, said some members of the city council who voted in favor of an ordinance making it illegal to camp on public or private property without authorization. The unauthorized-camping ordinance passed its second reading on a 6-5 vote March 14 and is likely to pass its final reading on March 28. The ordinance would take effect about 30 days later. Councilors who supported the camping ban, which was proposed by Mayor Mike Coffman, said residents and local businesses have complained about sanitation and public safety issues related to encampments in the city. But advocates for the almost 600 people who split time between outdoor tents and the 200 to 250 shelter beds available in Aurora called the proposed camping ban cruel and ineffective and said the ordinance would not solve homelessness. The city, they said, should instead focus on providing permanent housing options to create real solutions. “I’m going to sound like a broken record, but I just want to reiterate that you’re going to still see people camping all over the place, because we’re not finding them housing,” Councilmember Juan Marcano said during the March 14 meeting. “This is going to institutionalize state violence, basically, against folks in our city who are experiencing homelessness, and we need to implement real solutions, such as permanent supportive housing.” Coffman declined an interview before the March 14 meeting, but in an emailed response to written questions, he said people living in encampments should have an alternative shelter option that is safe, has sanitation and offers other services to help them find a job and permanent housing. There are just under 600 people who are homeless in Aurora, according to data collected in January during the point-in-time survey, when city workers and volunteers count the number of people who are homeless on a given night each year. Many encampments in Aurora are concentrated along Chambers Road, East Iliff Avenue, East Mississippi Avenue and near Interstate 225 onramps and underpasses. Aurora has one overnight shelter with 150 beds. A few Safe Outdoor Spaces sites, with tents and pallet shelters, are set up in the city and have 90 beds, but can accommo-
date up to 120 people, said Jessica Prosser, the city’s director of housing and community services. “And typically, those are, for the most part, full,” she said. If passed, the new camping ban would require city workers to give 72 hours notice before a camp is removed and it would call for shelter beds to be available before a camp is shut down. However, there’s no promise that those shelter beds will become available. If the ordinance passes, Prosser’s office will work on finding additional shelter beds. The city currently activates its day resource center, and uses hotel and motel vouchers to increase shelter beds during cold weather. Coffman, who was under intense public scrutiny last year after he told a TV station that he had posed as a homeless person, lived in encampments for seven days and that he believed addiction treatment or job training should be required for people accessing shelter services, introduced the first version of his urban camping ban last summer, but it failed in August on a 5-5 vote. His newer proposal passed on first reading on Feb. 28 in a 6-5 vote after Coffman broke the now rightleaning council’s tie. At that February meeting, Councilmember Crystal Murillo asked city staff to draft an amendment to address how important personal items, such as cell phones and identification cards, would be handled by the city when a camp is removed. That amendment passed at the March 14 meeting. At the February meeting, the council passed an amendment offered by Murillo instructing the city manager to provide an annual report to the council on the effectiveness of the urban camping ban and an accounting of all city staff’s time and resources used to enforce the ordinance. Preserving personal items such as identification is crucial. But Vicky, a woman who has been homeless for more than a decade, said last week that she has been directed by Aurora workers to visit nearby food banks and food stamp offices after her camps were shut down in the past. When Vicky showed up to those human service organizations, she said there were long lines, and lots of paperwork requiring an identification card or a phone number to set up future appointments. Her identification card, phone and birth certificate were stolen, she said, and she has had trouble replacing them ever since. “I just go and start it up somewhere else,” she said of her camps. “You gotta have some place.” Coffman, in an email, said he was confident there will be adequate shelter by the time the ordinance takes effect. “We only need enough for those who decide to take advantage of an alternative shelter option for the specific encampment being abated on any given day,” he wrote. He did not provide an estimate of what it might cost to enforce the policy or house an additional 400
Seen from across the South Platte near Englewood, a man dismantles a canopy during a homeless-camp sweep. FILE PHOTO BY DAVID GILBERT
people, but wrote “it will cost less than the economic damage that these encampments currently do to our city.” During the March 14 meeting, Coffman reiterated that people would not be arrested when a camp is removed, but said they could be cited for trespassing if they refuse to move on. Many who oppose Aurora’s ban pointed to Denver’s unauthorized camping ordinance. They said homelessness in Denver has only grown worse since its ban was instituted in 2012. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened homelessness in the city. Initiative 300, which would have repealed Denver’s camping ordinance, was rejected by voters in 2019, said Sabrina Allie, a spokesperson for the Department of Housing Stability. Homelessness service providers have criticized the ordinance, saying it could increase arrests and convictions, which keep people from finding permanent housing. Camping bans are often instituted in many cities after homelessness becomes more visible, and as a result, many people who are homeless simply move on to a nearby municipality where a camping ban does not exist, said Cathy Alderman, chief communications and public policy officer for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. “We’re really disappointed to see this camping ban move forward. We know that camping bans do not work. In fact, they oftentimes make it worse,” Alderman said of the Aurora rule. “Homelessness is going to continue, and people are just going to end up with criminal records and fines they can’t pay, which again, is just going to perpetuate that cycle for them and make it even harder for them to get into housing.” This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun. com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.
Parker Chronicle 3
March 24, 2022
Briefly In Parker Volunteer to serve on Parker’s Planning Commission Looking for a way to get involved in the community? Volunteer commission member positions and alternate positions are coming open soon on the Parker Planning Commission. The Planning Commission, an advisory board appointed by the town council, provides recommendations to Town Council on land use and related development issues. Those with an interest in land use and development are encouraged to apply. Regular meetings are held the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 20120 E. Mainstreet. To be appointed, a person must be a resident of the Town of Parker for at least one year immediately preceding the date of appointment and be a registered elector. Relatives of town employees and officials are not eligible to apply. For those eligible, send a letter of interest and resume to: Town of Parker Community Development Department, Attn: Jeff Miller, 20120 E. Mainstreet, Parker, CO 80138; or email: jmiller@parkeronline. org. The deadline for applications is Friday, April 22, at 5 p.m. Contact the Community Development Department with any questions at (303)841-2332. Shred-a-Thon event in Parker Mark your calendar for April 23 for our next Shred-A-Thon event. You can bring your sensitive paperwork to Salisbury Park from 9 am to 11:30 am (or when the
truck is full), weather permitting. The event will be held at Salisbury Park, 11920 S. Motsenbocker Rd. The information is confidential and will be shredded by DocuVault, which will ensure your documents are destroyed securely. Allowable Items include: · Bank statements · Bills · Carbon copies of checks · Credit card offers · Medical information · Old checks · Pay stubs · Receipts · Retirement statements Prohibited Items: · Aluminum cans · Newspapers · Phone books · Plastic Chaparral High School presents ‘9-to-5’ Pushed to the boiling point, three female coworkers concoct a plan to get even with the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot they call their boss. In a hilarious turn of events, Violet, Judy and Doralee live out their wildest fantasy – giving their boss the boot! While Hart remains “otherwise engaged,” the women give their workplace a dream makeover, taking control of the company that had always kept them down. Hey, a girl can scheme, can’t she? The play will be held on March 31 and in several dates in April. The production is held at 15655 Brookstone Dr. Tickets are $7. For more information, visit the website
Strive to Thrive offers hot meal and assistance The Strive to Thrive Resource Fair will be held on Wednesday, March 30 from 4-6 p.m. at the Calvary Chapel, 1100 Caprice Drive in Castle Rock. Enjoy a free hot meal and access valuable resources from more than 20 different organizations. Individuals and families are welcome to attend. For more information, visit douglas.co.us and search for Strive to Thrive.
Slash-mulch site opens April 2 The County’s main slash-mulch site, at 1400 Caprice Drive in Castle Rock, opens April 2 and will remain open on Saturdays only from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. through Oct. 29. For more information, directions and a list of acceptable items visit douglas.co.us and search Slash Mulch.
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
E-recycling: Saturday, April 9 Douglas County residents may dispose of unwanted electronics free of charge at Techno Rescue, 3251 Lewiston St. in Aurora, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and occasional Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Proof of residency is required. For a list of acceptable items, Saturday drop-off dates and more visit douglas.co.us/community-recycling
Let’s Talk... If you’re going through a difficult time, you’re not alone. Resolve to stay connected, stay active, be kind to yourself. Check in regularly with friends and family. Visit letstalkco.org or hablemosco.org to learn more.
Free Noxious Weed and Wildfire Prevention Workshop Did you know noxious weeds on your property can damage native flora and increase the risk of a wildfire spreading to your home? Learn to ID and eradicate them. Join land, vegetation and wildfire experts for a workshop from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 16, in-person or online. Visit douglas.co.us and search Noxious Weed Education.
Visit douglas.co.us
4 Parker Chronicle
March 24, 2022
Man convicted in 2020 fatal gas-station shooting Samuel Birch found guilty in week-long trial BYELLISARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A man walked up to a conveniencestore clerk and calmly asked for cigarettes. Then, just as calmly, he told the clerk to give him the contents of the cash register. “It’s going to be you, your stomach or the money,” the man told the clerk. He added: “I can shoot you when I leave, or I can shoot you right now.” The clerk placed cigarettes and money in a bag and handed it to the man, who said “thank you” right before shooting the clerk in the abdomen. An Arapahoe County jury decided the shooter was Samuel Birch, finding him guilty on March 10 of several charges related to the murder and another robbery committed the same day at another convenience store. The suspect’s statements to the clerk were recorded on surveillance footage. Birch was accused of the shooting and robbery at the Circle K convenience store at Quebec Street and County Line Road in Centennial, just north of Highlands Ranch, on the night of Nov. 26, 2020. Defense attorneys framed the trial as resting upon the statements of Birch’s ex-girlfriend, who came forth and identified Birch as the shooter in the weeks after the incident. The prosecution argued that the evi-
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An Arapahoe County jury found Samuel Birch guilty of first-degree murder and other SHUTTERSTOCK charges stemming from a gas station robbery.
dence points to Birch even without the former girlfriend’s recollections. Birch is in his early 30s and at the time of the shooting was living in an apartment with his ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Olson, in west Centennial. The clerk, Mauricio Omar Perez, 24, died of the gunshot wound. In a four-day trial this month, the jury in Arapahoe County District Court found Birch guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder, two counts of aggravated robbery and tampering with physical evidence.
Arapahoe County sheriff’s Investigator Ben Bussard said the weight of the projectile in the incident is consistent with a .22 round but could not state whether it was consistent with rounds of different sizes and potentially other calibers, defense attorney Grayson Lindstrom had argued during an earlier hearing. One of Birch’s gloves tested positive for gunshot residue, Gramer said during trial. Birch chose not to testify during the trial.
‘You’ll find out eventually’ Because the suspect’s face was covered on the security-camera footage, much of the trial focused on whether jurors could be sure Birch was the man in the videos. The prosecution pointed to DNA from yellow gloves found in Birch’s Ford Fiesta car that matched Birch’s DNA, arguing the gloves appear to be the same ones the suspect wore while committing robbery. Birch also appears to be the same height as the suspect based on “height strips” — markings that indicate how tall someone is on surveillance video — next to the doors at the convenience store. But the prosecution attorneys also argued that Birch spoke as though he knew he were guilty of a serious crime on separate footage from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. Birch was arrested for a separate incident on Dec. 7, 2020, after Douglas County sheriff’s deputies pursued him after a hit-and-run crash, according to court testimony. In body-worn camera footage from the Douglas County scene, Birch repeatedly asks deputies for a cigarette. “Would you light one of those for me, though? I’m about to go to jail for a very long time,” Birch says to a deputy. He adds: “I’m about to be in there for years, bro.” When Douglas County sheriff’s personnel ask what his name is, according to the prosecution, Birch says: “You know (what) it is; you’ll find out eventually.” Birch thought deputies were going to connect him to the Centennial robbery and shooting, said Lisa Gramer, one of the prosecuting attorneys. Gramer told the jury: “Your common sense and life experience and reason tells you that his statements to (Douglas County deputies) were not because of a DUI and crash.” Authorities found .22-caliber ammunition in the apartment where Birch stayed and in his car, appearing to match the bullet that killed Perez, Gramer argued. Earlier testimony in the case from
Confession alleged Defense attorney Lindstrom argued that “this case rests on the word of one person: Ms. Olson.” Olson, 28, testified that she was lying in bed when Birch told her about the robbery and that he showed her the cash. “I just turned away. I, like, rolled over in the bed. I just didn’t believe it,” Olson said in court. Soon after, Olson saw in a news report that a clerk had been shot during the robbery, she told the court. “I believe (Birch) said the clerk had a gun and maybe was trying to shoot back,” Olson recalled. Perez didn’t appear to be armed, according to surveillance footage. Speaking about why she didn’t go to police right after Birch allegedly told her about committing the robbery, she said: “Honestly, I was just really scared.” Birch burned items of clothing in the fireplace in their apartment to avoid being identified from the surveillance footage, the prosecution argued. The defense argued Olson’s actions made her uncredible, pointing out that she didn’t end her relationship with Birch even though she was told Birch killed someone and committed robbery and she allegedly saw him destroying evidence. “That’s not the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Lindstrom said. Olson ended her relationship with Birch after learning he had police contact in Douglas County, Lindstrom added. The prosecution argued Olson did not want to believe the person she loved was capable of committing the crimes — and she was worried about “how (Birch) was behaving and what he would do,” Gramer said. Gramer underscored that Olson was the one who reached out to police — it wasn’t that she ended up speaking to police because they found out about her involvement. “She has absolutely no motive to make this up,” said Gramer, adding that Olson “doesn’t get any money out of this.”
