Parker Chronicle 031623

Group raises $11,000 for local teen with rare bone cancer

To fulfill bucket list item

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e Parker and equestrian community has come together to raise over $11,000 in one week for 19-year-old Quincy Rohrbach to ful ll her bucket list after being diagnosed with a rare bone cancer.

“ e equestrian community is just really strong here in Colorado and all over, really, everybody has just been super supportive and wonderful,” said Kristina Matthews, fundraiser director and family friend.

While riding her horse last summer, Rohrbach had a minor fall and hurt her shoulder. When she got an x-ray, the imaging showed a bone tumor in the humerus bone of her upper right arm. A further PET scan and a bone biopsy revealed the mass to be osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.

Hill gives update on health department progress

Budget goals remain intact

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Programs for the Douglas County Health Department have been up and running for over two months and during a March 9

Improvements approved for O’Brien Park, Ray J. Harvie Open Space

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e Town of Parker will be seeing landscaping and design updates as the town council approved design improvements for O’Brien Park and improvements for public access to Ray J. Harvie Open Space.

Town council unanimously approved a site plan amendment for O’Brien Park to make landscaping and urban design improvements on the west, south and east sides of the park.

O’Brien Park, located on the northeast corner of Parker Road and Mainstreet, is 10.67 acres of land. Amenities at the park currently include a gazebo, playground, pool complex and ball eld.

To better integrate the park into the downtown area and enhance the aesthetic of the area, improvements to the west side of the park will include cut stones, quarts and steel panels, similar to what is used at the PACE Center.

meeting, Executive Director Michael Hill gave an update on the independent health department.

“I think the way this county approached the health department by phasing it in over the last year has really been to our bene t,” said Hill.

As sta are developing relationships and creating partnerships with more organizations, the Douglas County Health Depart-

ment has been working with the state and other local health departments to develop further relationships in replacement of Tri-County.

e department has participated with the Colorado Association of Local Public Health O cials Policy Committee to keep up to date on proposed state legislation

On the south side of the park, the town plans to improve the Mainstreet frontage by removing the current fence adjacent to the street and installing landscaping and hardscaping elements. is design will also guide pedestrians to the Mainstreet and Victorian Drive intersection.

e east side of the park, which fronts Victorian Drive, will see additional landscaping and hardscape elements.

In addition to taking out some of the

Quincy Rohrbach in the hospital.

COURTESY KRISTINA MATTHEWS

Douglas County programs help people stay housed, address homelessness

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

People who end up living on the streets often struggle with mental illness, addiction or other health problems that can stand in the way of getting back on their feet.

In Douglas County, a program that started two years ago has helped dozens of people stay connected with the resources they need, including many people who struggled with housing.

“We’re also hoping to reduce reliance or interaction with our crisis emergency and acute care services as well,” said Leandra Montoya, who works with e Care Compact.

at’s the county’s program that works with hospitals, the county jail and organizations in the community to help keep people with complex needs from falling through the cracks.

One of the program’s main goals: to cut down on situations where people use services like law enforcement or transportation to an emergency room to deal with a crisis, an outcome that can be expensive — or, for rst responders, time consuming.

“So when we see folks who are frequently engaged with these systems, it’s a sign to us that they might need more support in the community, and so we overall are hoping to improve health and quality of life outcomes for these folks,” Montoya said.

Since the program’s December 2020 launch, e Care Compact has enrolled 68 clients and helped many of them resolve housing challenges.

Montoya’s comments came as part of the March meeting of the committee that leads the Douglas County Homeless Initiative, the county’s e ort to partner with the faith community and nonpro ts to address homelessness. Signs of success from Montoya’s program come as Douglas

County has also seen the emergence of two other programs that also work to address homelessness in the county.

at includes Douglas County’s Homeless Engagement, Assistance and Resource Team of “navigators” who respond to homelessness, working with law enforcement when safety is a concern.

Also contributing is AllHealth Network, a mental health-care nonpro t with locations across the south Denver metro area that recently started a street outreach team to approach unhoused people to o er resources.

Serving complex needs

e Care Compact, Montoya’s program, interacts with people in need — often those who have interfaced with the criminal justice system, health care and other crisis services — and connects them with housing, food sources and other services.

“Our goals are to reduce duplica-

tion of services,” Montoya said. She added: “We’re also hoping to improve transitions between levels of care and care types. So, for example, if a client is discharging from the hospital, we’re hoping to improve that transition back to the community by wrapping them around with supports and services.”

“My work is to coordinate (the) partners and bring everyone together to make sure we all are on the same page,” she added.

Of the program’s clients, 71% were homeless or at risk of homelessness — about 47% were homeless, and 24% were at risk.

“ e vast majority of our folks are relying on Social Security disability or Social Security income (to) meet their nancial needs,” Montoya said of the clients with housing needs.

About “21% are unemployed, and I mention that because some folks are trying to get back into employment and need mental health stabilization

to get to that point,” she said of the clients with housing needs.

Many of the clients with housing needs were dealing with mental health challenges, substance use disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, or reported traumatic brain injuries — or sometimes two or more of those, Montoya said. People are referred to the program by its partners but also by family members, Montoya said.

About 67% of all the homeless clients secured long-term housing, she said. And 40% of the clients at risk of homelessness “sustained” their housing, meaning they were able to connect with services or nancial support to prevent eviction or loss of housing.

“Of the housing connections we’ve been able to make for folks … most frequently it’s assisted living facilities,” Montoya said, because of the

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Ti any Marsitto, a supervisor with Douglas County’s Homeless Engagement, Assistance and Resource Team that responds to homelessness, speaks during a Feb. 9 news conference in Castle Rock alongside county Commissioner Abe Laydon, center, and Sheri Darren Weekly.

PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD

‘The Care Compact’ assists those who have health conditions

SEE HOUSING, P31

Douglas County School District in dire need of bus drivers

Pay raises, recruiter possible solutions

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Facing severe understa ng of bus drivers that has resulted in route consolidations and cancellations, the Douglas County School District is working to raise pay and hire a recruiter to ease bussing challenges.

In a March 7 presentation to the board of education, Chief Operations O cer Rich Cosgrove said just 60% of bus driver positions are currently lled, in large part because of a national bus driver shortage, but also because of a lack of competitive pay.

Douglas County School District starts bus drivers at $19.60 per hour, whereas surrounding districts start drivers anywhere from $21.70 in Jefferson County School District up to $24.40 in Denver Public Schools.

“A lack of competitive pay is really, really hurting us,” Superintendent Erin Kane said, calling transportation a “pain point” in the district this year.

Just like with teacher pay, Kane said the district needs a mill levy to close the competitive pay gap.

Cosgrove agreed that raising pay would go a long way to solving the shortage.

Despite being understa ed, Cosgrove said the district has been able to run 98% of its bus routes so far this year. Still, cancellations are extremely frustrating for families,

he said.

“We make every e ort to cover routes,” he said. “On any given day, we are four to ve (employees) short, so what that means is central sta is being a (transportation education assistant) or running that route.”

When route cancellations do happen, special education routes and routes that serve low-income families are prioritized.

“We have students that when we cancel their routes, they don’t go to school, they don’t have another way to get to school, so they stay home and they’re not learning,” Kane said. “ at is a big violation of the equitable access to learning.”

e district has also consolidated routes from 173 during the 2020-21 school year to 120 this year, which

Cosgrove said puts them at capacity.

Cosgrove said the district is negotiating with the Amalgamated Transportation Union of Douglas County to increase pay, as well as requesting more exibility in drivers’ schedules for route changes.

“We have very collaborative and productive negotiations underway with the ATU,” he said.

On top of union negotiations, Cosgrove said the district should invest in a recruiter for transportation sta , improve advertising and marketing, and enhance employee appreciation e orts.

All of the board members agreed that the district needs to invest in its transportation sta ng and thanked the district’s bus drivers for all of their e orts.

Thins paint, kills

When using hazardous chemicals, store and dispose of containers responsibly, and clean up spills promptly according to manufacturer instructions. Your rivers, creeks and lakes depend on you. Harmful chemicals left on outdoor surfaces are picked up in the next rainstorm and sent directly to the nearest creek. Once these chemicals reach our waterways, they pose a threat to fish, wildlife, recreation and drinking water supplies

Local stormwater agencies are teaming together to bring you this message. We take this so seriously that we posted this ad rather than send you more garbage in the mail. One thing is clear: our creeks, rivers and lakes depend on you.

bluegrass turf, this project aims to reduce water consumption, according to Bryce Matthews, planning assistant director.

“It’s a longtime coming,” said Councilmember Joshua Rivero. “We’ve wanted to get rid of that pedestrian safety fence for a while. We want to do some natural landscaping and beauti cation.”

e council also approved the site plan for public access and improvements for the Ray J. Harvie Open Space.

Harvie Open Space is a 71.06-acre parcel located at the intersection of Canterberry Parkway and Mainstreet, and is undeveloped and preserved as open space through the Douglas Land Conservancy.  e land easement intends to protect the character of open space as well as natural resource values of the property.

In 2017 the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Department gathered input from the residents about what improvements would be acceptable in the future. Town council then approved the department’s conceptual master plan for the open space in 2018.

According to the 2035 master plan, Ray J. Harvie Open Space is within a medium density residential area.

“ is was a medium density area that we are now turning into open space and giving back to the community, so that’s just fantastic,” said Councilmember Brandi Wilks.  e site plan states improvements

will enable public access to the open space which will include a looped walking path with educational features, a vault restroom, covered seating and an o -street gravel parking lot.

In addition, the improvements will include 16 new pine trees and about 30 rabbit brush that will be

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maintained through a drip irrigation system. e project hopes to be completed by the end of the year.

According to Matthews, the closet a trail will get to a residential home is 385 feet, which includes the backyard.

e planning commission asked the town council to approve the plan

with one condition, all trash receptacles in the Harvie Open Space shall be wildlife proof.

In other business, the town council approved the second replacement intergovernmental agreement between the Town of Parker and Town of Fox eld for municipal court services.

Ray J. Harvie Open Space vicinity map

COURTESY TOWN OF PARKER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Rohrbach was diagnosed with stage 4 osteosarcoma that has metastasized to her lungs.

Matthews set up an AngeLink account to raise money for Rohrbach to travel. Items on her bucket list include going to see the sea of stars in the Maldives.

“ ese funds will go towards her family being able to take her to places that she wants to go to,” said Matthews. “ ese funds are to not only spread awareness, but we’re going to donate some of the portions to osteosarcoma research.”

Osteosarcoma is one of three types of bone cancer and typically originates around the adolescent, young adult time point and in 70 to 80 year old individuals.

“Bone sarcomas are incredibly rare,” said Dr. Daniel Lerman, medical director of the Institute for Limb Preservation at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center. “Once we get into the world of bone sarcoma, osteosarcoma is the most common pediatric bone cancer.”

According to the American Cancer Society, about 1,000 new cases of osteosarcoma are diagnosed each year in the U.S. and while nearly half of these cases are in children and teenagers, around 2% of childhood cancers are osteosarcomas.

Osteosarcoma does come with grades or levels of aggressiveness. e disease is staged based on its size, location factors and most signi cantly if the cancer has spread from its initial location.

Rohrbach began intensive chemotherapy in July and underwent surgery to remove the primary tumor. In October, Rohrbach had a complete reverse shoulder replacement and resection of

her upper right arm.

Despite the rounds of chemotherapy, another scan revealed the cancer had metastasized to her pelvis and is inoperable. Rohrbach was placed on new chemotherapy drugs to target the cancer cells that were not responding to previous treatment, however, she su ered from a rare reaction in January and spent seven days in the ICU on a ventilator.

is month, Rohrbach will be undergoing surgery once again to remove over 50 nodules in both her lungs.