‘Spent that money on drugs’ Birch was also accused of robbing another gas station on the same day as the other robbery, at Arapahoe Road near Havana Street in central Centennial at about 4:30 p.m. The suspect in that robbery entered the Conoco gas station and pointed a handgun at the clerk, according to information previously released by the Arapahoe sheriff’s office. The clerk gave the suspect the cash drawer, and then the suspect fired a single round into the ceiling. (That clerk was not injured.) The prosecution also argued that Birch’s “desperate” need for drugs fueled the robberies. Around the time of the robberies, Olson had tested positive for COVID-19 — and she was the main source of income for herself and Birch, she told the court. “He found out that his girlfriend was sick with COVID, and they weren’t going to have money flow anymore,” Gramer said. Text messages from Birch show he was looking for some type of pills, the prosecution argued. “And we know that in the Conoco robbery, he’s much more agitated,” Gramer said. At 5:07 p.m. that day, Birch says he has money and wants to buy the substance via a text message, the prosecution said. Shortly after, in response, he’s told to “come over,” Gramer said. “And then the robbery at the Circle K takes place at (around 6:30),” Gramer said. “And you can see he’s much more relaxed in this robbery.” Birch also later sent Olson a text that said, “I spent that money from last night on drugs,” according to the evindence shown in court.
Examining clothing A key piece of evidence was a sweatshirt covered in paint, which prosecutors argued was the same sweatshirt surveillance footage caught the shooter wearing that read, “No pain, no Jane.” Olson said Birch asked her to paint over the sweatshirt and that it bore that phrase. Authorities were able to examine the sweatshirt with several different light sources but could not see anything other than the outermost layer of paint, according to court testimony. Lindstrom, one of the defense attorneys, criticized the way the sweatshirt was examined and argued more could have been done to see what was underneath the paint. Authorities should have tried to “take a Q-tip and dip it in paint thinner” and test whether it would damage the outer parts of the sweatshirt to evaluate whether that tool could have been safely used to remove paint from the relevant part of the clothing, Lindstrom said. The prosecution maintained that it was Birch’s sweatshirt that was pictured in the surveillance footage. For Birch not to be the person who committed the crimes, Gramer said, “The coincidence would have to be you have a painted sweatshirt, .22s in your home, .22s in your car, gloves that match” the ones from the crime scene. Previously, Birch has pleaded guilty to burglary of a building in 2013, to assault in 2013 and to criminal mischief in 2015, according to online court records.
Parker Chronicle 5
March 24, 2022
Construction starts on $70M mixed-use project The View becomes latest in downtown development BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARDFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
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Construction on the $70 million mixed-use project known as the View in Castle Rock kicked off March 9 with a groundbreaking ceremony. Project developers and community members gathered near the site on Wilcox Street to share details about the View. Included in the project are 221 apartments, more than 14,000 square feet of office space and roughly 5,000 square feet of retail space. “It will be a beautiful class A-plus, A-plus-plus, I’ll call it, property right in the heart of downtown Castle Rock,” developer Banks Floodman said at the ceremony. On top of the retail, residential and office space, the building will offer luxury amenities, such as a dog park, a lap pool, a gym and golf simulators. The View is replacing an existing storage unit facility, which will be razed. The six story building will also come with 432 parking spaces, including 133 public spaces in the garage and on the street. Castle Rock’s town council approved a redevelopment agreement for the View that waives $3 million in fees and kicks
Developers break ground on the View, a mixed-use project on Sixth and Jerry Streets in Castle Rock. The project is expected to be COURTESY PHOTOS complete in spring 2024.
back tax revenues to the developer up to certain amounts or until 2038, whichever comes first. Up to $3.25 million in property tax and $1 million in sales-tax revenue will be shared with the developers. Additionally, the town is providing up to $100,000 in Intermountain Rural Electric Association credit for underground utilities and will allow the developer to impose a 1% public improvement fee on taxable transactions until 2038, which is estimated to bring in $225,000. In total, town officials estimate public investment at $7.6 million and private investment at $62.4 mil-
lion. Revenues from the project are predicted to be around $6.2 million by 2038, of which 45% would go into the town’s special fund for downtown initiatives. In a January meeting, the town council approved an extended deadline for the project with the occupancy deadline slated for May 2024. The developers of the project are Castle Rock View Investors, which consists of Block Real Estate Services, Sunflower Development Group and First Construction. CT Design is the architect and Vertix Builders is the General Contractor.
A rendering shows what the six-story project known as the View could look like. The building will include apartments, retail and office space.
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6 Parker Chronicle
March 24, 2022
FED-UP FROM PAGE 1
neighborhood are organizing in living rooms across Colorado. Tompkins formed Liberty Girls in Douglas County, which has grown from about 20 women who first gathered in her house for coffee and snacks a year ago to more than 300, all standing, she said, for God, country and family. Nuffer is creating her own version, called the NoCo Ladies for Liberty, with about 250 members in Larimer, Weld and Boulder counties. Marriott, meanwhile, started Arvada Grassroots Conservatives, which also includes men. And in the Douglas County town of Castle Rock, a group called We the Women formed last year. The rise of the liberty mom voting bloc is the latest in a line of suburban-women influence on elections, from the middle-class “soccer moms” of the 1990s, to the “security moms” after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, to the “rage moms” exasperated by Trump and racial injustice. Liberty Girls worked to flip Douglas County School Board Tompkins, feeling helpless about the state of the nation, logged onto a Facebook group for conservative women in Colorado and began sending private messages to women in the group who were her Douglas County neighbors. Immediately, she had 30 women who were interested. Their first meeting last March turned into an emotional, four-hour bonding session, as women circled their chairs in Tompkins’ living room and unloaded about how the pandemic had affected their families. One woman who was pregnant with her fourth child told the group her toddler had regressed and had received no services. A Cherry Creek teacher said she left her job because she couldn’t stand the level of politics that had seeped into classrooms. “How are we in this place?” Tompkins recalled them asking. “How am I going to raise my kids?” But, going forward, the group hasn’t been about venting. “I didn’t want this to be a group where we sat around and grumbled and cried,” Tompkins said. She got to work setting up workshops so the
Liberty Girls could learn about the upcoming school board race, held in November, and the caucus process where voters gather by precinct in the spring to start selecting GOP candidates. As the group grew, Tompkins, who used her maiden name in this story, vetted each person, requiring that anyone who wanted to attend first call her to answer questions about their politics. She said she does this to prevent an interloper or a mole with a hidden tape recorder from infiltrating one of their meetings. The caution is necessary, she said, in a time when people are divided and attacks are sometimes vicious, particularly after the new conservative school board abruptly fired the superintendent, setting Douglas County parents against each other. Liberty Girl meetings are a place where “you can speak your truth and not be censored or canceled,” she said. The meetings grew so quickly that Tompkins started placing chairs on her second floor, where a foyer with a railing overlooks the living room. They called it mezzanine seating. Liberty Girls’ first big push was the school board election, where four conservative candidates were attempting to flip the left-majority board that had been in power since 2018. They packed school board meetings. They knocked on doors, reaching Douglas County residents who no longer had kids in school and hadn’t kept up with school politics. They spoke of mask mandates, Zoom classrooms and 10-day school quarantines. And they won. In February, three months after the new board was elected, the 4-3 majority fired Superintendent Corey Wise and is now searching for his replacement. But the Liberty Girls’ work is far from over, Tompkins said. On caucus night in early March, 60 Liberty Girls were elected as delegates, precinct committee chairs and election judges. The group has hosted candidates in a heated race to replace the county’s longtime sheriff and is working its way up the ticket toward the Republican candidates for governor and U.S. Senate. Members aren’t told which candidates to support, only how to get involved in the process. “We are really wanting to stand on our own, apart from the GOP,” Tompkins said. “We are a group of intelligent women who are getting smarter.”
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Jen Masten, a Highlands Ranch mom and member of Liberty Girls, attended caucuses for the first time in her life earlier this month and was elected a delegate for the next two years, meaning she’ll attend assemblies and have a role in selecting candidates for the GOP ticket. “I thought I was doing my due diligence by showing up and voting Republican and being on the PTO and by finding people that I really liked that were running and being behind them,” Masten said. “What Liberty Girls has done for me is educate me, and it’s educated me without telling me what to do, but how to do it. They said, ‘Here is what caucus is. Go do your thing.’” Masten summed up the group this way: “We’re women that love God, our family and country. We’re activists for medical freedom. We are activists for the truth. And we want to preserve our constitution. Everyone should carry the constitution around and know exactly what it says and know when our rights are being infringed upon.” Her enthusiasm, and that of many others, was obvious at GOP caucuses at ThunderRidge High School, where about 150 voters met by precinct, separated into various classrooms and a computer lab. Fired-up attendees talked about secretary of state candidate Tina Peters, calling her a “good guy” despite her involvement in an election tampering scandal, disgust over Colorado’s sex education law that requires lessons to include dialogue on consent, and anger at term-limited Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock for supporting Colorado’s red flag law that allows a judge to temporarily remove a person’s firearms. Outside the high school, one woman shouted “Red wave! Red wave!” Stu Parker, chairman of the Douglas County Republicans, said voters — particularly women — are more engaged than they’ve been in years. “They got involved in the school board race and started to understand what’s going on,” he said. “They saw what happened in the pandemic and they are fed up and wanting change.” Loveland group fights to preserve Christian values, against abortion Nuffer, in Loveland, said the collective energy is coming from a desire to improve life for her children and grandchildren. She decided to start NoCo Ladies for Liberty after Sherronna Bishop, a former campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, interviewed Liberty Girls founder Tompkins. Bishop, who calls herself “America’s Mom,” posts her interviews with conservative politicians and activists on her website. At first, Nuffer dismissed the idea of leading a group, telling herself
she was “just a mom and Nana.” Then the 59-year-old decided not to “disqualify” herself, realizing that her status as a mother and grandmother was her “greatest strength and my largest ‘why.’” “I do not want to see my family continually stripped of their constitutional rights,” she said, adding that she regrets not doing more sooner in life to “preserve our American way of life, founded on our Judeo-Christian values.” Nuffer, who is a health coach, heard Tompkins speak on Jan. 20. And on Feb. 10, she had 38 women in her home who came despite a snowstorm. Nuffer, who also vets attendees, wanted like-minded women to learn together in a non-intimidating environment, one where no question about the political process was too elementary. She and a few others circulated an invitation promising “conservative community, cocktails and civics,” and invited the local GOP chairman to teach a room full of women enjoying wine and cheese about the caucus process. A month later, 26 women from the group were elected as delegates, 16 as election judges and nine as precinct committee chairs — and that’s just among the 71 who attended the NoCo Ladies for Liberty’s last meeting. They’re also holding forums for the local sheriff’s and state House seats, and women from the threecounty group are considering branching out to start their own groups in their hometowns. NoCo Ladies for Liberty is also working on a website to communicate with each other, since many of its members quit Facebook over the platform’s censorship policies. And last week, Nuffer brought a carload of women to the state Capitol, where they protested against a bill that would affirm abortion rights in Colorado. The experience was a first for many in the group, who were jarred by a person shouting in an air horn to drown out the words of the anti-abortion speakers, a woman who was topless and a request by police that the NoCo group stay within the bounds of yellow tape for their own protection, Nuffer said. Women in the group are getting involved in ways they would never feel comfortable doing alone, she said. NoCo Ladies for Liberty is restoring a lost sense of community among women, Nuffer said. “We do better in community,” she said. “The way that our country has changed, our lives have changed, women now, many of them have to go to work. What has happened is when we’re working a 9-to-5 job, trying to raise our children, something has had to give. It’s in large part been our social interaction with SEE FED-UP, P7
Parker Chronicle 7
March 24, 2022
FED-UP FROM PAGE 6
other women.” ‘A bunch of passionate momma bears’ Marriott, who has a 14-yearold daughter and 17-year-old son, has scheduled candidates for city council all the way to the governor’s office to speak to her Arvada group. Plus, the group connects via Zoom to meetings of the Liberty Girls and other groups around Colorado when a statewide candidate is speaking at a meeting, said Marriott, a property manager. “We are just a bunch of passionate momma bears,” she said, echo-
ing language used by Republican women all the way up the ticket. Women are leading the GOP in this year’s statewide elections, including for governor, the U.S. Senate and secretary of state. Heidi Ganahl, a University of Colorado regent and the Republican frontrunner to challenge Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, calls herself a “mom on a mission.” Deborah Flora, who is emerging as a top Republican in the race to unseat U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, said she’s running “because I want to be able to look at my children in the eye, and yours, and we have to be able to say to them, ‘We did everything that we could do in this day to hand them the same liberty that we enjoy.’” As Marriott’s group has grown,
gathering in her house for her creamy Italian sausage pasta and another member’s now-famous soups, she’s booking candidates for various races and scheduling educational workshops. The group has held a concealed weapons class, a session on the U.S. Constitution and events on “prepping,” including how to grow microgreens and prepare in other ways for a massive food shortage. Some in the group have volunteered for election audits, analyzing Jefferson County ballots from 2018 and 2020. They campaigned for conservative candidates for the school board, though they lost, and fought against former Jefferson County Public Health Director Dawn Comstock, who resigned last month. Marriott
was particularly active in fighting against COVID-19 testing for students in order to attend sports practice. The Arvada group has grown from 10 to about 130 people. “It was really the moms that stood up and started to fight,” Marriott said. “It was eating me up and I thought, ‘I have to take this and turn it into something constructive.’ We have to fight for our freedom.” This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.
Lawmakers seek to fix rejected conservation easements Bill to spend millions compensating canceled easement holders is back BY MICHAEL BOOTH THE COLORADO SUN
Persistent state legislators are once again hoping to compensate Colorado landowners whose conservation easement tax credits were rejected and clawed back years ago, this time with a bill whose price tag to the treasury would be about $155 million.
The effort by Sens. Faith Winter, a Westminster Democrat, and Cleave Simpson, an Alamosa Republican, revives a years-long effort to repay family ranchers and farmers who say they signed conservation easements in good faith only to have them rejected by state revenue officials who determined they were overvalued. The sponsors say they have put in more conditions since last year’s failed $149 million payback bill, including new limits on the easements’ value and who can still claim them. “We’ve been down that road,” SEE EASEMENTS, P8
Conservation easements, such as those that protect the Trinchera Blanca Ranch in southern Colorado, are intended to protect open space valuable for wildlife habitat or scenery. A conservation easement of 81,400 acres on the ranch protects the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo range between La Veta and Fort Garland, including Mount Lindsey and Mount Blanca. PHOTO BY JOHN MCEVOY/SPECIAL TO THE COLORADO SUN
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8 Parker Chronicle
March 24, 2022
EASEMENTS FROM PAGE 7
Simpson said. “So let’s try to focus this in a little different direction.” Last year, when a similar bill flew through the Senate and died in a House committee, Winter said, “members still had concerns around these guardrails and making sure that we’re really addressing the family farms and ranches and not the speculators.” And this year, Winter said, the legislature has more revenue to work with. “So I think we’ll be more successful,” she said. The new bill, Senate Bill 119, will first appear at the Senate Finance Committee on March 16. Mark Weston, a prominent critic of the past payback attempts said this year’s bill does appear to have meaningful changes “preventing some of the worst abusers from qualifying” for repayment of credits. Changes include a requirement that families need to have owned the land for three years before applying for the initial tax credits, and
capping tax credits at 250% of the purchase price of the land. That will cut out some speculators who tried to manipulate the system to get lucrative tax credits, without any real interest in the land or its conservation value, said Weston, an appraiser who opposes repayment and who reviewed many of the denied claims as the first director of the state Division of Conservation. It’s important for legislators and taxpayers to understand, Weston said, that “these credits were not disallowed arbitrarily by the Department of Revenue, but were scrutinized by a governor-appointed expert commission, qualified appraisal staff within the Division of Real Estate, along with the number crunchers in the Department of Revenue.” Fixing past mistakes The 2022 bill is the latest attempt to restore controversial easement tax credits issued from 2000 to 2013, some of which investigators called spurious and the Colorado Department of Revenue denied after reviews by teams of appraisers. The conservation easements
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were originally intended to protect natural spaces while compensating family farmers and other longtime landowners for giving up their rights to develop the property. An appraiser estimated the value of the land and development rights, and the state issued tax credits that allowed the landowner to offset other taxes or get paid cash by investors who bought the credits. But the revenue department and many in the appraiser community said that in some cases unscrupulous investment advisers created partnerships or family groups to claim lucrative, overvalued credits for development that never would have happened. In one disputed case, a piece of land near Lamar that sold for $776,000 appeared to qualify for easement credits of $8 million. Some farming and ranching families have for more than a decade protested that they signed up for the earliest iterations of conservation easements in good faith to help save their family business and pay tax bills. They emphasize that the federal Internal Revenue Service allowed the tax credits even when state officials denied them and demanded repayment. The disputes eventually involved more than 800 cases and hundreds of millions of dollars in contested credits. Some families say paying back the credits or being confronted by investors who bought the rejected credits has ruined their lives. The fiscal note for the new bill says the total of disallowed credits from 2000 to 2013 is now about $177.7 million. Some cases have been resolved or settled.
This year’s bill calls for a newly created ombudsman in the state Division of Conservation to resolve disputes between parties who may be claiming the same credits. The bill would spend $5.8 million in the first year to hire about 17 full time positions to administer the credit disputes. Based on the percentage of credit holders expected to apply, restoring the credits would cost the general fund another $66.6 million the first year, and up to $88.8 million in the second year. The Colorado system for conservation easement tax has been tweaked multiple times since the period when officials say it was abused and families said they were unfairly denied. Last year, the legislature passed a bill sought by conservation groups that increased the amount of tax credit on new easements to 90% of the donated value, and added water conservation groups and others among those who could apply for credits. That bill was initially hailed as a companion to last year’s attempt at restoring credits to past denied credit holders. But the creditrestoration bill died in its second House committee vote on party lines dominated by Democrats, in what rural supporters called “pulling the football” after months of negotiations. This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.
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Parker Chronicle 9
March 24, 2022
County car thefts double over two years Rise in car theft a metro-wide problem BY MOLLY ARMBRISTER SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Crime statistics reported by the state show 418 vehicles were stolen in or driven to Douglas County after being stolen in 2021, an increase of about one-third from 2020 and more than double the 2019 rate of 179. The increase in theft is less dramatic in Douglas County than in the entire metro area, where 36,392 cars were reported stolen in 2021. Data released by the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority, or CATPA, show vehicle theft in metro Denver increased by 82% over 2019. A release from CATPA, a division of the Colorado State Patrol, indicates that more Coloradans are personally experiencing car theft than ever before, with the most “at risk” vehicles including Chevrolet Silverado, Honda Civic, Honda Accord and Ford F-series pickups. Of the vehicles stolen in 2021, with a total value of more than $6.5 million, 156 were recovered by Douglas County law enforcement. Most of the stolen vehicles reported in Douglas County were driven there from elsewhere, rather than being stolen in the county itself, said Deputy Cocha Heyden,
An increase in car thefts in Douglas County is less extreme than in the rest of the metro area.
lead public information officer for the Douglas County Sheriff’s department. Additionally, the stolen vehicles are often part of another crime, with officers finding evidence of burglary or identity theft inside. Thieves steal the cars both as a crime of opportunity and a way to get away from the scene of another crime. “Most of these people that we’ve found in these stolen vehicles that we’ve arrested don’t live in our county, so the big question is, why are they coming down here?” Heyden said. The CATPA release notes that many vehicle owners leave their keys in their unlocked cars, or,
especially during cold Colorado winters, leave their cars running to warm up in what law enforcement refers to as “puffing.” Victims of car theft aren’t just the owners of the pilfered vehicles,
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10 Parker Chronicle
March 24, 2022
LAWS FROM PAGE 1
then Superintendent Corey Wise. As a result of those discussions, Peterson and Williams met with Wise on Jan. 28 and asked him to retire or resign and said a board majority was prepared to remove him if he did not. On March 9, Judge Jeffrey K. Holmes granted a preliminary injunction instructing directors to follow open meetings law. Holmes’ order said directors’ actions did not only violate the spirit of the law, but its purpose. Zansberg’s letter said he wanted to offer the board a different perspective from legal advice they might be receiving. Directors indicated on March 11 that in attorney-client privileged communications, the board’s lawyers viewed the judge’s order as “legally erroneous,” Zansberg wrote. Hall and Evans attorneys did not respond to requests for comment. Board President Peterson declined an interview for this story. Zansberg reiterated that Marshall’s lawsuit never sought to prevent two board members from having legal, one-on-one conversations about public business. For local public bodies, Colorado law allows school board directors to speak about district business outside of open meetings, two at a time. Gatherings of three or more to discuss official business or take formal action should be an open meeting. Marshall sought to stop three or more directors from conducting business out of the public’s eye, Zansberg wrote, including through serial meetings. In that form of a gathering, local public officials meet in twos but then relay views or stances from those discussions with additional board members outside of public meetings. The judge’s preliminary injunction did just that, Zansberg wrote. President Peterson can, for example, meet with any single member of the board to discuss public business, Zansberg wrote.
Members of the Douglas County School Board discuss trust and air differences in a Feb. 4 meeting.
“Thus, so long as communications between any two members of the board are not thereafter shared (in person, by phone, email, text, or any other means of communication) with a third member of the board — outside of a public meeting — the injunction will not be violated,” Zansberg wrote. “It’s not a terribly difficult concept to understand and to abide by.” Zansberg said majority directors have confessed to violating open meeting laws, and so did some of their attorneys’ court filings in the case. Defense attorneys wrote that Peterson had contacted Williams “to relay” to her two other directors’ stances on Wise’s employment with the district. “It is obvious and straightforward what constitutes the violation: the ‘sharing,’ ‘relaying,’ or cross-communicating to a third board member the views expressed by two other board members on a particular topic,” Zansberg wrote. “Sharing the views, positions, or thoughts of
three or more members of the board on any matter of public business — whether or not a decision is reached by a majority of the board — is what the law, and the injunction enforcing it, prohibit.” Zansberg also argued that whether some board members believe Colorado Open Meeting Law is cumbersome for conducting board business is irrelevant. The judge’s duty is to apply the law as written, he said. Zansberg said “the only appropriate forum for such complaints and efforts to revise the law is the general assembly, not a court of law.” Majority board members have consistently maintained they followed open meeting law to the letter and did not act illegally in meeting privately with Wise or conferring with one another. They have repeatedly emphasized they only spoke one-on-one. On March 11, the board debated for 90 minutes about how to respond to the judge’s injunction. While some majority directors
PHOTO BY THELMA GRIMES
said they did not understand the judge’s order, minority directors said it only required directors to follow the open meetings law. Majority directors expressed interest in appealing the order. Peterson said an appeal could get directors and other boards more clarity on what the injunction means. Minority directors emphasized insurance will not pay for the lawsuit and DCSD would need to fund an appeal process. The board agreed to revisit the issue at their March 22 meeting. Earlier in the case, the board’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. That motion partly argued an injunction would halt directors’ ability to reasonably conduct district business. Zansberg told Colorado Community Media his client’s deadline to respond to the request for a dismissal is due next week, but that months of litigation could follow if the lawsuit is not tossed or if DCSD appeals. South Metro Editor Thelma Grimes contributed to this report.
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12 Parker Chronicle
R
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March 24, 2022
VOICES
Failure to attach
ecently, a Facebook memory reminded me that 11 years ago my husband and I officially adopted two daughters, becoming first-time parents. On a side rant, while I hate Facebook for so many things and the hate the platform is responFROM THE sible for spreading in this world, I love the days when it reminds us of milestones, EDITOR happy days, and those important moments in our lives. For me, this 11-year anniversary made me reflect. We adopted a 4-year-old and 16-year-old. The two are sisters and came into our home from a horrible family life with parents who did so much damage to these two girls and their older two sisters. For me and my husband, we had these visions of fixing all the damage, repairing Thelma Grimes them and living this picture-perfect life. We had this idea that we could erase the guilt by just giving them the life they deserve. The guilt came because we felt like we should have known what was happening in their home. We should have done something to protect them. With therapy and work over the years, we have learned what so many adoptive and foster parents have learned the hard way. These kids are who they are. They have been damaged, and love, money and time cannot erase any of it. This is true even for young children. Our older daughter has left home and is working to make her mark on the world. That 4-year-old from 11 years ago is now 16. When child psychologists and specialists talk about the importance of those developmental years when a child is born through the age of 4 — they are not kidding. What my younger daughter learned in those first years of life was how lying was required to survive. She learned to hide feelings and just deal with what was happening in front of her eyes. Through therapy over the years, I have come to understand my daughter’s issues but, being human, it is not always easy to handle. Besides the usual obstacles and insecurities that comes with being a teenager, my daughter has an attachment disorder. This means my daughter has a hard time connecting and forming meaningful relationships. She does not have normal reactions in moments of tears and emotion. She does not even have the normal side of anger and rage that teenagers have. It also means she tends to be rough on the people doing things for her well-being. In our house, I am often a target. The therapist explained many years ago that because I am her biggest advocate, because I make decisions in her best interests — I am the one she will resent. Believe me, there are days where that resentment can be hard to handle. The behavior and issues are hard to deal with. When you cry and her attachment disorder does not allow her to have a normal reaction to her mother crying — it is hard. On the plus side, where my daughter rejects love and support from her dad and me — she has been a great big sister. Her therapist often said it may not make sense, but she does show love and has made great progress in loving her little brothers. In the end, I just want to give a shout out of support to other adoptive and foster parents out there. The job may be hard. The job may be thankless. But in the end, it is a job we continue to do. Thelma Grimes is the south metro editor for Colorado Community Media. She can be reached at tgrimes@coloradocommunitymedia.com.