With a goal of raising $20,000, family and friends are hoping to exceed that amount. Starting in May, there will be nine weeks of horse shows and the Colorado Horse Park and Littleton Equine Medical Center have teamed up so portions of the proceeds will be donated to the AngeLink.

According to Lerman, any bone cancer typically presents itself as a low level, deep, achy, throbbing pain, similar to a toothache, but one cannot rub the pain away or relieve with anything topical.

“People are usually able to be engaged in physical activity for a long time because pain does not seem to be as limiting of a factor during the day, but then is reproducible and recurrent, particularly in the evenings, awakening someone from sleep in the same area consistently,” said Lerman.

Lerman says it’s important to get imaging of the area and if X-rays are inconclusive, to get more advanced imaging such as an MRI. In addition, there are certain hospitals that specialize in bone cancers and sarcoma care, such as the institute for limb preservation.

“[ e family] wants to create awareness,” said Matthews. “And give her as much support as they can get to help her ful ll her dreams.”

Quincy Rohrbach and her horse.

COURTESY KRISTINA MATTHEWS

Where to find food assistance programs

More in need after SNAP benefits decrease

BY ELLLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Low-income households face a tighter budget this month as the program that helps families in Colorado buy food saw its pandemic-era funding boost come to an end.

Coloradans who receive bene ts from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, had received an extra amount of bene ts every month since March 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

e extra amount, or “emergency allotments,” were authorized by Congress, but they ended due to recent congressional action. A nal emergency allotment was issued in February, according to the Colorado Department of Human Services.

If you’re struggling with the drop in bene ts, it may help to turn to local programs and organizations.

Here’s a look at the local government departments or food pantries in your area and how to contact them. Make sure to ask, or check their websites, for any requirements.

Adams County

e Adams County Food Bank sits at 7111 E. 56th Ave. in Commerce City, just west of Quebec Street and a bit north of Interstate 270. It’s open

see adamscountyfoodbank.org.

For a list of other food banks and pantries, see the county’s website at adamscountycovid19.org/foodbanks-and-pantries — but be sure to check that the services are current.

For other assistance, contact Adams County Human Services Department at 720-523-2700 (or 303-375-2980 for the Aurora part of Adams County). Or see adcogov.org/ human-services.

e human services department has locations at 11860 N. Pecos St. in Westminster, a short drive west of Interstate 25 and south of 120th Avenue, and at 3155 N. Chambers Road, unit C, in Aurora, near Smith Road and south of Interstate 70.

Arapahoe, Douglas and Elbert counties Integrated Family Community Services, a nonpro t near Englewood,

provides food and other low-income support to families across the south metro region.

IFCS has a service area of western Arapahoe and northern Douglas counties, including Englewood, Sheridan, Littleton, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Glendale, Lone Tree and Greenwood Village. e service area has also included southwest Denver neighborhoods, south of Jewell Avenue and west of Santa Fe Drive.

IFCS sits at 3370 S. Irving St. in the Sheridan area, northwest of Federal Boulevard and Hampden Avenue. It’s open 8 a.m.–noon and 1–4 p.m. Monday through Friday, reachable at 303-789-0501. Or see ifcs.org.

Farther southeast, SECORCares in Parker serves the residents of Arapahoe, Douglas and Elbert counties with a food pantry open from 9 a.m.–

SNAP monthly allotments decreased starting this month. SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

SEE FOOD, P19

SCFD Free Days

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

HEALTH

impacting health and working with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver Health and all the metro region health departments to redesign a future Tuberculosis control program.

Hill also said he participated in the Region 12 Opioid Council, which guides the expenditure of Opioid Settlement dollars in the county over the coming years.

A brief nancial report was provided for the board to discuss the expenditures and revenues of the department.

According to Hill, the expenditures for the department are reasonably stable. It is at 16% of the scal year and they have expended around 10% of what they are expecting to spend for the year.

“So that means we’re around 6% underspent at this point in the year,” said Hill.

e department has been purchasing items and supplies for new programs since late last year and early this year, however, Hill said the department is on budget for revenues and there are going to be ebbs and ows as the year progresses.

“You will see peaks and valleys in the revenues but the expenditures should be fairly smooth because as with most organizations, it’s primarily sta that are the expenditures and salaries don’t change that frequently in the county,” said Hill.

With the goal of not spending more county tax dollars compared to the amount going to Tri-County Health Department, Hill says that this current department has done better. According to Hill, the Douglas County Health Department has more people working on the ground rather than in o ces.

Member Douglas Benevento

expanded by saying that Douglas County is able to target services to what the residents of the county need and want.

“It’s a dollar issue, but it’s also a service and an e ciency issue,” said Benevento.

Another important update from Hill is the department’s completion of implementing Microsoft SharePoint as a means of storing and securely sharing documents as well as obtaining a portable hard drive from Tri-County where les were put into a SharePoint for appropriate sta to access.

e Community Health Division update shows that clinical services at STRIDE Community Health Center are occuring at the Parker location. e update also includes that since January, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program has been operating at a high volume due to enrollment status.

In other health concerns, Executive Director Hill said COVID cases remain relatively low in the county. In uenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus rates have also declined since the increase seen in November.  Board of Health member, Kevin Bracken, who also serves on the Castle Rock town council, asked if the department will be tracking and monitoring side e ects a liated with the COVID-19 vaccine. e state is tracking the side e ects but there is currently no information for the county, according to Epidemiologist Fallon Simmons.

Before the meeting adjourned, the board unanimously passed a proposal for Recreational Water Program Fees. According to Environmental Health Assistant Director Caitlin Gappa, the nal proposed fees include the inspection fee to be $160 per ltration system, which is $25 less than Tri-County’s fee.  e fee will apply to all public and semi-public pools in the county. is includes recreation centers, hotels, motels and one HOA pool in the county as it allows people who don’t live in the area to purchase a membership.

e next Board of Health meeting is scheduled for May 11.

Drive US 85?

Learn more at douglas.co.us/snow

Construction to widen the road between Highlands Ranch Parkway and C-470 is underway. Please expect delays and watch for crews. Sign up for updates so you know what to expect. Visit douglas.co.us and search for Subscribe Now and choose US 85 construction.

Need help with rising heat costs?

Rising heating costs may be hard to budget for this year, but help is available to Douglas County residents who are struggling. If you or someone you know needs assistance, apply now through April 30, 2023, for energy assistance through the State of Colorado’s LowIncome Energy Assistance Program (LEAP). For more information, visit douglas.co.us and search LEAP or email LEAPHELP@discovermygoodwill.org

Snow removal is a shared responsibility!

Douglas County Philip S. Miller Building

PHOTO BY HALEY LENA

Summer Camps & Programs 2023

COUNTY AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Arapahoe County Libraries

Locations: Multiple locations in Arapahoe County

Website: arapahoelibraries.org

Details: Each year, Arapahoe libraries hosts a variety of reading events and gatherings to help fill the summer hours.

Arvada summer camps program

Location: 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada

Website: www.arvadacenter.org/ education/summer-camps

Details: This summer, the Arvada center is offering a variety of half day camps and full-day camps — including prescheduled Awesome Art Packs. Awesome Art Packs are combinations of our most popular summer camps that provide full day activities for students. These camp packages are a creative and convenient way to give your child a multi-disciplinary arts experience this summer.

City of Golden

Locations: See website

Website: www.bit.ly/3Sm6Y1X

Details: Summer camp registration opens Feb. 28 for residents and March 2 for nonresidents. Golden addresses are not all within city limits; some are actually part of unincorporated Jefferson County. Check if your Golden address is within city limits at addresslookup.jeffco.us.

City of Northglenn summer programs

Locations: See website

Website: www.northglenn.org/ rec_and_events/childrens_programs.php

Details: Participants will enjoy their time at the Northglenn Recreation Center swimming two times a week, playing games/ activities in the beautiful gym, going on fi eld trips, having in-house experiences, riding pedal boats at Webster Lake, playing daily at E.B Rains Jr. Memorial Park, plus much more.

City of Thornton – 2023 summer camps

Locations: Varies by camp

Website: www.thorntonco.gov/recreation/ Pages/registration-information.aspx

Details: The annual summer program is already underway with registration for residents beginning on Feb. 1. Nonresidents joined on Feb. 2. From physical activities and sports camps to arts and more — the annual program will continue to register participants.

Clear Creek County Library District

Locations: Multiple locations

Website: www.cccld.org/ programs-and-events

Details: Watch the calendar for summer events and programs being hosted by the Clear Creek County Library District.

Clear Creek Recreation Center

Locations: 98 12th Ave., Idaho Springs

Website: www.clearcreekrecreation.com/ summer-camp-1.html

Details: The Clear Creek rec center offers a

variety of camp options this summer. With all of the camp options, parents are able to pick day by day. Children are not required to attend the full week of camp.

Commerce City Parks & Recreation

Locations: Eagle Pointe Recreation Center, 6060 E. Parkway Drive, Commerce City

Website: www.recreation.c3gov.com/ classes-programs/camps

Details: Youth Camp Venture is a traditional camp for children ages 6 to 10 and offers arts and crafts, STEM, active play, swimming and field trips. Camp takes place primarily outside at Eagle Pointe Rec Center. Adventure Trek is an outdoor adventure program that provides a new experience every day. Those ages 11 to 15 travel offsite for hiking, survival skills training, water activities and nature-based programming.

Douglas County Libraries

Locations: See website

SUMMER CAMP PAGES

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Website: www.dcl.org/camp-dcl

Details: Choose from weeklong half-day camps at six DCL locations or full-day camps at select locations from June 5 through Aug. 4. Camps are facilitated by subject matter experts and supported by trained staff and volunteers. Camp themes include science, robotics, creative arts, LEGOs, cooking and baking, with each camp geared to a specific age range.

Englewood – 2023 KidConnections

Summer Camp

Locations: See website

Website: www.bit.ly/3YRWCcC

Details: The program is a fully licensed day care by the State of Colorado, Department of Human Services for children 5 years old (and completed kindergarten) through 14 years old. There is a registration fee of $10 per child.

Evergreen Park & Recreation District

Locations: Variety of locations

Website: www.evergreenrecreation. com/201/Camps

Details: The annual programs provide options for kids starting at 3 years old.

Foothills Parks & Recreation District

Location: 6612 S. Ward St., Littleton

Website: www.ifoothills.org/ school-care-camps/#camps

Details: Details will be posted online for the 2023 summer program in March.

Highlands Ranch Community Association

Locations: Recreation centers throughout the community

Website: www.hrcaonline.org/ classes-camps-activities/camps

Details: Every year, the Highlands Ranch Community Association works to provide something for everyone in its summer camp program. For children into sports, there are plenty of athletic camps available. For those looking to improve in art, arts and education programs are plentiful.

Jefferson County Library

Locations: Events in Lakewood, Arvada, Golden, Evergreen, Edgewater, Wheat Ridge and more

Website: www.jeffcolibrary.org

Details: With summer coming, the Jefferson County Library system is already holding information sessions and planning events, such as the Cosmic Conversations: Telescope Highlights of the Midnight Sky in June.

Town of Castle Rock Summer Camp

Program

Locations: Vary based on camp

Website: www.crgov.com/3270/ Summer-Camps

Details: From sports camps to jedi training and science and arts — the Town of Castle Rock prevents a full slate of summer camp programs in 2023. Visit the town’s website to learn more about ages, prices and details.

Town of Parker/Parker Fieldhouse

Location: 18700 Plaza Drive, Parker Website:  www.parkerrec.com/2029/ Summer-Day-Camp

Details: Ages 5 to 13 can join this camp for themed games, activities, crafts and a ton of fun at the Parker Fieldhouse. Campers will be separated into age groups 5 to 6 years, 7 to 9 years, and 10 to 13 years. Expect swimming days and field trips too.