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ast weekend I had an opportunity to enjoy a couple of beers with Brian, a very good and close friend of mine. On the day we had met, we were experiencing one of those WINNING crazy weather weekends where the temperature WORDS was in the mid 60s the day before, and then snowing the very next day. I was already there when Brian walked in, and as he walked in, we were talking about how crazy it was out there. And although the Michael Norton weather was indeed a bit strange, we quickly realized we were talking about all the other crazy things that are going on in the world. And that led us into a discussion around what we could do as individuals to help in any way that we could. What could we do as a family to help? And what can we do as a community if we really rallied all those who give of their time, resources, and talents? A song by Jana Stanfield came to my mind, “All the Good I Can Do.” The lyric that I thought of reads, “I cannot do all the good that the world needs but the world needs all the good I can do.” With our attention focused on the war in Ukraine and in other on war-torn countries elsewhere, many are wondering what they can do to help. Rising supplier costs lead to rising consumer prices and that means
many people are making decisions about what they can afford and what they have to do without, and again, raising the question of what we can do to help. As we look around there are plenty of opportunities where our generosity of time, resources and talents can be applied. So, what we mustn’t do, is to get so caught up in the things that we cannot do or control, and rather focus on all the things that we can do. And whether that is on a grand scale or the tiniest little thing that can make a difference, we must do what the song encourages, because the world does need all the good we can do. There are food pantries with empty shelves. Local churches have a food pantry, or they support one, so that is a good place to start. Soup kitchens, food kitchens and meal centers are also a great place to donate food or volunteer to serve. Finding the closest homeless center or rescue mission is another excellent place to start as they can always use funding, or they can let us know what they need in the way of donations. As the war rages on in Ukraine, there are many places that are taking donations in the form of clothing, blankets, health and hygiene products, and other goods that can possibly help those who have been displaced. And again, financial donations to the Red Cross or other charities that step in to help victims, refugees, and those left homeless by the war.
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Parker Chronicle 13
March 24, 2022
To the women who never made the history books
I
t’s Women’s History Month. Originally, I was going to brag about all the famous women and their contributions in Colorado that have brought GUEST us a remarkable COLUMN women’s history. For instance, did you know that we were the first state in the country to grant women suffrage by popular vote? Or about our plethora of Linda Newell famous women leaders in Colorado like Molly Brown, Madeleine Albright, Ellis Meredith, Justina Ford, Hattie McDaniel, Temple Grandin, Helen G. Bonfils, Pat Schroeder, Frances Cabrini, Chipeta, Emily Griffith, Helen Ring Robinson, and Elizabeth Iliff Warren. And that long list contains only a few! We’ve got
an incredible published history of remarkable leadership by women in our state. But what about all those women over the hundreds of years who never made the history books or we may not even know? I think Women’s History Month is the perfect time to honor them. Some of those we may know or remember, and some we’ll never know their name. They are also threads in the fabric of our state and our local communities. These are the women who may not have had a title, initials after their name, or even a warm place to call home. But they still have had a huge influence on how Colorado children were raised, how crops fed us, what laws govern the land, or which political candidates got into office. Some of those women who need to be honored are the: • single mothers who fought against the odds just to get their
kids fed and schooled, • teachers who spent long hours for their students while tending to their own at night, • grocery store and post office workers who went to work to support all of us no matter the weather, • nurses, doctors, and chaplains who have served us so intimately, and the • volunteers and nonprofit crews who have selflessly nourished and sustained our communities. These are our unsung heroes who don’t usually get awards, fancy titles, or stories in the press. But they are possibly the most important members of our society as they are the bedrock of our neighborhoods. But we also need to remember and lift up all those women in history who, because of their gender, have experienced pain and suffering at the hands of others. For just being a woman, too many have been either ignored or targeted.
Too many have been harassed, assaulted, raped, beaten, and even murdered. And far too many of them have names or stories we will never know. They, too, have made contributions to our Colorado community and deserve our attention and appreciation as well. In history and today, we’ve got a lot of women to be proud of in our Centennial State who have been very public leaders, unknown followers, and contributors in between. If you know one of them, thank them. If you are one of them, I hope you give yourself a big pat on the back and some self-care. Happy Women’s History Month!
NORTON
Now is the time to rise to the occasion and step up to help out, and step in with our time, resources, and talents. Even forgetting the wars taking place and the pandemics, hunger, lack of shelter and clothing, poor health, joblessness, and sudden loss of life leaving family members without the means to live as they once did all create opportunities for us to do all the good that we can do. Is there a closet that you can clean out to support a clothing drive? Is there a food pantry that you could
help stock once a month? I would love to hear your story at mnorton@ xinnix.com, and when we can do all the good we can do, it really will be a better than good year.
Michael Norton is the grateful president of XINNIX, a personal and professional coach, and a consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator to businesses of all sizes.
FROM PAGE 12
Sometimes when there are major events happening in our country or around the world, we can suffer from a sense of feeling numb or paralyzed, and we become so fixated on those bigger problems that we forget about the causes that are important to us and that need our help in any way that we can possibly provide.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR New alliance needed Today, this morning, of March 16th, President Zelenskyy addressed our U.S. Congress. He wants the leaders of all free countries to establish a new united alliance. Because, yesterday, he publicly acknowledged that even though Ukraine had been encouraged to apply for NATO membership, he knows it will not become a reality soon enough to help his country.. He was hopeful in earlier days. I saw a news clip of him standing in the street of Kyiv filling out another application for NATO membership in the first week of the Russian invasion but he realizes now that the membership to NATO will not be accepted So, he is appealing to us and all free nations to start a new alliance. He stated that his heart for life will stop if he cannot stop the death in his country. He feels that his life is senseless if he cannot stop the death. Let us help him. Let us join a new alliance that does not prohibit the neediest members from joining forces to prevent more evil and death from aggressors. An organization that prohibits membership for the countries who desperately need it is clearly not as good as it could be. Our freedoms depend on it. If our leadership in the U.S. executive branch is slow to respond to what is needed, then let us apply our pressure to form this new united alliance. Jeanne S Hughes, Castle Rock Let’s choose stability in schools After years of volatility for parents with school-aged kids dealing with this pandemic, it is disappointing to now see our school district embroiled in lawsuits due to the school board’s
newcomers’ foolishness, rather than working hard for our kids in Douglas County. It is troubling to think that Republicans took over school districts — like Douglas County — by playing off of the worries of tired parents. What I fear now, is what happens if this type of purely partisan “leadership” is elected to more offices? Will “Don’t say Gay” in schools become a Colorado reality? Will we move to ban curriculum and books? Will we defund our public schools? The newcomers are beholden to such extreme partisan ideologues who would pursue such tactics. Instead, I hope we choose stability. As a father to young kids, Governor Polis understood the gravity of the problem when COVID-19 threatened to stifle the learning and development of our kids. By trusting local leadership and making data-driven decisions, he got kids back in school and helped parents get back to work. The importance of steady leadership cannot be understated. Governor Polis told us that he would improve the quality of early education for our kids, creating free kindergarten and preschool for all. Three years and one global pandemic later, he has done what he said he would do — rolling out his preschool plan just this week. Next, Colorado will make historic investments into our schools, increasing funding for public schools by nearly 10%. Knowing that he does what he says he will do, I trust our governor to leave the partisanship at the door and bring consistent leadership for our schools and for our state. Katie Barrett, Castle Rock
Former Colorado State Sen. Linda Newell is a writer, instructor, facilitator, and conflict coach. Senlindanewell@gmail.com, www.lindanewell.org, www.senlindanewell. com, @sennewell on Twitter, Senator Linda Newell on Facebook.
OBITUARIES CHEVALIER
Mary Cecile (Snodgrass) Chevalier February 20, 1938 - March 14, 2022
Mary Cecile (Snodgrass) Chevalier, age 84, passed away peacefully on Sunday March 14th. A long time Parker Colorado resident, Mary was born February 20, 1938 in Kansas City, Missouri. She is survived by her children Denise, Scott, Shane, and Brett. Mary was the eldest daughter of Cecil and Helen Snodgrass and is survived by her
sister Martha and preceded in death by her sister Celia. A private service will be held for family members at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society or American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to honor Mary’s unmatched love of dogs and cats.
In Loving Memory Place an Obituary for Your Loved One.
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14 Parker Chronicle
LOCAL
March 24, 2022
LIFE shots at the signs. Street signs can clear up confusion about what jurisdiction someone is in, but they also can reveal deeper stories about a particular area. Here’s a look at some of the eye-catching signs across metro Denver counties and what you might not know about the history behind some of them.
Street signs carry little-known history in metro Denver counties BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The sign for Shangri La Drive in Denver, pictured on March 10, sits off Leetsdale Drive near Colorado Boulevard. PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD
If you’ve ever sat at a red light in rush-hour traffic in the Denver metro area, you may have wondered about the meaning behind the different logos and colors on nearby street signs. In the City of Denver, the signs are simple enough — the logo of mountains and the sky sit above the name “Denver.” But some signs have a different logo even though they’re also in Denver. In the southeast suburbs, drivers might think they’re in Aurora until the green signs on side streets start to look a bit different. And in Adams County, the signs sometimes feature an American flag image to discourage people from firing gun-
Denver mansions In east Denver, there are many normalsounding street names: Elm Street. Birch Street. Cedar Avenue. And then, there’s Shangri La Drive. A tiny, tucked-away road that almost forms a half loop off of Leetsdale Drive near Colorado Boulevard, Shangri La Drive was apparently named by Harry Huffman, a movie-theater and liquor-distribution magnate who had a mansion built on the hill. The road was named to honor the impressive home, which was modeled after the Shangri-La lamasery — a monastery of lamas — featured in the popular 1930s movie “Lost Horizon.” That’s according to the book, “Denver Streets,” by local historian Phil Goodstein, as cited by Denver city staff. And that’s not the only mansion in that area. More difficult to see from the street is the mansion known as “Cableland” on Shangri La Drive. It’s the former home of Bill Daniels, the wealthy cable-television businessman and philanthropist. Before he died, Daniels donated Cableland to the City of Denver in 1998, partly to serve as the official Denver mayor’s residence. No mayor has ever chosen to live there, but the mansion is used for official city events and city meetings and is made available for other events, including fundraisers and other gatherings held by nonprofits and qualified charitable organizations. Denver’s dual logos The use of Denver’s newer logo for certain street signs — the “D” logo with a building, the
sun and mountains within the D — doesn’t carry any particular meaning that’s different from the old logo, which is two red mountains outlined in white, with a blue sky and yellow sun, all above the word “Denver.” Denver began using signs with the “D” in 2010, according to Vanessa Lacayo, a city spokesperson. The city still has some signs with the older logo on it. “We try to be good stewards with city dollars, so we don’t replace things that don’t need to be replaced and try to honor the life cycle of the material and replace things as they fail,” Lacayo said. Don’t mistake Adams County A large chunk of the map directly north of Denver — roughly north of 52nd Avenue — contains buildings that may have addresses that are listed as being in Denver even though they’re in unincorporated Adams County. “Unincorporated” means an area is not within a city or town and is generally overseen by a county government. The addresses are marked as “Denver” because the city listed with a property’s mailing address is based on zip codes that are used by post offices rather than being based on city boundaries, said Christa Bruning, Adams County spokesperson. In those unincorporated areas north of Denver, you’ll see street signs with the A-shaped Adams County logo. In some parts of Adams County, street signs bear images of the American flag to deter people from shooting signs with bullets.
“American flags are placed on signs in some areas as a mitigation measure where we have experienced issues with signs being shot,” the county said in a statement. “The flags have been successful as many residents seem disinclined to shoot signs displaying the American flag.” A previous Adams County logo was established in 1985 and was the logo used on street signs until the current logo was designed and implemented in August 2009, according to the county. A community with gates in Littleton If you drive far enough northwest in the City of Littleton, you’ll run into an area called Bow Mar South, near the small Town of Bow Mar. But Bow Mar South is a neighborhood, not a municipality, even though it has its own logo on street signs. For example, the logo of a bird at Bell Flower Drive and Bowles Avenue denotes the area is within the Bow Mar South Homeowners Association, according to Tim Weaver, traffic analyst for Littleton. “We used to put different items on signs when a neighborhood asked for them,” a statement from Littleton city staff said. Decades ago, Littleton annexed land in Bow Mar South, meaning it brought it into the Littleton city boundaries. Littleton annexed the area that is managed by the Bow Mar South homeowners’ association in 1973, according to Littleton city staff. A small part of the association area is outside of Littleton, including a few lots in the northwest part of the subdivision, Weaver said. The area isn’t just another neighborhood. It includes gates on Blue Sage Drive that close to block traffic. SEE SIGNS, P15
Parker Chronicle 15
March 24, 2022
SIGNS FROM PAGE 14
Construction of the traffic gates was partly funded by the City of Littleton, and the city and HOA operate the gates together, according to city staff. Other gates that restrict or block traffic to or within neighborhoods in Littleton sit in Coventry and The Greens, according to city staff. Some areas in Littleton have street signs that are white and include the City of Littleton logo. Littleton first began installing the white street signs with the logo in 2015, according to staff. The city decided to install the white street signs with the logo in an effort to help people tell which areas are in the city and which are not, Weaver said. The new signs were also rolled out in an effort to “show our new branding,” Weaver said. Similar to the case of Denver addresses popping up in Adams County, it can be confusing to tell what is and isn’t in Littleton because many properties’ mailing addresses in south Jefferson County are listed as being in “Littleton” even though Littleton is mostly contained within Arapahoe County. Asked whether Jefferson County has considered putting its county logo on street signs in unincorporated areas to help clear up that confusion, the county said in a statement: “The county has the capability of putting logos on street name signs; however, there is a significant cost in terms of material and labor to this effort. Each of the cities within Jefferson County utilize logos on their street-name signs, helping a traveler to know when they are within a municipality within the county or within an unincorporated area within the county.” Arapahoe County distinguishes land It can also be difficult to tell when you’re in Centennial and when you aren’t. Centennial’s boundaries twist and weave throughout much of the city to create a complex map. Parts of east Centennial are sandwiched between parts of Aurora, and some portions of unincorporated Arapahoe County sit in that area too. Some streets that sit outside of city boundaries have been getting marked with the county’s logo, generally in recent years, said Luc Hatlestad, county spokesperson. “There may have been logos on signs here and there prior to 2012, but putting logos on street signs wasn’t county procedure until around 2012,” Hatlestad said. ‘Identity’ in Englewood Englewood updated its official city logo in recent years from the green circular symbol to the new symbol with leaves — a change that led to some street signs in the city having the new logo and some still having the old one. “The current logo was adopted in late 2015 following input from
A crowd gathered at night at the mansion known as “Cableland” on Shangri La Drive in Denver. The building is the former home of COURTESY OF DANIEL BECK VIA CABLELAND WEBSITE Bill Daniels, the wealthy cable-television businessman and philanthropist.
the 2014 citizens survey and from citizen input received through the Englewood Forward process,” said Christopher Harguth, city spokesperson. Englewood Forward is the city’s 2016 comprehensive plan. In general, a comprehensive plan can affect a city’s priorities for housing, parks and open space, and transportation. “Results indicated many residents were looking for an updated community identity,” Harguth said. Updating the city logo on overhead street signs, such as those on traffic signals, will be complete in 2022, and the updating of all the ground-mounted streets signs was completed in 2021, according to Harguth. One of the notable areas with street signs that don’t bear a local government’s logo is the Arapahoe Acres neighborhood in Englewood, which has wooden street signs that are unique to that neighborhood. A small exception in Centennial Drivers in the east Centennial area may notice another area that could add to confusion about boundaries — the Greenfield neighborhood along Smoky Hill Road. The neighborhood has its own logo on street signs even within Centennial’s city boundaries. The signs are connected to the local metro district, according to Anna Bunce, Centennial traffic engineer. “The original street signs installed with the construction of this neighborhood (or) metro district, which included the kites (logo), predate the city’s incorporation. Our best guess is that the signage was installed around 1996 (to) 1998,” Bunce said. Centennial was legally estab-
lished as a city, or “incorporated,” in 2001. In general the city of Centennial started installing Centennial-logo street signs that are blue rather than green in 2013, according to Bunce. When asked why the city made that change, Bunce said, “This predates existing (city) staff, but our best guess is related to more effective branding and differentiation for Centennial. With the nature of Centennial’s boundaries, this is an effective way to communicate and reinforce where someone may be in terms of jurisdiction.” Douglas County adds logo Douglas County had no logo on street-name signs prior to an inhouse competition for a new Douglas County logo that occurred in the early to mid-1990s, according to Wendy Holmes, county spokesperson. The winning logo was the early “DC” and “ribbons” design seen in the county’s logo today. “We place logos on most of the street-name signs in unincorporated streets and roads maintained by Douglas County,” Holmes said. “Logos on street-name signs are also useful as they indicate ownership of the roads for law enforcement personnel and road maintenance crews throughout the metro area and Douglas County.” Different in Weld Weld County doesn’t typically put a logo on road-number signs in unincorporated Weld County, according to Jennifer Finch, spokesperson for the county. “However, some of the signs — older signs — are a particular shape and will say ‘WCR’” and a number, Finch said. “There are county logos, specific to the project, found on some Highway 85 signs — also called the Centen-
A sign near traffic signals, pictured March 14, says “Blue Sage closed when flashing.” The Bow Mar South area includes gates that close in order to block PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD traffic.
nial Highway in Weld County — and there are signs with the Weld County Road 49 logo along that road as well to commemorate that special project.”
16 Parker Chronicle
March 24, 2022
A week of top-notch musical options
I
don’t know how it happened, whether it’s just the result of musicians making up for about two years of missed touring, good karma returning or just how it crumbles, cookie-wise, but Denver and the surrounding areas are spoiled with a bevy of fantastic concert options. So many that I’m devoting my entire column to five of the best bets for an evening out. Any live music fan will tell you that there’s nothing like a good homecoming show. The atmosphere is always a bit more electric when the audience recognizes the performers as their people. It’s been six years since the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra (CJRO) played the Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., but that time afield ends at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 26 with Back by Popular Demand: The CJRO Returns. “We got our start at the Lone Tree Arts Center and were there for about two-and-a-half years,” said Art Bouton, the bandleader who founded the orchestra in 2012. “In that time, we’ve turned from a one-person shop to an organization that has a payroll that can pay the best professional musicians to perform.” The reintroduction show will feature classic big band numbers like “Take the `A’ Train,” “You Make Me Feel So Young,” “Moanin,” and “More Today Than Yesterday,” as well as some new arrangements featuring the work
of artistic and music director Drew Zaremba. Vocalist Marion Powers will be featured in the concert, which Bouton said will show how much the orchestra’s skill has grown. “It means a tremendous amount Clarke Reader to come back to Lone Tree, especially because on the jazz side, we’re the professional equivalent of the Colorado Symphony,” he said. “If you’re a lover of classic big band or jazz of any time, you’ll really be pleased with this concert.” Tickets can be purchased by calling 720-509-1000 or by visiting www.coloradojazz.org/concerts or call the LTAC box office at 720-5091000.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
John Mayer at the Ball Arena John Mayer is one of those artists we just take for granted these days, which he seems to enjoy. He’s embraced all his influences and interests, channeling them into the simultaneously sincere and winking 2021 album, “Sob Rock.” But don’t let all that make you forget he’s also a scorchingly good guitarist, who weaves blues, folk and pop into his work. After several years touring with Dead & Company (and some COVID-related delays), Mayer is
back hitting the road in support of his solo work and stops by the Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle in Denver, at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 27. Get your tickets at www.ticketmaster.com. Tyler, The Creator and Vince Staples at Ball Arena Over the last 15 years or so, Tyler the Creator and Vince Staples have been making some of the most adventurous, forwardlooking rap in the genre, and in 2021, both shared top-notch albums. Tyler’s “Call Me If You Get Lost” is one of his best and most beautiful records yet and Staples’ selftitled latest effort showcases his lyrical power while using beats both skeletal and haunting. People looking for an example of hip-hop mainstays who are still evolving and getting better as a result, shouldn’t miss Tyler, Staples, Kali Uchis and Teezo Touchdown at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 29 at Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle in Denver. For information and tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com. Nation of Language at the Bluebird Theater New York’s Nation of Language are one of the best modern purveyors of the kind of new wave music that made some of the best music of the 1980s. But there’s nothing derivative about
their music and the way they use synths is both propulsive and groovy. On both of their two albums - including last year’s stellar “A Way Forward” - the group has produced collections of songs that are so good they both sound like greatest hits records. They’re stopping by the Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 29, which is the perfect venue for their tunes. Get tickets at www.ticketmaster.com. Beach House at the Mission Ballroom I’m not sure when the exact point is that a band turns into a hall-of-fame band, but with nearly 10 albums in about 15 years, Baltimore’s Beach House work like they’re racing to build one of the best discographies in indie rock. The duo - Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally - have consistently explored the fuzzy, reverb-drenched reaches of their sound and, in the process, created some startingly lovely music. In February the band released “Once Twice Melody,” one of their most luminous albums yet. You can catch them at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30 at the Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St. in Denver. Secure tickets at www.axs.com. Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@ hotmail.com.
Young dancers present ‘Cinderella’
F
orty-four ballet students from Littleton schools performed in Littleton Youth Ballet’s performance of “Cinderella” at SONYA’S the Lone Tree Arts Center on March SAMPLER 19 and 20. Included was ballerina Alana Linley, now freshman at Metropolitan State, who postponed her graduation from Littleton Youth Ballet so she could perform in “CinSonya Ellingboe derella.” Students are happily returned to weekly dance classes, including freshmen from Littleton, Heritage and Arapahoe High School. Jazz orchestra The Lone Tree Arts Center will host an evening of big band jazz by the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra on March 26 at 7:30 p.m., which will return after several years of performances throughout the metro area. Fans can expect to hear standards such as “Take the A Train,” “You Make Me Feel So Young,” “Moanin,’” as well as some new arrangements. Jazz vocalist Marion Powers will be featured, as well as solo instrumentalists. The band was founded in 2012 by Art Bouton and has
attracted fine musicians from throughout Colorado, with many, like Bouton, engaged in academic careers as well as being performers. There have been a number of well-known guest musicians who have been featured with the band as well, as the band performed arrangements and pieces by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holliday, Stan Kenton, Miles Davis, Buddy Rich and more, as well as original arrangements by CJRO composers and other artists. LTAC is at 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree. Tickets start at $38 and can be purchased at coloradojazz.org/concerts or by calling the box office at 720-509-1000.
Dancers portraying the fairy godmother and Cinderella performed with Littleton Youth COURTESY PHOTO Ballet in three recent shows at the Lone Tree Arts Center.
Abstract artist’s workshop Heritage Fine Arts Guild presents Littleton abstract artist Krista Falkenstein, who has focused on abstract painting for over 40 years. The workshop will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Littleton, 1609 W. Littleton Blvd., from 9 a.m. to noon on April 16. (Students are asked to arrive 15 minutes early for set-up.) There is parking on the north side of the church. Cost is $30 for Heritage Fine Arts Guild members and $35 for non-members. Membership costs $40 per year and new members are welcomed. See heritage-guild.com/membership for registration forms and list of SEE SAMPLER, P18
Parker Chronicle 17
March 24, 2022
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Thu 3/24 Soccer: Adult - FREE AGENTS Wed Open -Females- Spring 2022
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Ryan Hutchens at Casbar Cigar Lounge
Stillhouse Junkies
Chris Mann: Gershwin, Gaga, and Parody
@ 12am Mar 24th - Jun 1st Parker Fieldhouse, 18700 E Plaza Dr, Parker
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@ 6pm Casbar Cigar, 10449 S Parker Rd, Parker
@ 4pm Five Strings House Concerts, Cas‐ tle Rock
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@ 11pm Mar 28th - Jun 6th Parker Fieldhouse, 18700 E Plaza Dr, Parker
Soccer: Adult - FREE AGENTS Mon. Coed - Males -Spring 2022
@ 6:30pm Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St, Lone Tree
@ 11pm Mar 28th - Jun 6th Parker Fieldhouse, 18700 E Plaza Dr, Parker
Twenty Hands High @ 6:30pm Tailgate Tavern & Grill, 19552 Mainstreet, Parker
Gary Numan @ 2pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐ wood
Featured
Mon 3/28 Soccer: Adult - FREE AGENTS Mon Coed -Females- Spring 2022
Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley: Lone Tree Arts Center - Taj Mahal Sextet (Taj Mahal, Rob Ickes, Trey Hensley, Kester Smith, Billy Rich, Bobby Ingano)
Fri 3/25
@ 6:30pm Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St, Lone Tree
Hard Blue: Second Album Release Party @ 7pm Fraco's, 5302 South Federal Cir‐ cle, Littleton
Featured
Ryan Chrys & The Rough Cuts
Wed 3/30
@ 5pm Pindustry, 7939 E Arapahoe Rd, Centennial
Ladies Night
Sun 3/27 Nia Allen: Cherry Hills Community Church @ 8am Cherry Hills Community Church, 3900 Grace Blvd, Highlands Ranch
@ 5pm / $5 Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora
DJ Rockstar Aaron: Forbidden Bingo at 'Bout Time Pub & Grub @ 7pm Bout Time Pub & Grub, 3580 S Platte River Dr A, Sheridan
Thu 3/31 Featured
Featured
Youth Tuber - Highland Elementary
Twenty Hands High @ 5pm Pindustry, 7939 E Arapahoe Rd, Centennial
Colorado Combat Club 11 @ 6pm / $45 Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora
Gary Numan @ 8pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 South Broadway, En‐ glewood
@ 1:35pm / $120 Mar 31st - May 5th Highland Elementary, 711 E Euclid Ave, Littleton. 720-996-0894
I Speak Machine @ 8pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Englewood
Sat 3/26 Art: Dylan's Down with the Arts Canvas & Cupcakes @ 6pm PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker
Mega Bailazo de Primavera @ 8pm / $40-$60 Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora
Keith Hicks
Denver Gay Men's Chorus: Motown and More @ 2pm St Andrew United Methodist Church, 9203 S University Blvd, Highlands Ranch Mike Heuer @ 2pm Emerald Isle Restaurant, 4385 S Parker Rd, Aurora
The best place to promote your events online and in print. Visit us @ https://littletonindependent.net/calendar
@ 3pm Inverness Hotel, Englewood
Hippo Campus @ 7pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐ wood
Theater: Kids Acting (6-12yrs) @ 9:30pm Mar 31st - May 12th PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Ave., Parker
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18 Parker Chronicle
March 24, 2022
Museum gallery closes as mission changes Museum of Outdoor Arts leaves Englewood space, says it is shifting focus BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Museum of Outdoor Arts, which has operated an indoor exhibit and programming space in Englewood’s Civic Center since 2000, as well as an exhibit of outdoor sculptural artworks, has announced a renewed focus on its outdoor spaces and discontinued operation of the indoor space in Englewood. In a news release from the city of Englewood, MOA stated that it “has submitted a proposal for the outdoor collection to remain on display in Englewood.” There are about 40 artworks on public display within the downtown Englewood area, many near the light rail station and Civic Center — stated to be about half of the MOA’s outdoor collection. The remainder of the collection is primarily located in Marjorie Park and around the Greenwood Plaza business area. The new MOA headquarters address is 6331 Fiddler’s Green Circle, close to MOA’s primary asset, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre. Marjorie Park, which was recently renovated by MOA, reopened in 2021 and will be an outdoor museum and events venue, where more than 40 artworks are featured. It is named for the late Marjorie Madden, who co-founded the MOA in 1981 with her husband, commercial real estate developer John W. Madden Jr., and their daughter, Cynthia Madden Leitner, More than 150 pieces are included
SAMPLER FROM PAGE 16
materials. Arvada Center The musical “Kinky Boots” will open at the Arvada Center’s Main Stage Theatre on March 25, playing until April 24. arvadacenter. org, 720-898-7200. Plays Tuesday to Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday matinees at 1 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Also in Arvada Center’s Black Box Repertory Theatre in repertory: “The Liar,” “Animal Farm,” and
Notices about the closure on the doors of the Museum of Outdoor Arts indoor gallery.