Wheat Ridge Parks & Recreation

Location: 4355 Field St., Wheat Ridge Website: www.rootedinfun.com/191

/Sun-Camp

Details: Wheat Ridge Sun Camp is a state-licensed day camp for children ages 6 to 13; offered during Jefferson County Public Schools’ spring, summer and winter breaks.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

The Giggling Life Care Farm

Location: 14583 Cherry St., Thornton Website: www.thegigglinglife.com/ summer-farm-fun

Details: If your kids love animals you need to check out The Giggling Life Care Farm in Thornton for summer activities. The Giggling Life Care Farm is special for a lot of reasons, but the most important one is Kristi — the owner. She has a BS in psychology and a master’s in education, has studied life coaching for the last eight years, and is certified in Equine Assisted Coaching and Pet Therapy.

Highlands Ranch — Camp Backcountry

Location:  6005 Ron King Trail, Littleton Website: www.hrcaonline.org/ classes-camps-activities/camps/ camp-backcountry

Details: Nestled into 8,200 acres of wildlife conservation property just south of C-470 on Santa Fe Drive, Camp Backcountry is the spot for a build-a-fort, hikejust-to-explore, and don’t-forget-yourbinoculars kind of summer for your kids. The Backcountry believes that children learn, grow, and thrive best when outdoors and immersed in nature. Our week-long, full-day outdoor camps support the needs of children by using a whole-child, experiential learning approach. From minicamps to leaders-in-training programs, the camps are for ages 5-17.

Great Outdoors Summer Camp

Location: Miller Activity Complex

1375 W. Plum Creek Pkwy, Castle Rock Website: www.crgov.com/3270/ Summer-Camps

Details: This regional park includes the Miller Activity Complex (MAC), Millhouse, Amphitheater, Challenge Hill, ziplines, Adventure Tower, Sky Trek, and adventure playground area as well as over ten miles of hiking and biking trails.  For ages 10-15.

Chatfield Stables Horse Camps Location: 11500 N. Roxborough Park Road, Littleton Website: www.chatfieldstables.com/ horse-camps.html

Details: Chatfield Stables is the longestrunning horse camp in the area. Every child has their own horse for the entire week. Kids get to lead, feed, water and work with their horses every day. Campers learn horse care, including grooming and bridling. They water and feed their horses, learn to groom them, and take care of

them at the end of the day. We ride daily, whether in the arena or on the trail.

Community Sailing of Colorado

Locations: 4800 S. Dayton St., Greenwood Village

Website: www.communitysailing.org

Details: Community Sailing of Colorado provides premier sailing programs (summer camps, adult classes, adaptive sailing, and community partnership events) at Cherry Creek and Boulder reservoirs. The weeklong summer camps range from beginner through advanced sailing for youth ages 5-17. It’s a perfect fit for any adventurous spirit who loves the outdoors.

YMCA SUMMER PROGRAMS

At the YMCA of Metro Denver, our youth development philosophy is grounded in 150 years of lifting up kids and helping them reach their full potential. It’s a philosophy centered on two critical factors: creating a unique sense of belonging and always incorporating the pure fun and joy of childhood.

Camps include adventure camps, sports programs, art that focuses on ceramics, painting, drawing, digital media and more. To find camps in local communities, visit the website at www.bit.ly/3Kg6GYM.

Summer camp programs are available in the following Denver metro cities:

• Arvada

• Aurora

• Broomfield

• Centennial

• Commerce City

• Denver

• Golden

• Lakewood

• Littleton

• Thornton

• Wheat Ridge

MAD SCIENTISTS

Kookalooz Space Playground: STEM

Summer Camp

Locations:

6805 W. 88th Ave., Westminster

Website: www.kookalooz.com/ westminster-co/summer-camps

Details: 5 different camps from the basics of space to engineering. Each camp is one week long. For ages 5-10.

Colorado Adventure Point

Location: 10455 W. 6th Ave., Suite 150, Lakewood

Website: www.coloradoadventurepoint.org

Details: CAP’s STEM Camp isn’t your typical science camp. Our campers get to experiment with chemistry, physics and engineering through a variety of materials, experiments and challenges to meet their curiosities and skill level in our challenge by choice model. In addition to building engineering models and friendships, the campers get to enjoy our climbing wall, archery range and more — and learn the science behind these fun activities. Camps are available for ages 6-12.

Butterfly Pavilion

Location: 6252 W. 104th Ave., Westminster

Website: www.butterflies.org

Details: Starting June 5 and running through Aug. 11, the Butterfly Pavilion hosts all the creepy crawlies and your children at camp. There are five themes, which repeat once and include spider

SPORTS CAMPS

Whether it’s baseball or volleyball, tennis or swimming, lacrosse or basketball, we offer seasonal sports camps & clinics throughout the Denver area.

FIND A CAMP NEAR

Camp Ozobot is a one-of-a-kind coding summer camp that incorporates STEM principles using our award-winning robot. Taught by credentialed educators, students will engage in critical thinking and problem solving to enhance their skill set and learn real-world applications. Woven throughout each day’s agenda are opportunities to collaborate and play with peers, express creativity and further computer science knowledge, all in a top notch campus.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Team-based learning, hands-on activities and exciting challenges

• Exposure to coding concepts from experienced educators

• Low educator-to-student ratio

• Standards-aligned curriculum

2023 CAMP INFORMATION: JULY 10-13 JULY 17-20

AGE GROUP: 9-13

GENDER: Coed

FULL DAY: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

SUMMER CAMP PAGES

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE week, junior zookeeper and survival stories, where kids can learn about how insects adapt to survive.

Mad Science

Locations: Multiple locations in the Denver metro area, including the Littleton area, Denver and Broomfield

Website: www.colorado.madscience.org

Details: These camps are designed for ages 6 to 12, though sessions such as Red-Hot Robots and Advanced Robotics camps are more appropriate for ages 8 to 12. Instructors are mostly college students pursuing degrees in education or science and teachers off for the summer. Themes include chemistry, space science, forensics, engineering and more. Each camp is weeklong, though times can vary.

Air & Space Camp

Location: Wings Over the Rockies

7711 E. Academy Blvd., Denver

Website: www.wingsmuseum.org/ education/camp

Details: Ready for an aerospace adventure?

At Wings Over the Rockies that’s exactly what kids ages 8 to 14 can expect in these week-long camps. The fun starts June 5 and goes on until Aug. 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

EMERGING ARTISTS

Center for the Arts: Summer in Color

Location: 31880 Rocky Village Dr., Evergreen

Website: www.evergreenarts.org/ summercamp

Details: Camps explore various media, from clay sculpting and wheel throwing, to pop art and mural painting, to the art of different cultures and the art of the masters. Several of our camps also incorporate outdoor components, including hikes, yoga, and opportunities for photography and eco-art projects. Let kids explore their creative side with imaginative and inspiring camps at CAE this summer. For ages 5-17.

Denver Art Museum

Location: 100 W. 14th Ave. Pkwy., Denver

Website: www.denverartmuseum.org/en/ summer-camps

Details: The camps at the Denver Art Museum get broken into three age groups: 5 to 6, 7 to 8, and 9 to 11. Overall, the themes remain the same — there are camps about art in nature, how to draw, learning about color and sculpture. Each camp runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and includes plenty of time in the museum to garner inspiration.

Craftsman & Apprentice

Location: 1335 E 22nd Ave., Denver

Website: www.craftsmanandapprentice.com/ pages/summer-2023

Details: Ages 5 to 11 can spend the summer creating worlds out of cardboard, paint, hot glue, ribbons, corks, buttons and more at this Denver kids’ crafting studio. Themes include toys, crafty critters, fiber arts and more.

ON THE STAGE

The Apollo Center Summer Camps

Location: 2655 Industrial Lane, Broomfield

Website: www.theapollocenter.com/ summercamps

Details: The Apollo Center offers a variety of skill-based camps for kids and adults alike. Aerial Performance Camps for kids ages 5-17 years focus on learning aerial technique and choreography throughout the week which will culminate with a camp performance based on the camp theme.

Front Range Theatre Company Triple Threat Summer Camp

Locations: 15035 Performing Arts School, Parker

Website: www.frontrangetheatre.org/ triple-threat-summer-camp.html

Details: Working with professional instructors with years of experience, your child will learn the three major elements of any stage performer: Voice, Dance and Acting. The camps are designed to challenge performers in the entire range of life in the theatre, including a live performance in a mainstage venue!

Audience of One Youth Theatre Camp

Location: Highlands Ranch

Website: www.AO1Theater.org

Details: Whether a student is looking to try out theater for the first time, polish skills or have fun with friends, the AO1 has one-totwo-week camps can work in the summer schedule. AO1’s summer programming includes kids’ productions for ages 5-12, workshops for ages 8-18, and a two-week intensive program for teenagers.

The Arvada Center

Location: 6901 Wadsworth Blvd. Arvada

Website: www.arvadacenter.org

Details: If your kid is 5 to 12 and loves a bit of drama and/or art, the Arvada Center has a slew of full- and half-day camps available. The best and most economic way to sign up for camp is to do it in three- or four-week blocks, and the venue offers combinations of visual art, musical theater, drama and music.

Kent Denver Performing Arts Camps

Location: 4000 E. Quincy Ave., Englewood

Website: www.KentDenver.org

Details: Summer at Kent Denver School offers all children ages 4–18 the opportunity to experience innovative, creative, handson learning in the arts, athletics, our Tiny Farm Day Camp, academics, innovation and technology.

St. Lukes Performing Arts Camps

Location:  8817 S. Broadway, Highlands Ranch

Website: www.StLukesPAA.org

Details: From preschool age to high school students there are a large variety of summer camp shows planned in Highlands Ranch and Castle Rock areas. Registration is now open.

Castle Rock Dance Academy

Locations: 140 S. Wilcox St. Suite A, Castle Rock

Website: www.castlerockdanceacademy. com

self-discipline are taught, and students learn skills they can carry with them through life. The program offers weekly dance classes in five-week sessions for ages 3–18.

LET’S GET PHYSICAL

Details: At Castle Rock Dance Academy (CRDA), best friends are made, etiquette and

Bowlero

Locations: Multiple locations in Cherry Creek, Littleton and Lone Tree

Website: www.bowlero.com

Details: Fun for all skill levels, Bowlero’s modern spin on bowling is the perfect way to spend quality time with the kids. Celebrate every strike, spare and yes, even gutter balls, with the most famous lanes in the game and a delicious menu of classic American eats.

Golden Goal Sports Complex

Location: 2650 Alkire St., Golden Website: www.goldengoalsc.com/ summer-soccer-camps

Details: Golden Goal offers spring break camps and summer camps for all ages from under 5 to high school.

Camp Urbie at Urban Air Adventure Park

Location: 15400 E. Briarwood Circle, Aurora

Website: www.bit.ly/3IuCQOO

Details: Let ‘em Fly for a whole week of play, in-park activities, snacks and more. Camp Urbie’s Adventure Camp is the best way to beat the summer heat and play in the best indoor playground in town. The weeklong camp is open to kids 7 years and up.

Gold Medal Athletic Camp

Location: Castle Rock Recreation Center

Website: www.crgov.com/2628/Camps

Details: Athletes will participate in small- and large-group instruction, drills and games or scrimmages. We welcome beginner athletes to learn how to use proper mechanics and fundamentals of the sport and intermediate or advanced athletes who want to continue to grow their motor skills and skill in the sport. For ages 7-12.

Tigar Gymnastics Camps

Location: 4860 Van Gordon St. Unit B, Wheat Ridge

Website: www.tigargymnastics.com

Details: A variety of programs at a variety of ages is available at the gymnastics center, including ninja classes and programs for older ages.