PHOTO BY A WAY OF LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY/HEATHER A. LONGWAY
in the MOA collection, 85 of them installed outdoors. The MOA has provided a number of indoor exhibits and programs, including its Design and Build, which provides opportunities for young artists to work with arts professionals and in keeping with the objective of “Making Art a Part of Everyday Life.” Indoor exhibits have featured local and national professional artists whose work is contemporary, as well as annual exhibits by Design
and Build students in earlier years. There have been more than 200 indoor art exhibits and installations, multimedia performances, as well as hundreds of youth art classes in the Englewood facility, as well as artst-in-residence arrangements. It has also provided studio space and exhibit attention for prominent area arts professionals. Funding for collaborative exhibits and programs came from Colorado Creative Industries, National Endowment for the Arts, the City
of Englewood and the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Englewood Mayor Othoniel Sierra is quoted as “excited at the possibility of a continued relationship with the MOA through the display of their publicly accessible artwork and art outreach support and community placemaking projects.” We will watch for notice of mission-related changes as this unique organization enters a new phase in its remarkable existence.
“Stick Fly” through May.
$35 for up to three images. Notice of invited and not-invited entries will be sent by email by June 17. Up to three images accepted. Juror is Doug Dawson.
This gallery will be moving to 6501, Studio C in a couple months — stay tuned. (Also in that neighborhood/shopping Center-Casa Bonita. (Am told there will be seven galleries involved there in an older building.) coreartspace. com.
Call for artists The Depot Art Gallery in downtown Littleton will host the annual “All Colorado” exhibit from July 19 to August 27, with entries to CaFE — callforentry.org. Size limited to no more than 30 inches in height and width. The call will close when 150 submissions have been received or May 15 — whichever comes first. All artwork must be for sale and created by Colorado artists within the last three years. The Depot Art Gallery will retain 30% commission on sales. Entries cannot have been accepted in previous All Colorado shows. The entry fee is
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Boulder Dinner Theatre Boulder Dinner Theatre presents “The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes” through April 23 — a tale of an ordinary guy who is dropped into a musical. Music by Producing. Artistic director is Seamus McDonnough, who delivers bands, cats, opera singers and Declaration-signing rappers. Call 303-449-6000 or visit bdtstage.com. Music by Michael Kooman and lyrics by Christopher Dimond. There is a related Cabaret Concert Series as well. Glad to hear that BDT is alive and well. CORE “Friends Like These” will be exhibited at CORE New Art Space, 6501 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood with an opening April 1 from 5 to 10 p.m. CORE members have invited an artist friend to exhibit with them through April 17. Hours: Friday: 5 to 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company will be presented by the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus in two places: Dancers will perform with the chorus in “Motown and More.” March 27: St. Andrews United Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch; April 1-2: Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver. DGMC.org or 303-325-3959. History Adventures History Adventures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Littleton Museum, 3028 S. Gallup St., Littleton (12 per session) — June 14: Discovering Nature (7-11); June 28: Life on the Farm (ages 8-12); July 12: Art and History (7-11); July 26: Military Day (9-12); Aug. 9: Cow Camp (8-12). littletongov.org/ city-services/city-departments/ museum.
Parker Chronicle 19
March 24, 2022
The art of restoring vintage luxury and sports cars Farland Classic Restoration still going after 30 years BY RACHEL LORENZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Although it’s not the usual kind of car the business works on, the story behind a 1952 Hudson Hornet compelled the folks at Farland Classic Restoration to take on the challenge of returning it to its former glory. “Sometimes we do those kind of cars,” said company owner Jack Farland. “We call it sentimental motors. You know, people are in love with some car for some reason and want to bring it back to original.” In this case, in the early 1960s, the owner of the Hudson, his six siblings and their parents used to travel all over the country together in that car, Farland said. Farland Classic Restoration, located for over 30 years in Englewood, restores vintage luxury automobiles and sports cars. With 20 employees, the 15,000-square-foot shop is one of the larger restoration businesses in the country, Farland said. In addition to nostalgia-filled family cars, they’ve worked on Ferraris, Maseratis, Porsches — some now worth millions — that have gone onto win awards at Pebble Beach and Amelia Island’s premier car competitions. The company also buys and sells cars. Last year, it sold 44 classic cars from its 5,000-square-foot showroom down the street. Car sales create more gross income for the business than the shop by “a fair amount,” Farland said. Although restorations are roughly 90% of what they do, margins are slim on that side of operation. Parts, technicians, buildings, energy — it’s all expensive, he said. “We have a big paint booth that has a million BTU gas heaters,” he said. “You turn it on and the dollar signs, they’re just rotating like a slot machine. It’s crazy.” So managing the money is key. “I don’t care what business,” Farland said. “You have to do a good job with the finances, or you can’t stay in business. Probably
Farland Classic Restoration restores vintage cars such as this 1967 Fiat Dino, 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280SL and 1954 Jaguar XK120. PHOTOS COURTESY OF FARLAND CLASSIC RESTORATION
more important today than ever because everything’s so tight. Costs go up so fast.” Farland Classic Restoration developed a system that works well for them. A customer’s money for the project is placed in an account upfront. Then Farland technicians closely track what they do and bill the account on a regular basis. As the caretakers of vintage cars, Farland Classic Restoration needs to be familiar with the old, of course, but also the new. For about the last five years, instead of writing down the work they’ve completed, technicians have used their phones and QR codes to track what work they’ve done on which car. “All that information goes on to a billing software program … and all the things that are done to that one car then end up on a bill,” Farland said. “Then every week, whatever work was done on that particular car, that much money is taken out of the (customer’s) account.” No stranger to innovation, the company recently started performing electric conversions, that is, replacing the internal combustion engines of classic cars with electric motors. These cars, such as the 1966 Porsche 912 they’re currently converting, have a very
This 1966 Porsche 912 was converted from gas to electric power by Farland Classic Restoration.
Jack Farland owns Farland Classic Restoration with Trina Farland, his wife. PHOTOS COURTESY OF FARLAND CLASSIC RESTORATION
small carbon footprint when the shop’s done with them. Farland wants to provide an avenue for people who’d like to continue to drive these little pieces of history but in a more modern way. “That’s our next big thing.”
Farland Classic Restoration is nearly finished with this memory-filled 1952 Hudson Hornet.
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20 Parker Chronicle
March 24, 2022
New app aims to help Colorado teens make friends off their phones The Nod app was piloted across eight school districts BY ERICA BREUNLIN THE COLORADO SUN
Barely out of bed and still waiting for the fog of sleep to lift, Ameera Sierra used to start her mornings staring at an endless stream of selfies, tweets and Snapchat stories. It was almost a ritual for the 17-year-old: Roll over, turn off the alarm, grab the phone and begin scrolling, the glow from her screen the first light of her day. And it came with a pang of loneliness, particularly as she saw effortlessly happy lives portrayed on social media. “Sometimes when I see that and I’m not living that particular life, it makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong or that I’m more alone,” she said. Now Ameera, a senior at Mountain Range High School in Westminster, is carving out a new relationship with her smartphone, thanks to a new app aimed at providing Colorado teens with a sense of connection and support, free of the noise of Facebook, Twitter and TikTok. For the past few weeks, the teen has has turned to a new smartphone app designed to help Colorado teenagers relearn how to talk to their peers, form meaningful friendships and navigate lingering feelings of loneliness amid a twoyear pandemic. The Nod app, which is being introduced this semester at Mountain Range and schools in seven other districts, gives teens a way to track their sense of well-being, hone strategies to improve their mood when stressed or discouraged and rebuild social skills like giving others compliments or having deeper conversations. “Students feel a lot less confident in their skills because they haven’t practiced them as much or they’ve been so comfortable engaging in online learning or chatting with people over digital platforms,” said Stacy Stansbury, a school psychologist at Mountain Range High School. Common social skills aren’t so
common anymore The app was originally developed for college students by Grit Digital Health, a Denver-based technology firm focused on mental health, and the nonprofit Hopelab of San Francisco, which serves as an incubator for projects that address the mental health of youth and young adults. It was adapted for use by high school students with the help of the nonprofit Colorado Education Initiative, and rolled out to participating school districts through a $490,000 grant from The Upswing Fund for Adolescent Mental Health, which supports organizations addressing student mental health. Social skills that Stansbury said were “common knowledge” when she was in high school — such as striking up a conversation to recommend something to a classmate or following up on something a peer said the day before — are “not so common anymore.” Even as teens can connect to one another instantly through their phones or social media platforms, they belong to “the loneliest living generation,” said Nathaan Demers, vice president of clinical programs and strategic partnerships and a clinical psychologist at Grit Digital Health. He characterizes loneliness as “the gap between the relationships that I have and those which I desire.” Loneliness among young people stems partly from a decrease in face-to-face interactions as technology has changed how people communicate — everything from the way friends stay in touch to the way people find out what time a movie is playing. Social media often doesn’t help. When a person simply scrolls through social media liking posts and leaving comments, they’re not truly fulfilling their need for connection, Demers said. Instead, they’re “social snacking,” meaning they’re feeling a sense of connection in the moment but one that quickly evaporates. And loneliness among teens has grown exponentially during the pandemic. That places young people at a higher risk for other
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struggles, such as anxiety, depression, substance use, suicide and dropping out of school, Demers said. The app encourages users to branch out and practice skills pertaining to five different focus areas — forming deep relationships, expanding social circles, connecting over shared interests, feeling more confident and exploring opportunities after graduation. For instance, for students looking to broaden their social circle, the app might direct them to smile at five people in a day or sit next to someone they don’t know in the cafeteria and start a conversation. Confronting overwhelming feelings instead of escaping them Grit Digital Health and Hopelab discovered how much high school students could benefit from the Nod app after they opened it up to anyone during the pandemic and ended up attracting many high schoolers, Demers said. Colorado Education Initiative helped recruit schools to take part in a pilot project. Their students’ feedback helped shape the app’s development, said Marcus Bratton, the nonprofit’s director of implementation and partnership. The organization will again check in with users at the end of the semester and consider whether to make any other tweaks. As students continue exploring the app, the hope is that it will help them develop skills to manage their emotions before significant depression, substance abuse, truancy or other challenges interfere with their lives, Bratton said. “I hope that it inspires human connection for our young people,” he said, particularly as teens often struggle to feel understood, recognize they’re not the only ones facing loneliness and hesitate to exert themselves for fear of being rejected. Stansbury introduced the app to Mountain Range High School students toward the end of last month and said she’s found comfort in being able to equip students with a tool that offers them the same kind of guidance she or a school social worker would. “I think you can see the increase in anxiety and depression and suicidal ideation that’s happening everywhere,” she said, “and sometimes it feels like you don’t have anything to recommend, and now it feels like we do have something they could actually use … that will teach them ideas and strategies of how to reach their personal and social goals while building their confidence and social connections.” Senior Jarett Benedict has been using the app here and there to start his day with a focus on his mood, putting a name to his feelings and considering ways to improve them if necessary. For instance, when he said he’s between “stressed and unhappy,” the app will nudge him to think about “the small positives” that occur throughout the day or try to shift his perspective.
The Nod app, in the Apple and GooglePlay app stores, is designed to help teens navigate real life social situaCOURTESY PHOTO tions.
The app has helped Benedict, 18, develop more self-awareness and has improved his mental health and sense of confidence. “I was stressing on my grades so much that it felt like that was really the only thing I could focus on all year long,” Benedict said. Ameera has also turned to the Nod app to start her mornings with a better grasp of her emotions, instead of visiting Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, which she said at times had created a “negative bubble in the beginning of my day surrounding how I looked in the morning.” The pandemic transformed her from “an extremely extroverted person” to “an introverted overthinker” bombarded by news and social media posts about COVID’s grip on the globe, she said. “Every morning just seeing negative things in any form of timelines that I was on was definitely a lot to deal with,” Ameera said. She now uses the app to reflect on her behavior and try to shift her mood and mindset, taking five minutes to pause, listen and reflect so that she can be more cognizant of her actions throughout each day. “It helps allow me to better understand my emotions and better grow as a person,” she said. “I can just be the best version of myself automatically right off the bat every morning.” This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.
Parker Chronicle 21
March 24, 2022
Tickets loom for mountain toll violators State to begin citing drivers who illegally use I-70 mountain express toll lanes
Cars on Interstate 70 through Idaho Springs on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. A sign shows the PHOTO BY JESSE PAUL / COLORADO SUN eastbound express lane as closed.
isting width of the roadway to create toll lanes instead of widening the interstate, which would have been more costly and had more environmental impacts. Because the lanes are so narrow, Colorado had to make a deal with federal regulators limiting the amount of time they can be open each year. The eastbound express lane can be open a maximum of 100 days a year for no more than 1,168 hours annually. The westbound express lane can be open for no more than 125 days a year and no more than 965 hours annually. CDOT opens the lanes during peak traffic periods, and the toll changes based on demand. CDOT says the eastbound express lane has been a success at reducing drive times on the busy stretch, but people illegally traveling in it, officials say, poses a big risk of a serious crash. House Bill 1074 was sponsored by Democratic state Rep. Judy Amabile, of Boulder, and Republican state Sen. Dennis Hisey, of El Paso County.
caught running a red-light camera in downtown Denver. Authorities have been unable to enforce the toll lanes’ closure because the lanes are too narrow to allow an officer to wait and catch scofflaws. The express lanes are narrower because CDOT opted to use the ex-
This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun. com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.
BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN
Motorists who drive in the Interstate 70 mountain express toll lanes in Clear Creek County when they are closed and supposed to be serving as the emergency shoulder will face a $250 fine starting in August. Gov. Jared Polis on March 15 signed House Bill 1074 into law letting the Colorado Department of Transportation use the license plate cameras used to collect tolls when the I-70 mountain express lanes are open to also ticket motorists driving in the lane when it is closed. There are now express toll lanes across Colorado, but unlike the others, the ones on I-70 through Clear Creek County cannot be open all of the time. That’s because the mountain express lanes are narrower than a traditional interstate lane. The 13-mile lane from Empire to Idaho Springs opened in 2015 and a westbound express toll lane opened along the same stretch last year. In 2020, nearly 50,000 motorists drove in the eastbound I-70 express toll lane when it was closed, according to state data.
The cameras will also be used to ticket drivers in the toll lanes towing trailers or who are behind the wheel of a tractor trailer. Both types of vehicles are prohibited from traveling in the narrow express lanes. Offenders will be mailed a ticket just as they are when they are
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22 Parker Chronicle
March 24, 2022
Colorado has recovered 98% of jobs lost in pandemic Unemployment rate drops to 4.1% BY TAMARA CHUANG THE COLORADO SUN
Colorado’s economic recovery is going better than expected state labor officials said Monday, reporting that 98% of jobs lost when COVID struck have returned. However, January’s 4.1% unemployment rate, the lowest since the pandemic began, is still higher than the 2.8% in February 2020, the month before the first COVID-19 cases in Colorado were confirmed. “That was historically low. That was after the end of a very long economic expansion,” Ryan Gedney, senior labor economist at the state Department of Labor and Employment, said during a news conference on Monday. “As long as these trends hold … I could see the state reaching that 3% level in one or two years for sure.” His confidence is based on how many Coloradans are now part of the state’s labor force, which is larger than ever with more people employed or looking for work. The state’s labor force participation rate was 68.5% in January, or one-tenth of a percentage point higher than in February 2020.
A hiring sign hangs in the King Soopers deli department at the 58th and Independence PHOTO BY JENNIFER LEDUC location in Arvada.
over 180,000 individuals to the labor force,” Gedney said. “On an annual basis, Colorado’s labor force participation rate increased from 67.4% in 2020 to 68.2% in 2021. That ranked as the fourth highest in the U.S. last year.” By comparison, the U.S. rate PRESENTS: last year was 61.7%. While more � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � people � � �are� part of the state’s labor force, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows there are still around 132,000 Thursday, April 21, 2022 Coloradans who are unemployed, 6:30p.m.– 10:30p.m. compared with 86,000 who were unemployed in February 2020. Location: That only counts people who Cielo at Castle Pines, are working or actively looking A NIGHT IN 485 W. Happy Canyon Rd, for a job, said Steven Byers, a Castle Rock, Co. 80108 senior economist for Common Sense Institute, a Greenwood Attire: Village think tank focused on the Black Tie Optional state’s fiscal policies. “Some people would say that For more Information visit: understates or overstates the www.arapahoe.edu/ true unemployment rate dependfoundationevents ing on which way you go,” Byers said. “But when people take themselves out of the labor force and they’re no longer looking, All funds raised will be used that impacts those numbers. But for student scholarships, the way that unemployment is student emergency funding measured has been constant for a and the mission of the long time. They don’t change the ACC Foundation. methodology so it’s consistent over time for what it measures.” The state’s unemployment rate � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �fell � from � �4.2% � � � � � in December, a rate that was revised downward from 4.8%, according to labor officials. Colorado’s January rate is also close to the U.S. unemployment rate of 4.0% in January. The falling unemployment rate reflects more people returning WOODS � SON PIANO COMPANY to work, especially mothers who had dropped out of the workforce early on, likely to deal with their children and remote schooling or lack of child care options during “Colorado’s labor force grew by over 17,000 in January. And since July of 2020 the state has added
Arapahoe Community College Foundation
the pandemic. Byers is among economists keeping an eye on rising inflation and its impact on small businesses and consumer spending habits. “One other thing that we are kind of concerned about, though, is the house prices have just gotten exorbitant,” he said. “The question would be, is it just going to end up being a disadvantage to Colorado employers being able to lure people here and bring them in from out of state? That’s an area that is of concern as well.” But Colorado’s pandemic economy hasn’t fully recovered yet, said Kathy A. White, executive director of Colorado Fiscal Institute, an organization that also focuses on fiscal policy. “Colorado has recovered all but 5,500 jobs lost during the pandemic, but it needs another 38,100 jobs in order to keep up with the 1.4% growth in population that the state has experienced in the 23 months since the recession began,” White said in an email. “Also, the fastest job recovery happened in industries with high income earners and lagged in industries with lower pay. poor quality jobs,” she added. “Those industries tend to have a higher percentage of women and people of color, who again, entered the pandemic with higher rates of unemployment and lower earnings. In short, the recovery has been uneven, despite these broad indicators, and so policymakers should be targeting resources and aid to the people who need it the most.” There’s also uneven recovery in certain parts of the state. Strong job growth in Grand Junction and Colorado Springs amounted to job recovery rates of 124% and 113%, respectively. But the Greeley region has recovered just 44% of the jobs lost in the early pandemic. That’s due to Greeley’s high concentration of oil and gas, an industry that hasn’t recovered as fast as the leisure and hospitality industry or the professional and business services field, Gedney said. But Greeley’s a small part of the state. It lost roughly 11,700 jobs at the start of the pandemic and has regained 5,100. The Denver area lost 199,600 and has recovered 196,100. “The state’s recovery rate is going to trend pretty closely with Denver’s, as that (region) represents over half of the state’s employment,” Gedney said. He added, “There’s still some room in the unemployment rate, but I think the unemployment rate is going to drop relatively quickly in 2022 as there’s still a huge demand for labor and for filling jobs.”
This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.
March 24, 2022
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Parker Chronicle 23
24 Parker Chronicle
LOCAL
March 24, 2022
SPORTS
Winter sports players of the year named Colorado Community Media honors athletes in five categories BY JIM BENTON JBENTON@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Teams and indivduals from south metro schools did well during the recently concluded Colorado High School Athletic Association’s 2021-22 winter sports season. Heritage won the Class 4A girls swimming championship and Cherry Creek captured the 5A state title. ThunderRidge won the boys state basketball crown. There were several other teams that came close. Valor Christian was the state runner-up in both ice hockey and girls basketball. Ponderosa came in second in the boys state wrestling tournament. Several individuals excelled during the season, and here are the Colorado Community Media’s winter sports Players of the Year.
Noah Fekete, Valor Christian.
PHOTO BY JIM BENTON
Mary Macaulay, Heritage.
Hockey Junior center Noah Fekete of Valor Christian averaged 1.3 points a game during the season and finished with 16 goals, 13 assists for 29 points. Fekete was the team captain in hockey. He also plays lacrosse and was on the Eagles tennis team as a sophomore.
Boys wrestling Ponderosa senior Murphy Menke compiled a 34-6 record during the season and one of his wins was in the 160-pound state championship match. Menke, who has committed to wrestle at Bucknell, was a state placer all four years of his high school career.
Murphy Menke, Ponderosa.
PHOTO BY JIM BENTON
PHOTO BY JIM BENTON
Girls swimming Mary Macaulay, a junior at Heritage, earned the top honor as Swimmer of the Year as she shined late in the season. She won state titles in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke and also swam a leg on the state champion 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams.
Boys basketball Chaparral’s 5-11 senior Luke Williams showed his value in the playoffs and was named Player of the Year as he edged out Zach Keller of ThunderRidge. In four state playoff contests, he averaged 23.7 points and made seven of eight three-point attempts. He also pulled down 28 rebounds and had 11 assists. For the season, Williams was a gifted scorer averaging 16.7 points a game. He also filled up the stat sheet by pulling down 5.9 rebounds, dishing out 3.7 assists per game and averaging 1.7 steals.
Valor Christian senior center Raegan Beers, 42, forces Mountain Vistas Grace Roscoe, 42, to take a jump shot in the second round 5A girls playoff game on Feb. 25. Beers had 16 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots as the top-seeded Eagles rolled to a 61-15 victory. PHOTO BY JIM BENTON
Girls basketball Raegan Beers, a 6-foot-3 senior at Valor Christian, was a dominant player. She averaged 19.6 points and 13 rebounds a game to earn Player of the Year honors. Beers will be playing at Oregon State next season and wrapped up her high school career by averaging 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds in four state playoff games.
Basketball player of the year Luke Williams, Chaparral. PHOTO BY JIM BENTON
Parker Chronicle 25
March 24, 2022
Creek takes team title in Dick Rush meet
C R O S SWO R D P U Z Z L E
Boys swimming team tallies 592.5 points at Thornton aquatic center BY JIM BENTON JBENTON@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Cherry Creek senior Thomas Sutherland was second in the 200 freestyle and helped the Bruins win the Dick Rush Memorial Coaches Swim-Dive Invitational on March 19 at the VMAC in Thornton. PHOTO BY JIM BENTON
Raiders winning 200 medley relay foursome. Teammate Gio Aguirre captured the 100 freestyle and was on the winning 400 freestyle relay team. Arapahoe’s senior captain Luke Brill was the winner of the Hoyt Brawner award based on academics, citizenship and athletic achievement. Cherry Creek is the defending state champion team, which makes the Bruins a target for other swimming teams. “That is definitely a perspective for us this year and an attitude we try to share as a program,” said Loftis. “Anything counts and we can’t be complacent. “Our youth today shined. We have a lot of freshmen, sophomores and underclassmen and they’re brand new. And because of COVID, we’ve never experienced anything like this meet and they are stepping up which is good. This meet kicks off a good season of dual meets into a fun invitational season and then the championship season.”
Answers
Solution © 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.
Cherry Creek boys swimming coach Chris Loftis was not happy with his team during the morning preliminaries of the Dick Rush Memorial Coaches Invitational meet on March 19 at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center in Thornton. His team changed the mind of their coach in the meet finals and Creek won the team title in the season’s first big boys meet with 592.5 points. Regis Jesuit was second with 539 points. Arapahoe finished fifth with 194 points. Heritage was eighth, Highlands Ranch ninth, Ponderosa 11th and Douglas County 18th. “We had an average performance in the prelims that we needed to address and we did,” Loftis explained. “We challenged are guys and we had a great final session. We came together as a team and found some weaknesses that we can address.” Senior Cade Martin paced the Bruins by winning the 100 backstroke in 51.76 and placing third in the 100 butterfly. He also swam a leg on the 200 medley relay team that was a runner-up. Creek’s Thomas Sutherland, another senior, was second in the 200 freestyle and was on the 200 freestyle relay team that came in third. Freshman Trevor Boodt added to the Bruins’ point total with a secondplace finish in the 100 breaststroke. Other individual winners from south metro schools included Ponderosa’s Tanner Braunton, who racked up 571.10 points to win the diving by edging out Collier Dyer of Arapahoe. Luke Dinges of Regis won the 100 butterfly and swam a leg on the
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March 24, 2022
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Special Education Teacher For a significant needs program located at the Strasburg Elementary School. Current Colorado Special Education Teacher license required. BA salary range $34,650-$40,950 & MA salary range $39,900$46,200, based on experience. Excellent benefits. Collaborative work environment with lots of free continuing education opportunities available. May be eligible for Student Loan Forgiveness. Questions contact Tracy at (719) 775-2342, ext. 101 or tracyg@ecboces. org. Please complete a Certified application located at the bottom of the “Jobs” page on ecboces.org or email tracyg@ecboces.org. Equal Opportunity Employer.