RMF Soccer Camp

Location: Aurora Sports Park 19300 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora

Website: www.rmfsoccercampsusa.com/ soccer-camp-denver

Details: From July 17 to July 21, this prorun soccer camp will come to Colorado. It’s run by experienced Spanish UEFA coaches, and goes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Kids from 6 to 16 can sign up.

Aerial Cirque Over Denver

Location: 4605 Quebec St., Denver.

Website: www.aerialcirqueoverdenver.com

Details: If your child is thinking of joining the circus, or just wants to bend, twist and soar through the air, this is the camp for them. Dates run from May 29 through August 14, and include morning and afternoon camps (9:30 a.m. to noon and 12:30 to 3 p.m.) for ages 6 to 16.

LET’S GET MUSICAL

Maestro Music Institute

Location: 6478 Ward Road, Arvada

Website: www.maestromusicinstitute. com/2023-instrumental-summer-camp

Details: Instrumental Summer Camp is back this year covering a myriad of ensemble opportunities. We will be offering Rock Band, Orchestra, Choir/Theater, Piano ensemble and composition. Summer campers will have the opportunity to learn new instruments in addition to honing their skills on their primary instrument. Students will work in large and small ensemble groups and perform a variety of music at the end of the week.

Kidzrock Rock Band Camp

Location: 2842 S. Broadway, Englewood

Website: www.musicallifedenver.com/ summercamp

Cost: $319

Details: Rock Band Summer Camp teaches children ages 4 to 7 how to play in a rock band. Campers learn to play drums, electric guitar, keyboard and sing. On the final day, campers perform a short (adorable) concert for parents and family. In addition to rock band time, students get to make music-related arts and crafts, create a fantasy band identity, and play outdoor games at the park next to the school. No prior musical experience is required. No investment in gear is required.

OVERNIGHT CAMPS

Avid 4 Adventure

Locations: Various spots

Website: www.avid4.com/ summer-camps

Details: For two weeks kids get to bask in nature, away from their parent, at either Camp Windy Peak near Bailey, or Camp Blue Sky near Evergreen. The kids sleep in cabins and build their skill sets in nature and with outdoor sport activities.

Cheley Colorado Camps

Location: Cheley Colorado Camps 3960 Fish Creek Road, Estes Park. Website: www.cheley.com

Details: If your kid is 9 to 17, send them off to a 27-day overnight camp in Estes Park. Full term is June 13 to August 6, or chose a half term from June 13 to July 9, or July 11 to Aug. 6. Activities include horseback riding, water sports, art and plenty of outdoor adventure.

Camp Granite Lake

Locations: 11902 Camp Eden Road, Golden

Website: www.campgranitelake.com

Details: Located in the mountains about an hour from Denver, the camp covers 135 acres including a private lake. It’s a co-ed camp for grades second to ninth. Choose from two sessions, either June 19 through July 8, or July 10 through July 29. There are also minicamp options for grades 1st through 4th, covering the week of July 31 or Aug. 7.

Small gestures are big FROM THE EDITOR

Irecently took my children to an event created by a mom and employee of a local school district. I only found out about the monthly gathering hosted in my community by chance at a birthday party.

After reading the agenda for the March invite, I opted to take my two elementary-school sons and check it out. I was impressed because the entire event taught us all, at di erent age levels, the importance of contributions and service to our local communities.

With this month’s focus on service we were all encouraged to bring supplies to build special kits for the homeless community. e kits consisted of warming gloves, toothpaste, toothbrushes, Kleenex, lip balm, socks and more. Our children worked to help build the bags to be donated to Aurora Warms the Night in the future. While the goal was to create about 50 bags, based on the amount of supplies donated, I’m sure the nonpro t organization received a lot more.

In talking to my sons after the gathering, they talked about how they learned that the simple gesture of opening a door for someone is considered good service in our community. My 6-year-old, while enamored by the laminating machine, did get some value from his breakout session. Along with an art project, he also learned the meaning of the Mother Teresa quote, “Give your hands to serve and your hearts to love.”

Parents were also required to participate in a breakout group where we interviewed each other and learned a bit more about virtues. As we listened to answers and got to know some of the community parents we did not know — we realized how good it felt to hear good things from others.

When we talked about what we gained from the exercise, one participating dad summed it up well — he said we often get caught up in judging others, having preconceived notions based on a look or attitude, when in reality hearing from someone else about our own good traits and values made him feel good.

is was one example of good happening quietly in our local communities. I truly saw the value in a day like this where it teaches our kids that the world is not just about how many material things we can take from it, but also how small, kind gestures can make it a better place.

In our own newspapers over recent weeks, I cannot say enough about the good deeds and treasured moments our reporters are capturing. I am like many newspaper readers, while I want to know the controversy and newsy stu , I also love to hear about and know about the good news.

From our local high schools in Douglas and Arapahoe counties raising funds to make children’s wishes come true to the Castle View High School project to raise funds to help save the rainforest — our young people are doing great things to help us today and in the future do better.

In Arapahoe County, we have a story of citizens and deputies at a courthouse coming together to save one woman’s life.

ere is always a place out there to lend a hand. Whether it be through a small gesture to help someone with a door or a handful of groceries or on a bigger scale of making sure 50 or more homeless people get some extra supplies or help — We can make a big di erence through small gestures every day.

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

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Courage, discretion and making a choice

Discretion is the better part of valor,” “Caution is preferrable to rash bravery,” and “ e better part of valor is discretion, in the which better part I have saved my life.” - All attributed to William Shakespeare e father and son were skiing together and had decided to head into a tight tree run. e son being in his late teens, and still somewhat made out of rubber, encouraged his dad, who had just turned 51 into joining him on the run. As they picked their way across the top of the run looking for the best entry point, the son without warning dropped into a powder stash and was quickly on his way down the mountain.

e dad stood there on his skis looking for his own entry point down. e longer he stood there, the more nervous he became, and the more nervous he became, the more his muscles tensed and froze. With no way back out, he remembered something he had heard in his life, “God hates a coward.” He wasn’t sure where he had heard it, but the timing was right as it was all the persuasion he needed as he pointed his tips over the ledge and took o down the mountain after his son.

Happy to report that both father and son were reunited safely at the bottom.

I share that story as one recently shared with me because not too long ago I happened to be playing golf with a couple of customers. One of the guys in our group kept nding himself in trouble, meaning always hitting out of the woods or over water, playing a bit of rescue golf all day. I was standing next to him as he was trying to line up a shot around a tree. He kept walking around trying to

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

decide to just punch the ball out or go for the risky shot that called for an intentional draw around the tree. He looked over at me and said, “God hates a coward,” and swung away. Happy to report that although his ball did not nd the green, it ended up just a few yards short. It was a magni cent shot.

We have all been faced with moments of decision on when we should choose discretion over rash bravery, and hopefully we have all decided in those most critical decision points of life that indeed discretion was the better part of valor. Making a bad decision could end up in serious injury. Making a bad decision in golf will just usually end up with several lost balls and a very bad score. But decisions when it comes to family, health, nances, careers and other key areas of life require us to use judgment and discernment before rushing into something that could cause us much greater harm than good.

Is it always the case? No, sometimes those quick or rash decisions work out. I have had a few of those over the years where my instincts took over and I went with my gut, meeting with tremendous success. However, I can share with you that I have also made many bad decisions to take an immediate action, being brave or courageous at the absolute wrong time, and well, those turned out as you would expect, some injury, heartache, and metaphorically a lot of lost golf balls and high scores in life.

I love this quote from Matt Damon’s character in “We Bought a Zoo”: “You know, sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage. Just literally 20 seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.”

Using Shakespeare’s quotes to temper enthusiasm in the heat of the moment, with the thought that God hates a coward, and all I

SEE NORTON, P13

A publication

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

THELMA GRIMES South Metro Editor tgrimes@coloradocommunitymedia.com

HALEY LENA Community Editor hlena@coloradocommunitymedia.com

AUDREY BROOKS Business Manager abrooks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ERIN FRANKS Production Manager efranks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Columnists & Guest Commentaries

Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Chronicle. We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

Email letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com Deadline

80124.. Send address change to: Parker Chronicle, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110

Thelma Grimes

Mindset is crucial when planning

Investors have been on the stock market and interest rate roller coaster so long they may feel as though they have gone mad. Planning around continued volatility is a challenge unless you are committed to updating goals at least annually. People who stick their heads in the sand and avoid planning “until the market settles down” are missing opportunities and are likely to go o track. is could take years or never rectify once you lose focus. is is one of the many reasons why the Board of Certi ed Financial Planners has added psychology as an important component of nancial planning. Until the advisor and client can discuss fears, con icts, money beliefs and biases openly, it will be difcult to stay on track or even build the right kind of plan.

It is not easy to discuss these things, such as:

— Your rst recollection of money

— Your money story, beliefs, con-

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Disappointed in Marshall

When Democrats in the state legislature unveiled plans to consider an assault weapon ban, Rep. Bob Marshall, a Democrat representing Highlands Ranch, declared he does not plan to vote for any bills to enact stricter gun laws.

Rep. Marshall barely won his race in Highlands Ranch; once all ballots were counted, a mere 405 votes out of 45,349 cast separated Marshall from his opponent. at victory belongs to all the volunteers energized by his campaign. Every e ort truly made the difference. ose same volunteers are highly motivated by reducing gun violence. If Bob Marshall has declared he will dismiss all stricter gun safety laws without consideration, then those volunteers will not make the mistake of supporting him twice.

If you were to draw a map of members of gun violence reduction groups in Colorado, a disproportionate number of them are in Rep. Marshall’s district. It is no surprise because it contains the location of the STEM Highlands Ranch shooting and the apartment complex where Deputy Zack Parrish was murdered; along with its proximity to Columbine High School and the Aurora theater shooting. ese are only the most notable, nearby examples of a gun violence pandemic plaguing the entire country year after year.

It is reprehensible that Marshall

icts, biases

— In uences on your nancial behavior

However having these conversations helps boost emotional intelligence. is includes self-awareness of mental triggers, taking responsibility for a situation and helping to facilitate positive change.

Many people become frustrated when they cannot make progress toward their nancial goals or may not even know how to set realistic goals. It is crucial to have the right mindset before you begin your nancial improvement journey. Speak to your advisor about the psychology exercise to help you progress, especially if any of these sound familiar:

• Squandering nancial windfalls

• In denial about spending, lack of saving or investment knowledge

• Enabling others or controlling others with money

• Over or underspending

• Extreme anxiety around nancial matters

• Unrealistic expectations

• Feeling guilty for having or receiving wealth

• Fear of losing money or making the wrong decision

Normalizing irrational behavior

is taking an obstructionist stance on preventing gun violence in a district that has su ered from it more than most. It is a strategy that will easily plummet Rep. Marshall below the threshold needed for reelection while winning him no new support. e few voters who might appreciate his impotent stance on gun safety are unlikely to join a Democrat’s reelection campaign on that basis.

Faced with the loss of his base, and voting like a Republican, a calculating politician might hope to change parties for the next election. Rep. Marshall does not have that option given that he has repeatedly sued local GOP ofcials and literally punched the new chair of the Douglas County Republican Party in the face during an altercation at a protest. Marshall prevailed in the ensuing legal ght over that altercation, but the Douglas County GOP is an unlikely place for Marshall to develop new allies.

Marshall faces an unwinnable dilemma as he has betrayed the left and is reviled on the right. Politics is a team sport and Bob Marshall appears intent on fouling everyone on the eld.

Barrett Rothe, vice chair of Douglas County Democratic Party June 2021-February 2023 Castle Pines

helps decrease anxiety and shame. We are not often taught how to handle nancial a airs so when pressed to do so, we lack the con dence and knowledge to make good decisions.

We often quote George Kinder, CFP,* a pioneer in the early 1980s in nancial planning, by asking three main questions:

1. Imagine you are nancially secure, and you do not need to worry about money. How would you live your life?

2. Imagine your doctor tells you that you only have ve more years to live, but you will not feel ill or be in pain. What will you do with your remaining time?

3. You only have one day left to live. Ask yourself, “What did I miss?” “Who did I not get to be?” “What did I not get to do?”

e idea of these questions is to help prioritize what is most important so you have no regrets, don’t waste any more time getting started, and are able to enjoy your passions.

Kinder states that these answers don’t reveal the desire to make more money, work harder or receive a promotion. ey typically relate to one of these ve categories:

1. Family or relationships

2. Authenticity or spirituality

3. Ful lling creative goals

4. Giving back and leaving a positive legacy

5. A sense of place such as travel to special places or living in a certain environment.

All of these exercises are designed to help you create a more meaningful thought process around your nancial goals and challenges. While it may be uncomfortable, few things in life bring immediate gain without a little pain. You can think about these questions before your next planning meeting and even discuss them with your family to gain perspective. en let your wealth advisor help you discover what is important and how to create a plan that is e ective for you. You will be less worried about things out of your control, such as the stock market or interest rates, and more concerned about your nancial impact on your family and other passions you have.

* George Kinder, CFP, e Kinder Institute of Life Planning.

Patricia Kummer has been a Certied Financial Planner professional and a duciary for over 35 years and is managing director for Mariner Wealth Advisors.

FROM PAGE 12

need is 20 seconds of insane courage, has helped keep my balance. Do you know when and how to choose wisely? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when

we nd that balance between discretion and courage, it really will be a better than good life.

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

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Af ter more than 20 years of collecting pinball machines, Dan Nikolich’s basement had run out of space to store them all. So Nikolich opened the Colorado Pinball Pub in Littleton to share his collection.

“Pinball is a unique thing because it doesn’t matter what your background or walk of life is, pinball will draw you in,” he said. “It’s a great equalizer because it only takes one ball.”

While the concept of offering drinks and games at one location is nothing new, the Denver area is host to a number of unique takes on the Dave and Buster’s business model.

Colorado Pinball Pub is one of the newer additions to the barcade scene, having opened in 2020. The pub offers 22 pinball machines, plus a few classic arcade games like PacMan and Centipede, for unlimited play for $15 per hour.

Nikolich’s love for games started young, when he was growing up in Las Vegas and working for the MGM Arcade, so he was happy to see the recent rise in pinball’s popularity.

“Pinball is having a great resurgence right now. The last few years it’s been really hot,” he said. “We have parents who will bring their kids who have never played pinball and, at night, we get a lot of adults and date nights, stuff like that. All people seem to like pinball.”

Like the pub’s patrons, the pinball machines available range in age and theme, with Nikolich’s oldest machine being from 1981. The walls of the pub also pay homage to the history of the game, including its prohibition from 1940s to the 1970s, with pictures and news clippings.

In addition to pinball, the pub features over 150 kinds of whiskey, craft cocktails and Colorado brewed beer.

Nikolich said the goal is to have something for everyone and to make it approachable, whether that’s pinball or whiskey.

“We want you to come and learn about it and not be intimidated to ask if you don’t know something, we want to teach you, so that you can enjoy something new,” he said.

On the opposite side of the metro area, another

BARCADES

one-of-a-kind barcade is Akihabara, which, while located in Westminster, transports visitors to the Tokyo gaming district that gives the business its name.

Owner Brandon Osha said he was blown away when he had the chance to visit Akihabara and take in its blocks of multi-story arcades.

“The first time I went to Akihabara I knew I wanted to bring that here because it’s amazing,” Osha said.

He did just that by opening Akihabara in 2016.

Similar to Nikolich, Osha grew up with a love of gaming and worked at a local arcade and GameStop. Instead of pinball though, Osha’s games of choice came in arcade cabinets, which he began collecting at age 16.

Currently, Akihabara offers 52 arcade cabinets with around 65 games, but Osha has plans to expand his location with 25 new games and additional space, which he said will be complete this summer.

Osha said the game selection, which includes fighting games, rhythm games and nostalgic classics, definitely sets Akihabara apart.

“You never see this many (arcade

cabinets) in one place,” he said. “We have such a different variety of games that you won’t find anywhere else in Colorado.”

One of the stranger and more rare games Akihabara offers is a Japanese table flipping game called Cho Chabudai, but more wellknown games include Third Strike, Monkeyball, Typing of the Dead and Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. All of the games are $1 or less to play.

Osha said a lot of people come in seeking a specific game that’s hard to find anywhere else, but he encourages visitors to try whatever piques their interest, even if they can’t necessarily read the Japanese instructions.

“I think it’s a lot of games that

people have never seen, but they might find something that they like,” he said. “Plus, it’s usually only three buttons and a joystick, so they’re not too hard to learn.”

Akihabara’s focus on Japanese culture carries over into the bar offerings, which include Japanese beers and cocktails made with Japanese liquor, as well as a variety of packaged snacks and ramen options.

Overall, Osha said he tries to provide a space that’s both niche and for everyone, describing the Akihabara crowd as a welcoming hodgepodge.

“If you’re looking to find a friend, you’ll find one around here somewhere,” he said.

on Feb. 23.

Patrons play pinball at the Colorado Pinball Pub on Feb. 23. The Medieval Madness pinball machine is one of the pub’s most popular.

Story collection provides material for show

De nver Noir,” a collection of crime stories by 14 local writers, edited by Cynthia Swanson, provides material for actors Betty Hart, Rodney Lizcano and Anne Penner to read from in the “Stories on Stage” performance at 2 p.m. April 2 at Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center, 721 Santa Fe Drive, Denver. Tickets cost $24 and are available at storiesonstage.org or by calling 303-494-0523. A virtual performance will be streamed beginning at 7 p.m. on April 6. $24. A link will be provided.

SONYA’S SAMPLER

Art at college gallery

e Colorado Gallery of the Arts at Arapahoe Community College will feature art by current and alumni artists from March 23 to May 5, with an opening reception on March 23 from 5 to 7 p.m. Gallery hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, Open until 7 p.m. ursday and Saturday, April 8 from noon to 3 p.m. 5900 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton.

Libby Bortz honored

Local activist Libby Bortz was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame on March 15, after many years of service to her community.

Opera finals

Reminder: e nals in Denver Lyric Opera’s annual competition will be held at 1 p.m. March 18 at Calvary Baptist Church, 6500 E. Girard Ave., Denver. Open to the public with schedules on the Denver Lyric Opera Guild website, denverlyricoperaguild.org. Almost 40 young Colorado singers will compete for $38,000 in awards.

Workshop in Littleton

A Gelli Plate Printmaking workshop will be presented by Alanna Austin from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 18 at First Presbyterian Church of Littleton, 1609 W. Littleton Blvd. Non-toxic inks. Register at heritage-guild.com/workshops. html. Cost is $50. e gelli plates will be supplied and are included in the registration fee, $50. Bring acrylic paints, 2 brayers, 4”, variety of small paint brushes, variety of art sponges, apron or smock. A variety of textures (lace, leaves, fabric, string).

Student art

e Littleton High Baccalaureate art students exhibit their work at the Depot Art Gallery and Littleton Fine Arts Guild members have work in Town Hall’s Stanton Gallery, where the challenge was to do something with the color red. Both are in downtown Littleton. Next Depot Gallery show will be “ e Great Outdoors,” opening March 21. See depotartgallery.org and townhallartscenter.org.

Thesis exhibit

e Center for Visual Art, 965 Santa Fe Dr., Denver, presents the BFA esis exhibit for 19 Metro State student artists opening April 7.

Miners Alley

Miners Alley eater, 1224 Washington Ave., Golden, presents “I Hate Hamlet” March 31 to April 23. 303-935-3044, minersalley.com.

Lone Tree

Danu, hailing from County Waterford in Ireland, performs at 8 p.m. on March 18 at Lone Tree Art Center, followed by San Jose Taiko-Japanese Drumming at 8 p.m. March 24. See lonetreeartscenter.org.

Audubon program

Denver Audubon is accepting applications for its next Audubon Master Birder program, which begins in July. (O ered every other year.) e Soaring Soiree, aka Spring Bene t, will be from 6 to 9 p.m. on June 15 at the Baldoria on the Water, 146 Van Gordon St., Lakewood. Tickets, $115. An online auction will run 10 days in advance of the event and culminate at the event. Keynote speaker will be Tiffany Kersten, who tallied a lower 48 Big Year of 726 species.

For the kids

e Spring Festival, “Hop and Shop,” will be held at Englewood’s Belleview Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 1. e Egg Hunt starts at 11 a.m. and is for ages 8 and younger. A sensory friendly egg hunt is open to all ages.

Active aging

e Englewood Active Aging Expo will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. on April 27 and there is a call for exhibitors. Malley Recreation Center, 3380 S. Lincoln St., Englewood.

Library needs trustee

ere is an open position on the Arapahoe Libraries’ Board of Trustees, which meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. at various libraries. Applications must be received by March 26 at 4 p.m. See arapahoelibraries.org/boardof-trustees or call 303-LIBRARY.

The “Denver Noir” story collection edited by Cynthia Swanson is providing material for a Stories on Stage performance that will be held April 2 and repeated virtually April 6. COURTESY PHOTO

Thu 3/23

Community Service at Living Way

Fellowship @ 11am / Free Living Way Fellowship, 345 E Wildcat Re‐serve Pkwy, Highlands Ranch. 303-4713000

Featured

Featured

powered by

Adam Ezra Group: Gathering Series

Live - Parker, CO - Adam Solo @ 6pm Twenty Mile House Concerts, 11875 Cattle Lane, Parker

Mon 3/27

Spring Valor Wrestling Club @ 4pm / $225

Mar 27th - Jun 2nd

Valor Athletic Building, 3775 Grace Blvd, Highlands Ranch. 303-471-3000

Modern Swing Mondays @ 5pm / $10

Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Tue 3/28

Live Wire: A Tribute to AC/DC @ 6pm Wild Goose Saloon, Parker

Marty NIghtengale @ 1pm

Featured

Pinback @ 7pm Gothic Theatre, 3263 South Broadway, Englewood

Fri 3/24

Featured

Wide Open Saloon, 5607 US-85, Sedalia

Ninja Robotics and Coding @ 4:30pm / $40

Z Ultimate Studio - Parker, 12999 S Parker Rd, Parker. 515-708-0433

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Neil Z @ 5pm 2 Penguins Tap and Grill, 13065 E Briarwood Ave, Centennial

Featured Featured Featured

SOLD OUT! Brandon LakeMiracle Nights Tour - Denver, CO @ 6pm

Cherry Hills Community Church, 3900 Grace Blvd, Highlands Ranch

Featured

AJ Finney Fan Page: The Comedy Zone: AJ Finney & Mitch Jones @ 6:30pm Parker Arts, Culture & Events Cen‐ter, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker

Capitanes de Ojinaga @ 8pm Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora

Sun 3/26

Featured

Dear Marsha,: DM Acoustic @ Brewability @ 5:30pm Brewability Lab, 3445 S Broadway, Englewood Trauma @ 5:30pm

Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

Marty Friedman @ 6:30pm

Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

Tenia Nelson: CJRO Ladies of Jazz @ 6:30pm

The Schoolhouse at Mainstreet, 19650 Mainstreet, Parker

La Mera Vena @ 7:30pm Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora

Sat 3/25

Bridging The Music Productions: Denver Mega miniFEST @ 11:30am

Herman's Hideaway, 1578 S Broadway, Denver

Grizzly Gopher @ 1pm Wide Open Saloon, 5607 US-85, Sedalia

Tony Medina Music: The Open Mic at The Alley @ 5:30pm The Alley, 2420 W Main St, Little‐ton

ARTS: Pottery @ Platt Park @ 6pm Mar 28th - May 23rd

Platt Park Recreation Center, 1500 S. Grant St., Denver. 720-913-0654

Art: Chancery Hand Calligraphy Workshop (16yrs) @ 11pm Mar 28th - May 2nd

PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker

Wed 3/29

Jeffrey Dallet @ 11:30am

InnovAge Colorado PACE - Lakewood, 8405 W Alameda Ave, Lakewood

Heartsick Heroine w/ Adelitas Way & Otherwise @ 5pm

Herman's Hideaway, 1578 S Broadway, Denver

Above Snakes @ 6pm

Herman's Hideaway, 1578 S Broadway, Denver

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

Thu 3/30

Mardi Gras Maquerade @ 8pm / $55-$125

Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Artists interpreted the American West

Denver Art Museum show runs through May 29

BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

“Near East to Far West: Fictions of French and American Colonialism” is open in the Hamilton Building at the Denver Art Museum through May 29 and is filled with stories, color and historic interpretations that may be a bit skewed at times.