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March 24, 2022
COLORADO COMMUNIT Y MEDIA
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Parker Chronicle 29
March 24, 2022 Painting
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30 Parker Chronicle
March 24, 2022
Ron Miles, beloved fixture of Denver jazz scene, dead at 58 BY KYLE COOKE ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS
Ron Miles, a jazz trumpeter and legend of the Denver music scene, passed away March 8. He was 58 years old. Miles died from polycythemia vera, a rare blood disorder. Following the news of his death, tributes to Miles, whose discography includes a dozen albums, flooded social media. Many people recalled taking his classes at Metropolitan State University of Denver, where he taught for more than 30 years. “Very sad news to hear about the passing of one of my former teachers and great and brilliant trumpeter Ron Miles,” wrote Kenneth Brown, a jazz musician based in Tennessee. “I learned a lot playing in his big band at metro state university. R.I.P. Ron Miles.” City Cast Denver podcast host Bree Davies, another student of Miles’, described him as a “really cool guy, great teacher, incredible musician.” Brooklyn-based musician and educator Eric Dalio said for him, Miles redefined what music could be. “He was so generous with his time and talent on so many occasions when I was starting out,” Dalio tweeted. “Always had a smile and incredible music to share.” Miles was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1963. When he was 11 years old, his family moved to Denver. It was around that time Miles started playing the trumpet. He went on to
Beloved instructor and Denver jazz legend Ron Miles passed away March 8. PHOTO BY ELLIOTT ROSS
attend Denver’s East High School — where he played jazz with future movie star Don Cheadle — and studied music at the University of Denver. According to the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, pianist Ron Jolly, who taught jazz improvisation at DU, encouraged Miles to pursue a fulltime career in music. Jolly said Miles was “the most talented student” in his classes. An educator himself, Miles relished the opportunity to work with the next generation of musicians, once saying “through teaching, I feel I just get to keep learning, which is really what I want to do every day [...] Each student is so different. I really want them to realize that in school — particularly in music — that it’s very important that they get outside of these walls,
that they see if their art resonates in the community. It has to.” Miles’ music certainly did. In 2017, he was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame alongside his fellow East High graduate and frequent collaborator Bill Frisell. “Recognized as one of the finest melodists of his era with a gift for improvisation, Miles has lent his distinctive style to the work of a diverse list of musicians, including composer Mercer Ellington, fellow Coloradan and saxophonist Fred Hess, saxophonist and arranger Redman, and legendary Cream drummer Ginger Baker,” the Colorado Music Hall of Fame wrote after Miles’ induction. Speaking at his induction ceremony, KUVO Jazz’s general manager Carlos Lando said Miles was the “kind of
musician, after you get home, put your head on the pillow, you can still hear that crystal clear tone. So beautiful.” Miles himself said his recognition from the hall of fame was mindboggling. “Music has been something that allows me to, every day, have a sense of renewal,” Miles said at the time. “And a sense of dedication and a sense of something to strive for.” Miles released albums in five different decades, beginning with Distant for Safety in 1987. Writing about Miles’ final record, 2020’s Rainbow Sign, National Public Radio jazz critic Kevin Whitehead said the music was like “something heard in a dream.” In 2020, Miles performed during the virtual Five Points Jazz Festival hosted by Rocky Mountain Public Media. You can watch his full performance below. Thomas Burns, the president of Capri Records — for which Miles recorded two albums, Witness and Ron Miles Trio — told Rocky Mountain Public Media he was in a “state of shock” after learning of Miles’ death. “Beyond the music and everything,” Burns said, “Ron was the kindest, sweetest human being I think I’ve ever known.” This story is from Rocky Mountain PBS, a nonprofit public broadcaster providing community stories across Colorado over the air and online. Used by permission. For more, and to support Rocky Mountain PBS, visit rmpbs.org.
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Parker Chronicle 31
March 24, 2022
Mount Evans may be renamed Proposal on table to call it ‘Mount Blue Sky’ BYPAOLOZIALCITA COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO
The years-long push to rename Mount Evans may be nearing its conclusion, as Clear Creek County commissioners have recommended a new name to submit for state and federal review. Advocates have denounced the mountain’s current name as a reminder of the murder and displacement of Native American tribes in Colorado under territorial governor John Evans, who oversaw the Sand Creek Massacre. In 2020, as Black Lives Matters protests helped fuel a renewed attention on racist symbols within the state, Gov. Jared Polis formed an advisory board that would review and recommend changes to geographic landmarks. Mount Evans
Mount Evans, seen here from Fire Tower Trail along Highway 103 in December 2020, is PHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN the subject of several renaming petitions.
was one of the names members of the board identified as having a problematic history. The new name for the famous 14er would be Mount Blue Sky, if approved by higher authorities. The proposed name comes from the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. “We propose to rename Mount Evans as Mount Blue Sky as it signifies the Arapaho, [who were known as] the Blue Sky People, and the Cheyenne,
who have an annual ceremony of renewal of life called Blue Sky,” a group of Indigenous people said in their proposal. Clear Creek County officials have been soliciting feedback from the community for the last several weeks and weighed several options before agreeing on Mount Blue Sky. “Blue Sky is a name that can contribute to the healing and be a unifying name for all of the stakeholders,”
Commissioner George Marlin said at a meeting March 16. The name proposal has to survive several regulatory steps in order to be finalized. First, the Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board has to approve it and send it to Gov. Polis for consideration. If Polis approves, the United State Board of Geographic Names will then make a final decision. While these parties will keep the county’s recommendation in mind, it will also consider four other names for the mountain. Several geographic landmarks have already been renamed since the state board was formed two years ago, and more continue to be reviewed. Earlier this year, the Department of the Interior proposed new names for 28 Colorado landmarks with an Indigenous slur in their names. This story is from Colorado Public Radio, a nonprofit news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support CPR News, visit cpr.org.
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PUBLIC NOTICES
Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 Legals Public Trustees PUBLIC NOTICE Parker NOTICE OF SALE Public Trustee Sale No. 2022-0002 To Whom It May Concern: On 1/27/2022 12:00:00 PM 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: STEPHEN C. LEBLANC AND LAURAL A. LEBLANC Original Beneficiary: WASHINGTON MUTUAL BANK, FA Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: U.S. BANK NA, AS TRUSTEE, FOR THE WAMU MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2004-S3 Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 4/9/2004 Recording Date of DOT: 4/22/2004 Reception No. of DOT: 2004040505 DOT Recorded in Douglas County. Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt: $960,000.00 Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $654,052.99 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 15, STERLING TREE FARM, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO. Which has the address of: 4292 Palmer Ridge Drive, 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, May 18, 2022, 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: 3/24/2022 Last Publication: 4/21/2022 Publisher: Douglas County News Press Dated: 2/1/2022 DAVID GILL DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: ANNA JOHNSTON Colorado Registration #: 51978 1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 700 , DENVER, COLORADO 80204 Phone #: (303) 350-3711 Fax #: Attorney File #: 00000008848731 *YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE DATES on the Public Trustee website: http://www. douglas.co.us/publictrustee/ Legal Notice No. 2022-0002 First Publication: 3/24/2022 Last Publication: 4/21/2022 Publisher: Douglas County News Press
Bids and Settlements Public Notice REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) #018-22 GRANT WRITING SERVICES Douglas County Government respectfully requests information from experienced and qualified individuals and/or firms to provide professional grant writing services. The RFQ documents may be reviewed and/or printed from the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System website at www.rockymountainbidsystem.com. The RFQ documents are not available for purchase from Douglas County Government and can only be accessed from the above-mentioned website. RFQ responses shall be submitted in a sealed envelope plainly marked “RFQ #018-22, Grant Writing Services” prior to the due date and time. Electronic and/or faxed responses will not be accepted. RFQ responses will be received until 4:00 p.m., on Monday, April 18, 2022 by the Douglas County Finance Department, Purchasing Division, 100 Third Street, Suite 130, Castle Rock, Colorado 80104. Responses will not be considered which are received after the time stated, and any responses so received will be returned unopened.
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Douglas County Government reserves the right to reject any and all responses, to waive formalities, informalities, or irregularities contained in a said response and furthermore, to award a contract for items herein, either in whole or in part, if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the County to do so. Additionally, we reserve the right to negotiate optional items and/or services with the successful firm. Please direct any questions concerning this RFQ to Carolyn Riggs, Purchasing Supervisor at 303660-7434 or criggs@douglas.co.us, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Legal Notice No. 941757 First Publication: March 24, 2022 Last Publication: March 24, 2022 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press Public Notice INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) #017-22 PURCHASE & APPLICATION of DUST SUPPRESSANT The Department of Public Works Operations of Douglas County Government, hereinafter referred to as the County, respectfully requests bids from responsible qualified companies for the provision of the Purchase and Application of Dust Suppressant, as specified. The IFB documents may be reviewed and/or printed from the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System website at www.rockymountainbidsystem.com. IFB documents are not available for purchase from Douglas County Government and can only be accessed from the above-mentioned website. While the IFB documents are available electronically, Douglas County cannot accept electronic bid responses. Bid responses shall be submitted in a sealed envelope plainly marked “IFB No. 017-22, Purchase & Application of Dust Suppressant” and mailed or hand-carried to the address shown below prior to the due date and time. Electronic and/or faxed bid responses will not be accepted. Bids will be received until 11:00am on Friday, April 8, 2022 by the Douglas County Finance Department, Purchasing Division, 100 Third Street, Suite 130, Castle Rock, Colorado 80104. Bids will not be considered which are received after the time stated, and any bids so received will be returned unopened. Douglas County Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids, to waive formalities, informalities, or irregularities contained in a said bid and furthermore, to award a contract for items herein, either in whole or in part, if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the County to do so. Additionally, we reserve the right to negotiate optional items/services with the successful bidder. Please direct any questions concerning this IFB to Carolyn Riggs, Purchasing Supervisor, 303-6607434, criggs@douglas.co.us, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Legal Notice No. 941748
First Publication: March 24, 2022 Last Publication: March 24, 2022 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press
Misc. Private Legals Public Notice NOTICE OF PURCHASE OF REAL ESTATE AT TAX LIEN SALE AND OF APPLICATION FOR ISSUANCE OF TREASURER’S DEED To Every Person in Actual Possession or Occupancy of the hereinafter Described Land, Lot or Premises, and to the Person in Whose Name the Same was Taxed or Specially Assessed, and to all Persons having an Interest or Title of Record in or to the said Premises and To Whom It May Concern, and more especially to: KYLE DEAN COLLINSWORTH & JEANETTE NADINE COLLINSWORTH - OCCUPANT BUFFALO PLAINS 22 LLC - ANNE-MARIE FRISZELL & STEVEN J FRISZELL AKA STEVEN JAMES FRISZELL You and each of you are hereby notified that on the 2nd day of November 2017 the then County Treasurer of the County of Douglas, in the State of Colorado, sold at public tax lien sale to FIG CAPITAL INVESTMENTS CO13, LLC the following described real estate situate in the County of Douglas, State of Colorado, to wit: LOT 18-A PERRY PARK 1 PER LLAC 2020072726 0.889 AM/L and said County Treasurer issued a certificate of purchase therefore to FIG CAPITAL INVESTMENTS CO13, LLC. That said tax lien sale was made to satisfy the delinquent* taxes assessed against said real estate for the year 2016. That said real estate was taxed or specially assessed in the name(s) of KYLE DEAN COLLINSWORTH & JEANETTE NADINE COLLINSWORTH for said year 2016 That on the 17th day of November 2021 said FIG CAPITAL INVESTMENTS CO13, LLC assigned said certificate of purchase to BUFFALO PLAINS 22 LLC. That said BUFFALO PLAINS 22 LLC on the 17th day of November 2021 the present holder of said certificate, has made request upon the Treasurer of said County for a deed to said real estate; That a Treasurer’s Deed will be issued for said real estate to the said at 1:00 o’clock P.M., on the 30th day of June 2022 unless the same has been redeemed. Said property may be redeemed from said sale at any time prior to the actual execution of said Treasurer’s Deed. Witness my hand this 17th day of March 2022 /s/ David Gill Douglas County Treasurer Legal Notice No. 941651 First Publication: March 17, 2022 Last Publication: March 31, 2022 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press
Public Notice NOTICE OF PURCHASE OF REAL ESTATE AT TAX LIEN SALE AND OF APPLICATION FOR ISSUANCE OF TREASURER’S DEED To Every Person in Actual Possession or Occupancy of the hereinafter Described Land, Lot or Premises, and to the Person in Whose Name the Same was Taxed or Specially Assessed, and to all Persons having an Interest or Title of Record in or to the said Premises and To Whom It May Concern, and more especially to: NORMA A STALEY & TRENTON J STALEY AKA TRENTON JAMES STALEY - OCCUPANT - BUFFALO PLAINS 22 LLC - MISSION VIEJO COMPANY A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION C/O COLORADO SHEA HOMES LP - KEVIN P MURPHY VICE PRESIDENT COLORADO DIVISION MISSION VIEJO COMPANY A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION C/O COLORADO SHEA HOMES LP - JAMES B BORGEL ASSISTANT SECRETARY MISSION VIEJO COMPANY A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION C/O COLORADO SHEA HOMES LP You and each of you are hereby notified that on the 2nd day of November 2017 the then County Treasurer of the County of Douglas, in the State of Colorado, sold at public tax lien sale to FIG CAPITAL INVESTMENTS CO13, LLC the following described real estate situate in the County of Douglas, State of Colorado, to wit: LOT 29 BLOCK 5 HIGHLANDS RANCH # 5 .094 AM/L and said County Treasurer issued a certificate of purchase therefore to FIG CAPITAL INVESTMENTS CO13, LLC. That said tax lien sale was made to satisfy the delinquent* taxes assessed against said real estate for the year 2016. That said real estate was taxed or specially assessed in the name(s) of NORMA A STALEY & TRENTON J STALEY for said year 2016 That on the 17th day of November 2021 said FIG CAPITAL INVESTMENTS CO13, LLC assigned said certificate of purchase to BUFFALO PLAINS 22 LLC. That said BUFFALO PLAINS 22 LLC on the 17th day of November 2021 the present holder of said certificate, has made request upon the Treasurer of said County for a deed to said real estate; That a Treasurer’s Deed will be issued for said real estate to the said at 1:00 o’clock P.M., on the 30th day of June 2022 unless the same has been redeemed. Said property may be redeemed from said sale at any time prior to the actual execution of said Treasurer’s Deed. Witness my hand this 17th day of March 2022 /s/ David Gill Douglas County Treasurer Legal Notice No. 941690 First Publication: March 17, 2022 Last Publication: March 31, 2022 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press
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Parker Legals 3.24.22 * 1
32 Parker Chronicle
March 24, 2022
ALL THESE COMMUNITY GROUPS HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON:
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