It includes more than 80 artworks that explore the ways artists were influenced by the style of French Orientalism as they explored ways to portray the story of the American West, its landscapes and inhabitants ... including indigenous people and those more recently arrived ...

Curated by Jennifer Henneman, director of the Petrie Institute of Western American Art at the Denver Art Museum, the exhibit ranges from works by French artists, who were exposed to life in exotic Algiers and American artists, some of whom were trained in France, reflected.

The market for those American artists was mainly on the East Coast and a number of them lived and painted in Taos, New Mexico, depicting the scenes in and around Taos and neighboring desert landscapes as well as scenes from an artist’s imagination.

A visitor will see images of Taos Pueblo and its residents, and African battles that involve lions. There are elaborate Oriental interior scenes, with brightly-costumed characters, desert vistas and pueblo architecture that resembles the sunbaked locations in the Arab world.

An amusing pair of drawings by Charles Russell show two views of his studio: the first, as his mother imagined it: with a neatly dressed artist entertaining a fashionable woman, posing on elaborate furniture. The other, depicts the artist and his Native American buddy seated in a bare-bones mountain cabin as the painter, sitting on a wooden crate, draws from his imagination ... French Orientalism and Western American art “reflect fears, desires and curiosities about unknown lands during the process of colonization” in the western part of North America and in Africa and the Islamic world.

This collection of big, colorful paintings really takes the visitor on a trip ... Oriental scenes may include lions fighting mounted horsemen, as well as exotic women with flowers in their hair and pilgrims on camels, bound for Mecca ...

Imagination was alive and well in the mid-19th century on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, even though we read of excessive focus on proper behavior in the cities and small towns.

And the painterly skills were at front and center of these works, with swooshes of brilliant color, exotic costumes and a sense of humor as well.

Admission to “Near East to Far West” is included with general

admission and is free for members.

The Denver Art Museum is open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday evenings, and is located at 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway in Denver.

Ernest L. Blumenschein’s “Church at Ranchos de Taos,” before 1917, is shown in the “Near East to Far West” exhibit at the Denver Art Museum.

COURTESY OF AMERICAN MUSEUM OF WESTERN ART/THE ANSCHUTZ COLLECTION. PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLIAM J. O’CONNOR

4 p.m. Wednesday and ursday and 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Friday and Saturday. New guests should arrive one hour before closing time for the intake process. Returning guests should arrive 30 minutes before closing.

See secorcares.com or call 720842-5621. SECORCares sits at 17151 Pine Lane in Parker, just east of Jordan Road.

In Elbert County, e Food Bank of Kiowa Creek Community Church operates from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Mondays, 3–6 p.m. Tuesdays and 10 a.m.–1 p.m. the second Friday of each month.

Call 303-243-6500 or see kiowacreek.org/who-we-are/foodbankof-kiowa-creek-community-church.

It’s located at 231 Cheyenne St. in Kiowa, about one block north of the intersection of state Highway 86 and Pawnee Street.

For more resources, see information from the following county human services departments:

• Arapahoe County Human Services — Located at 14980 E. Alameda Drive in Aurora, east of Sable Boulevard and east of Interstate 225. Call 303-636-1130 or see resources at arapahoegov.com/388/HumanServices.

• Douglas County Human Services — Located at 4400 Castleton Court in Castle Rock, accessible via Castleton Drive south of Meadows Parkway, just west of Interstate 25. Call 303-688-4825 or see a list of many resources, including for food,

at douglas.co.us/human-services/ resources/community-resources.

• Elbert County Human Services

— Located at 75 Ute Ave. in Kiowa, a short drive north of state Highway 86. Call 303-621-3149, or see elbertcounty-co.gov/501/Foodassistance-and-resources.

Je erson County Community Table food pantry in Arvada sits at 8555 W 57th Ave., a short drive west of Wadsworth Boulevard.

It’s open noon–3:45 p.m. Monday,

Tuesday and Friday; noon–5:45 p.m. most Wednesdays; and 10 a.m.–3:45 p.m. ursday. e pantry is closed the second Wednesday of every month. Call 303-424-6685 or see cotable.org.

For other resources, see Je erson County Human Services at je co.us/ human-services or 303-271-1388.

It’s located at 900 Je erson County Parkway in south Golden o U.S. Highway 6.

Clear Creek County Loaves and Fishes, a food pantry

in Clear Creek County, sits at 545 Highway 103 in Idaho Springs and is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ursday and

e food pantry in the Health and Wellness Center, located at 1969 Miner St. in Idaho Springs, is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Read more about the resources in Clear Creek via reporter Olivia Jewell Love on Colorado Community Media’s website at tinyurl.com/ ClearCreekFoodPantry.

Reach Clear Creek County Human Services at 303-679-2300 or at 405 Argentine St. in Georgetown or see co.clear-creek.co.us/113/Human-

e Fort Lupton Food and Clothing Bank sits at 421 Denver Ave. in Fort Lupton, east of U.S. Highway 85 and state Highway 52. See fcb.org and call 303-857-1096 for hours and more information.

Reach Weld County Human Services at 2950 9th St. in Fort Lupton, 303-857-4052 or weld.gov/ Government/Departments/HumanServices.

Denver and remaining parts of the metro area

In the “seven-county” metro area — including around the Denver area but also the Boulder and Broom eld communities — dial 211 for a multilingual and con dential service that can connect you to shelter, food, rent assistance, child care and more resources in your area. Or text your ZIP code to 898-211 or scroll down to “live chat” at unitedwaydenver. org/community-programs/2-1-1.

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Board defers vote to rename Mount Evans

Unexpected twist in process

BY TATIANA FLOWERS THE COLORADO SUN

In an unexpected twist on March 9, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names deferred a vote that would have changed the name of Mount Evans.

Many had expected the federal board to approve a new name, Mount Blue Sky, proposed by many Native American tribal leaders and representatives, Gov. Jared Polis, a Colorado renaming board and other community members.

But March 9 before the federal board’s meeting, Jennifer Runyon, executive acting secretary for the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, said the federal board had “received a request from a tribal government for government-to-government consultation,” and that a decision had been made to defer a nal vote. e U.S. board did not initially say which tribe asked for the request.

At the start of the meeting ursday, the federal board noti ed attendees that no decision would be made and there would not be any discussion about the pending proposals for Mount Evans.

If the federal geographic renaming board had voted, the organization’s decision would have marked the end of a lengthy process to give the prominent 14er, visible from Denver, a much less controversial label.

“As you know, the proposals that have been submitted to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to change the name of Mount Evans have been added to the docket for a vote at today’s meeting. However, the BGN (Board on Geographic Names) and the Department of Interior have received a request from a tribal government for federal government-to-government consultation and in accordance with the Department of Interior department manual 512 DM 5.5.A.6, titled ‘Intergovernmental Relations: Procedures for Consultation with Indian Tribes,’ the decision is made to defer today’s vote on the Mount Evans name change,” said Susan Lyon, vice chair of the board.

“ e manual states, ‘A tribe may request that the department initiate consultation when the tribe believes that a bureau or o ce is considering a departmental action with tribal implications,” Lyon said. “So, no decision will be made on Mount Evans today and we won’t be discussing any of the pending proposals.”

Clear Creek County o cials and Native American tribe representatives said ursday that they wanted to wait to comment until they had more information about the request to defer a vote.

However, during the Colorado board’s meetings last fall to hear proposals on renaming Mount Evans, Northern Arapaho tribe members had advocated for Mount Blue Sky and Northern Cheyenne tribe members supported the name Mount Cheyenne Arapaho. Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board members had asked proponents of the name Mount Blue Sky if they had plans to meet with those who advocated for Mount Cheyenne Arapaho to negotiate an agreeable name.

“If we have two names, both with support from di erent Indian nations, is there any room for the two groups to discuss this further or do you want us to decide?” state Rep. Adrienne Benavidez, a renaming committee board member, asked during that November meeting.

A member of a coalition that gathered input from tribal representatives said the group tried many times to engage members of the Northern Cheyenne tribe in discussion, but were unsuccessful.

“I think the time is long past due for the acknowledgement that that is not an appropriate name,” Clear Creek County Commission Chairman Randy Wheelock said. He coled, from November 2020 to March 2022, educational, public comment and deliberation meetings before Clear Creek County o cials recommended the new Mount Blue Sky name to the Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory board. He said he had no comment about the deferral, until he and other local o cials had more information.

“Generally speaking, my attitude was — and the board’s attitude was

credence to the two indigenous proposals, and when they didn’t combine (and agree) on one proposal, we looked at the level of support that each of them had and there was much, much greater support that we saw from both the Indigenous community and the non-Indigenous community for Mount Blue Sky, and so that was the reason we went ahead and made that choice,” Wheelock said before the vote was deferred.

For some Native American Coloradans, renaming the peak has been a decadeslong process. And for state o cials and other community members, who engaged in research to support four other name change proposals for the Clear Creek County landmark, the process has taken more than a year to complete.

e renaming process, so far, has aimed to strip former Gov. John Evans’ name from the 14,265-foot landmark. Evans, who served as territorial governor from 1862 to 1865, was forced to resign for his role in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, a deadly attack on Native Americans that led to the deaths of more than 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people, mostly women, children and older adults.

e Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board in November voted unanimously to change the name to Mount Blue Sky, a move supported by Clear Creek County o cials, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, and many Native American tribe leaders and members who contributed to the renaming process.

Anne Hayden, John Evans’ greatgreat-granddaughter, noting that she did not represent all members of her family, testi ed at a public meeting about renaming the peak and said she favored changing its name.

Gov. Polis earlier this month wrote in a letter to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names that each of the 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado deserves “a name be tting their majesty.”

While many Coloradans have grown up knowing the name Mount Evans, Polis wrote, it’s clear that people want a new name that unites the community and does not divide it. In the letter, Polis cited research by scholars at the University of Denver and Northwestern University, both of which Evans helped found, saying their work showed “Evans’ culpability for the Sand Creek Massacre, without question.”

During the formal process to consider renaming the peak, Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board members received more than 200 written and verbal statements from Native American tribe leaders, local government o cials, community members and loved ones of those who perished in or survived the Sand Creek Massacre, Chris Arend, a spokesman for the state naming board wrote in an email to e Colorado Sun on Wednesday.

“Considering there were six proposals and hours of public testimony, it was clear that there was a strong shared desire to rename Mount Evans,” he wrote in the email. “Ultimately, Mount Blue Sky struck the appropriate cord to garner support of Clear Creek County, the (Colorado Renaming Advisory Board) and Governor Polis.”

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

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

A pika gathers food on Aug. 18, 2022 atop Mount Evans. COURTESY OF ANN ZIMMERMAN

Social media apps have made buying illegal drugs as easy as ordering pizza

State AG says

BY OLIVIA PRENTZEL THE COLORADO SUN

How easy is it to nd illegal drugs on social media apps? Nearly as convenient as calling an Uber or ordering a pizza, the Colorado Attorney General’s O ce said in a report released March 8.

Access to illegal drugs is “staggering” on social media apps, the report found, and has contributed to the surging number fentanyl overdoses, which has become the leading cause of preventable death for adults under 45, outpacing suicide, gun violence and car accidents.

e 182-page report outlined the ways in which drug dealers use aggressive marketing tactics to sell illegal drugs online, often targeting younger customers, and urged social media platforms and state legislators to enforce new policies to crack down on the sales.

e report, which the attorney general’s o ce is calling rst of its kind, was written under a state law passed in 2022 that requires the Colorado Department of Law to study how the internet and social media platforms are used for the sale and distribution of fentanyl and other counterfeit prescription drugs. With the rise of social media apps, their convenience and lack of regulation, platforms including TikTok, Snapchat and WhatsApp, have become a major vehicle for drug sales, the report said.

“Where once a teen might have had to seek out a street dealer, hassle friends, or learn to navigate the dark web to access illicit drugs, young people can now locate drug dealers using their smartphones — with the relative ease of ordering food delivery or calling a ride-share service,” Weiser wrote in the report. O cials spoke with former drug users and sellers and families of overdose victims for the report.

In 2021, at least 1,881 Coloradans died of a drug overdose and roughly half of those people died of fentanyl, according to state data. Many of those people are taking fentanyl without realizing it, as the cheap synthetic opioid is cut into other drugs like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.

As many as six in 10 counterfeit prescription pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl, the report said.

It didn’t quantify exactly how large the online illicit drug market has become, citing limited access to the social media platforms’ data. But research suggests that drug dealers and buyers turn to the internet and social media platforms “as a primary vehicle for drug transactions.”

A search for “Denver” and “Boulder” on the Kik messaging app returned dozens of results for groups dedicated to selling and buying drugs that were open to the public, the report showed.

“Connecting with a local dealer took mere minutes,” the report said.

Dealers advertise drugs using slang, emojis, QR codes and disappearing messages that help reach customers while evading content moderation tools on the social me-

dia platforms, the report said. Often drug sellers are active on multiple social media platforms — advertising their products on Instagram, but listing their WhatApps or Snapchat handles for inquiries — which makes it harder for law enforcement to crack down on the sales.

Sellers can create new pro les as soon as one is suspended or removed, creating a frustrating “whack-a-mole” e ect for local law enforcement, the report said.

A lot of social media companies, including Meta, TikTok and Snapchat, have policies that ban advertising, buying or selling drugs and some have made e orts to work with law enforcement to address the issue.

But the report said the companies’ responses to drug activity on their platforms have been “uneven in their application and limited in effectiveness.”

Weiser urged social media companies to adopt strong, uniform practices to prevent and respond to illegal drug sales. He also called for a federal agency to oversee social media platforms and legislation that would give the federal government more access to their data.

Hank Dempsey, the head of state public policy for Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc., called Weiser’s report a “must-read report” for anyone working to combat the fentanyl crisis. He said he appreciated working with the attorney general’s o ce “to contribute by sharing our insights and e orts to aggressively combat drug activity on our platform, including our policies that take a zero tolerance approach to this abuse.”

In an email, Meta spokeswoman Jeanne Moran said “content that attempts to buy, sell or trade drugs is not allowed on Facebook or Instagram, regardless of state or country law.” e company is “working hard” to keep drug sales o the platforms and users that post content that violates its policies could have their account removed.

Kayla Whaling, spokeswoman for the Tinder and Hinge parent company Match Group, said the report focused on a critical issue and that the company is “supportive of any conversation that aims to help make internet platforms safer.”

“However, we strongly disagree with how our brand is categorized here and we have been in contact with Attorney General Weiser’s ofce to refute the inaccurate claims in this report,” Whaling said. She said their platforms are “very ine cient” for drug sales since they are designed for one-on-one interactions and that the company has made proactive e orts to ban accounts that mention drugs.

TikTok did not return requests for comment.

e report made several recommendations for Colorado lawmakers to pass new protections to help prevent such sales, including:

• Requiring platforms to create and publicly post their policy on illegal drug sales and how law enforcement can request account records;

• Enforcing platforms to submit annual reports to the Department of Law showing the amount of content on the apps that promoted the pur-

chase or sale of illegal drugs and how many times the posts were shared and viewed. It also suggests listing the number of times the platform proactively provided law enforcement with information about posts selling or advertising illegal drugs; Provide more resources to support local law enforcement e orts to investigate online narcotics cases. e Department of Law worked with representatives from Meta,

Snapchat and TikTok to compile the report, as well as law enforcement, public health experts and harm reduction advocates. is story is from e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support e Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. e Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

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Lutheran comes up short in Final Four

Resurrection’s free throws make the di erence

BY ALEX K.W. SCHULTZ SPECIAL

With the nal seconds dripping away in the Lutheran boys basketball team’s Final Four game March 9, the Lions found themselves in a very familiar spot.

Six days prior, in their Elite 8 game against Alamosa, the Lions trailed by four points with less than a minute to go. anks in part to Alamosa’s inability to convert at the free-throw line late, Lutheran stormed back and won the game in overtime.

Six days later, against Resurrection Christian with a berth in the Class 4A state championship game on the line, the Lions were down by six points with just over a minute left.

e di erence this time?

Resurrection was rock-solid at the free-throw line, which proved to be the di erence in the second-seeded Cougars’ 64-53 win over No. 4 Lutheran at the Denver Coliseum.

e loss closed the book on the 2022-23 season for the Lions, who nished the year with an 18-9 record overall.

“I’m really proud of them,” Lutheran coach Bill Brandsma said of his team.

“We prepared, we competed and we fought all the way to the very end, just like I knew we would. ere are nights when you take a risk like we did in trying to extend the game and it just doesn’t work.”

A Braydon Jacob threepointer from the right wing trimmed the Cougars’ lead to 57-51 with 66 seconds remaining.

Lutheran sent four different Resurrection players to the line by way of fouling as the game wound down, but the Cougars were nearly perfect from the charity stripe when it mattered most, dropping in seven of their last eight attempts to hold o the Lions.

In fact, Resurrection was sharp from the free-throw line all night, connecting on 26 of their whopping 33 (79%) attempts.

“It’s what championship teams do — they step up and hit their free throws and win it,” Brandsma said.

“ ey did what they needed to do to put themselves in a position to win [the state title on March 11].”

Resurrection never trailed and led by as many as 15 points.

Lutheran actually outscored Resurrection by a point in the second half, but a slow start for the Lions — 16 points on 32% (6-for-19) shooting in the rst two quarters — made it di cult for them to close the gap.

“We struggled o ensively

in the rst half,” said senior Brendan Kooienga, who nished with 13 points for the Lions. “Once we started to get it going, we scored more but were down a little too much and couldn’t crawl back.”

It wasn’t that the Lions were missing wide-open shots, though. It was more so that Resurrection (234) played a physical style of basketball and applied pressure all night, making it challenging for the Lions to shake free and get o clean looks.

“What makes them the most special, I think, is their physicality on both ends of the court,” Brandsma said of the Cougars. “I told my

team at halftime, ‘We’re not setting screens harder than they’re getting through the screens,’ and so we weren’t creating any separation.”

e Lions did a good job of containing 6-foot-11 center Jacob Barker, who attempted just two shots from the eld in a nine-point e ort. Ty Yoder (17 points) led the way for Resurrection, followed by Marcus Phillips (11) and Cade Crutcher (10).

Jacob scored a team-high 17 points for Lutheran, shooting 60% (3-for-5) from both two-point range and from beyond the arc. Kade Speckman scored nine points and Tucker Monroe had eight. Also getting into the scoring column for the

Lions were Hunter Caldwell and MJ Rottinghaus, who had three points apiece.

“I don’t want them to hang their heads,” Brandsma said of his players. “A lot of kids don’t get this far. It’s not the result we wanted, obviously, but I still want them to remember it, and I think they will. I want them to remember what they surrendered to get here. Sometimes it was surrendering to be the scout-team guy in practice. Sometimes it was surrendering to not get the touch when they felt they could have. It took all 13 guys to get here.

“I’m humbled to lead them, and I’m proud to represent Lutheran.”

Arapahoe Warriors player, Lisunov, earns 109 points in season

Turns in 23 hat tricks

BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

ere is a new hat-trick king in town and it’s not any players from the Colorado Avalanche. Instead, it’s Dennis Lisunov from the Arapahoe Warriors 10-and-under

As the six-month-long season came to a close in early March with the Colorado Cup Championships Tournament, Lisunov nished with 109 points and 98 goals in the 40-

It is nothing for Lisunov to turn in multiple hat track performances. By the end of the 2023 season, the 10-year-

Lisunov said about three years ago his father took him to see a Colorado Avalanche game. Lisunov recalled the Avalanche winning 7-3, not-

ing he became hooked on the game.

“Before that, I was only on roller skates, but I knew I wanted to get into hockey,” Lisunov said. “On the ice you just go faster and smoother.”

e 2022-23 season is Lisunov’s rst year playing competitive hockey, joining the Arapahoe Warriors Yellow team.

In the start of the season, players are paired with those with similar talent and skill levels.

For spectators, teammates and coaches, it was clear early in the season that Lisunov had natural talent and a drive to succeed.

Besides practicing with the Arapahoe Warriors team, which consists of players from Douglas, Arapahoe and Je erson counties, Lisunov started doing early-morning private lessons multiple days a week.

His progress, along with the

Warriors coming together as a team on defense, paid o quickly. Lisunov led his team to the Colorado Cup Championship on March 5 where they defeated Arvada 5-1 in the nal round.

“Dennis’ leadership has ourished from day one,” said Warriors’ Coach Chris Castelli. It’s di cult to teach leadership to youth hockey players and Dennis was able to naturally evolve into that leadership role. e friendships and trust with his teammates grew overtime and they started gravitating towards him when their backs were up against the wall. e team fed o his energy and that created momentum for us down the stretch.”

While teammates say Lisunov is a vocal leader on the ice, pushing everyone to perform better and telling

Arapahoe Warriors leading scorer Dennis Lisunov proudly holds the first place champion banner after defeating Arvada in the Colorado Cup competition on March 5.

PHOTO BY THELMA GRIMES

TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

The Lutheran boys basketball team poses for a photo after beating Alamosa 65-56 in overtime in the Great 8 round of the Class 4A state playo s March 3 at the Denver Coliseum.

PHOTO BY ALEX K.W. SCHULTZ

them when he’s being covered a lot to shoot more and keep going, he’s quiet o the ice.

“I just want us all to play together well,” Lisunov said. “Whenever another team scores, I always tell our team we can keep going and to always play hard. Even in the early season when we did not do as well, I just told (teammates) to keep their heads up and we can do it.”

When asked about early season goals and how the season turned out, Lisunov had a simple answer, “I just wanted to learn and keep scoring as much as I could.”

As Lisunov started turning in more big games and accumulating hat tricks, he said he understood that other teams were looking at him. Most games had swarms of defenders getting on him. However, private lessons were proving to be successful, as the young player learned to circle behind the Warriors’ net and weave up the ice to rack up more unassisted goals.

As the season continued and Lisunov became a true threat to opposing teams’ defenses, Castelli said he was often double, triple, or even, quadruple teamed at times.

“His toughness was on display, the grit adn determination were an epitome of his work ethic and dedication to his craft,” Castelli said.

Lisunov said one of the scariest moments in the season came in February during the Mile High Meltdown tournament. In the championship round, the Warriors faced Hyland Hills Black. Early in the game, with a tie score, Lisunov was leveled on a blindside check that sent him ying backwards.

With a neck injury, Lisunov was tak-

en to the locker room to be checked by trainers, and later the doctor. While the player guilty of the hit was not ejected, he was given a 10-minute major penalty.

Lisunov said he wanted to return for his team, knowing his importance to the team. However, after an attempt to play in the game, he knew his injury was too much.

e following week he worked to recover to get back into the competition during the nal Colorado Cup tournament. He said he felt more comfortable and adjusted in the rst round when the Warriors breezed to the second round in a 7-0 victory, which was another hat trick for Lisunov.

Castelli said as Lisunov pushed upwards towards 100 points and goals, the team coaches continued to be excited by his growing cache of highlight reels.

“It was entertaining for our coaching sta and fans to witness,” Castelli said. “We even had a team mom on the scorer’s table that had said it was more entertaining to see the coaching sta ’s reactions as we were as animated as anyone to see how the next goal was going to materialize.”

Lisunov credited season success to his dad for always taking him to practices and lessons and pushing him to work hard.

While Lisunov was born in the U.S., his parents moved to America nearly 15 years ago from Moldova, a small country between Romania and Ukraine. Lisunov said his mom, with her strong accent, can be heard in the stands yelling and cheering him on. He said his mom has been one of his biggest supporters throughout the season.

Looking to the future, Lisunov said he loves hockey and wants to eventually become a pro player.

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Public Notices

Legals

Public Trustees

PUBLIC NOTICE Lone Tree NOTICE OF SALE

Public Trustee Sale No. 2023-0008

To Whom It May Concern: On 1/6/2023 1:10:00 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: Aaron C. Mancho HTTA Aaron

T. Mancho and Quinta A. Mancho

Original Beneficiary: KeyBank National Association

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt:

KeyBank, NA

Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 6/20/2019

Recording Date of DOT: 8/22/2019

Reception No. of DOT: 2019052304

DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt:

$193,100.00

Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date

hereof: $184,645.47

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: the failure to make timely payments required under said Deed of Trust and the Evidence of Debt secured thereby.

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 26, CARRIAGE CLUB ESTATES FILING

NO. 1, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO.

Which has the address of: 10408 Carriage Club Dr, Lone Tree, CO 80124

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, April 26, 2023, 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: 3/2/2023

Last Publication: 3/30/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Dated: 1/6/2023

DAVID GILL

DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

ILENE DELL'ACQUA

Colorado Registration #: 31755 7700 E. ARAPAHOE ROAD, SUITE 230

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: 3/16/2023

Last Publication: 4/13/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Dated: 1/18/2023 DAVID GILL

DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

DEANNE R. STODDEN

Colorado Registration #: 33214 1550 WEWATTA STREET SUITE 710, DENVER, COLORADO 80202

Phone #: 303.623.1800

Fax #: 303.623.0552

Attorney File #: 8020.0087

*YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE

DATES on the Public Trustee website: https:// www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/

Legal Notice No. 2023-0015

First Publication: 3/16/2023

Last Publication: 4/13/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press PUBLIC NOTICE Parker NOTICE OF SALE Public Trustee Sale No. 2022-0199

To Whom It May Concern: On 12/29/2022 4:55:00 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: SEAN STEPHENS AND SAMANTHA ANDOLINO

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, April 26, 2023, 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: 3/2/2023

Last Publication: 3/30/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Dated: 12/30/2022

DAVID GILL

DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

DAVID R DOUGHTY

Colorado Registration #: 40042

9800 S. MERIDIAN BLVD. SUITE 400, ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO 80112

Phone #: (303) 706-9990

Fax #: (303) 706-9994

Attorney File #: 22-029131

*YOU MAY TRACK FORECLOSURE SALE DATES on the Public Trustee website: https://www.douglas.co.us/public-trustee/

Legal Notice No. 2022-0199

First Publication: 3/2/2023

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: ALL THE REAL PROPERTY TOGETHER WITH IMPROVEMENTS, IF ANY, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO, DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: LOT 15, BLOCK 3, RAMPART STATION FILING NO. 1, AMENDMENT NO. 2, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO. Which has the address of: 11614 Wilson Circle, 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, April 26, 2023, 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: 3/2/2023

Last Publication: 3/30/2023

Pursuant

(4) (i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: the failure to make timely payments required under said Deed of Trust and the Evidence of Debt secured thereby.

The property described herein is all of the property encumbered by the lien of the deed of trust.

Legal Description of Real Property: LOT SIXTEEN (16), BLOCK EIGHT (8), STROH RANCH FILING NO. 18B, 7TH AMENDMENT, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO.

Which has the address of: 12785 Horton Court, 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 10, 2023, 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

Original Beneficiary:

MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. AS NOMINEE FOR CALIBER HOME LOANS, INC., TS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt:

MIDFIRST BANK Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 3/18/2019

Recording Date of DOT: 3/19/2019

Reception No. of DOT: 2019013899

DOT Recorded in Douglas County.

Original Principal Amount of Evidence of Debt:

$358,388.00

Outstanding Principal Amount as of the date hereof: $341,172.56

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

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

The property described herein is all of the property encumbered by the lien of the deed of trust.

Legal Description of Real Property: LOT 175, COTTONWOOD SUBDIVISION FILING NO. 1, COUNTY OF DOUGLAS, STATE OF COLORADO.

Which has the address of: 8745 Aspen Cir, Parker, CO 80134

Last Publication: 3/30/2023

Publisher: Douglas County News Press PUBLIC NOTICE

Parker NOTICE OF SALE Public Trustee Sale No. 2023-0007

To Whom It May Concern: On 1/6/2023 3:19:00

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: JERRI ANNE STYES AND ANTHONY WARREN STYES

Original Beneficiary: NATIONWIDE LENDING CORPORATION

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt: DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR SOUNDVIEW HOME LOAN TRUST 2006-OPT5, ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-OPT5

Date of Deed of Trust (DOT): 3/1/2006

Recording

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

Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Dated: 1/6/2023 DAVID GILL

DOUGLAS COUNTY Public Trustee

The name, address and telephone numbers of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

RYAN BOURGEOIS Colorado Registration #: 51088 1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 700 , DENVER, COLORADO 80204 Phone #: (303) 350-3711

LETTERS

Give me five

Recently the Colorado Legislature voted down a bill that would require counties with more than 70,000 residents to have ve commissioners. I support that bill. I think counties that large, like Douglas, where I live, should be partitioned into ve sectors and each should get to vote for their own commissioner. As the article in the Douglas County NewsPress pointed out, Douglas County is currently ruled by two commissioners, the majority of a contentious three-member county commission. Douglas County has about 370,000 residents. e current commissioner majority represents businesses in

HOUSING

clients’ needs. In some cases, that’s a temporary setting, she added.

Hundreds of contacts

AllHealth, the nonpro t, also plays a role in addressing homelessness in the south metro area.

e nonpro t received a federal grant last year for a street outreach team — workers who approach people in need. at program launched last year and is active in Arapahoe and Douglas counties, an AllHealth sta member told the committee at the meeting.

e team collaborates with Douglas County’s Homeless Engagement, Assistance and Resource Team, or HEART, which began in mid-September. ( e county began collecting data on HEART in October.)

From October to February, 602 referrals have been submitted to HEART, according to county spokesperson Wendy Holmes. ose resulted in the following outcomes:

•  In 208 cases, people were contacted and received services.

•  228 cases were “informationonly” referrals.

•  102 cases were listed as “unable

the county to the exclusion of the majority of residents.

While I understand the state not wanting to interfere with local governance, I believe that the state has an obligation to stand up for citizen’s rights to self-governance. Choosing our county commissioners would be a huge step forward in giving voice to “we the people.”

Terry Cannon, Castle Rock

extremism and let developers have their way with our land.

It’s another thing to watch the three whittle away at the foundations of the commissioners’ duties, the institution itself, purely for political gain. An example of which is whittling Lora’s committee duties; how does that overt power grab bene t any DougCo citizen?

Katie Barrett, Castle Rock

Expand BoCC

ere is no better argument for expanding the number of requisite seats on large county commissioner boards than the anti-democratic Douglas County BoCC.

It’s one thing for our partisan board members to routinely ignore large segments of DougCo residents when they sidle-up to right-wing

to locate.”

•  54 were listed as “not cooperative.”

•  10 were listed as “unoccupied camps.”

In February, three HEART clients were assisted with housing searches, and six clients received hotel vouchers, Ti any Marsitto, a supervisor with HEART, told the committee during the March 9 meeting.

Population can be di cult to track Douglas County saw a drop in the number of people experiencing homelessness who were counted as part of the Denver metro area’s annual snapshot of the unhoused this year compared to last, according to early data the county presented in early February.

Each year, typically in January, volunteers and sta from sources such as nonpro ts and local governments team up in communities across the Denver metro area, and areas around the nation, to conduct the Point in Time count of their region’s homeless population. is year’s metro Denver count started the evening of Jan. 30 and ran into the next morning.

In Douglas County, o cials quickly presented early data from this year’s count. ey highlighted that the overall number of homeless

For better or worse, we have the three commissioners we have. We, e People, elected each one with the expectation of honesty and integrity. Plus is our region shown in the best light by childish antics?

It’s time to grow the DougCo Board with two more members to enhance my representation by listening to my neighborhood’s community needs. Representation means representing all, not just the ones you’re beholden to. Do better.

dropped to 57, down from 78 last year, with the count of unsheltered homeless dropping to 27, down from 50.

In 2020, Douglas County’s overall count — sheltered and unsheltered — was 53. In 2019, that number was 14, and in 2018, it was 34. ( e metro area did not count unsheltered homeless in 2021 due to COVID-19 safety concerns.)

Because the Point in Time count generally takes place on a single night and can be a ected by weather or other variables, the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative does not recommend looking at data trends year over year, although the count remains an often-cited statistic.

County o cials have heralded the drop in Douglas County’s Point in Time numbers as indicating a decrease in overall homelessness in the county.

But large percentage shifts are more likely in Douglas County, where the annual count tends to be in double digits. By contrast, Jefferson and Arapahoe counties’ 2022 tallies each sat at about 500. In Denver, the number was about 4,800.

Also complicating the picture: People without homes don’t always stay in the same area. And widening the time period beyond a single night can provide a di erent picture.

Enough infighting

I’m tired of reading about the endless in ghting between Douglas County Commissioners. And I agree a county this size may bene t from representation by more than three when two can hold a majority vote. Leading is about resolving con ict, nding middle ground, and acting with discernment. Serving is about removing self and acting in others best interest. I don’t nd these traits in our current group of three elected to lead and serve. Maybe starting fresh with a slate of seven would renew a spirit of servant leadership and replace personal agendas with relevant issues.

Doug Reese, Highlands Ranch

Of the people referred to HEART in February, 106 of those were unduplicated, or unique, individuals.

“To let you know, those were not new homeless individuals; they were new to the month of February,” Marsitto said. “It (could be someone) we worked with in the past, we weren’t able to contact them for a month and then they came back.”

Helping a man back on his feet

Marsitto shared a recent HEART success story of a man who was panhandling — he said he had been homeless for more than 40 years. e man said he had some belongings stolen from him, Marsitto said. e team “was able to help him apply for food stamps (assistance) and health insurance right where he was,” Marisitto said.

During a follow-up meeting, the man said he had a potential job opportunity out of state.

Greg Matthews, a HEART sta er, reached out to one of the team’s faith-based partners, which purchased a Greyhound bus ticket to get the man to his destination.

“ e faith-based partner also put him up in a hotel the night before he departed so he could have a warm place to stay and a shower so he could … start his employment,” Marsitto said.

Public Notices

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, April 26, 2023, 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