Housing proposal at odds with Wild Animal Sanctuary
saddened and disheartened that you chose to proceed in the manner you have. at statement remains true.”
An attorney representing two landowners in Weld County is accusing the supporters of an iconic wildlife sanctuary of issuing death threats against the two women for resurrecting plans to put a housing development on 40 acres of land adjacent to the facility.
Jeremy Brett Daz Fletcher also says that recent comments made by Pat Craig – executive
director of Wild Animal Sanctuary near Keenesburg – via social media posts criticizing the development could be libelous and are interfering with an earlier contract between the sanctuary and landowners. e death threats have also been elded by real estate agents handling the sale of the eight home sites, said Fletcher in his letter to Craig.
“As we have expressed in our earlier statement,” Fletcher states in the letter, “we were
Craig rejected the claims about death threats from backers of the sanctuary and an o er from the development group to sell the acreages to the sanctuary for $4 million. ere is no proof anyone has threatened the two owners –Sherry Boris Wigaard and Velois Smith – nor their agents, said Craig, who opened the 33,000-acre sanctuary over 31 years ago.
“Who really thinks someone is going to travel to Florida and try to nd these ladies to hurt
them? Our core demographic is women 45 and older, with most having Masters or PHD’s and (who) are wealthy. Is that the kind of crowd that threatens to kill other women?”
Craig said.
Craig said via email that Fletcher has not acknowledged the two women refused to communicate with the sanctuary for nearly seven months.
“Everyone seems to skip over this important fact. Had they been willing to keep the lines of communication open we would not be in this posi-
A new ride service for Brighton coming in fall
e City of Brighton this fall is introducing an on-demand transit service and is asking the residents to participate in naming the service, according to news release on May 14.
“ is program is part of our broader e ort to support sustainable transportation and a more connected Brighton,” Public Works Director Greg Labrie said. “By giving people more ways to get around, we’re helping reduce vehicle tra c, protect the environment, and ensure everyone—regardless of age or ability—has access to reliable transpor-
e new service would be a ordable and convenient for making quick calls to pick you up to get around town, downtown, or to the RTD bus stop.
“ is service will function very much like Uber or Lyft in terms of convenience and exibility—you’ll be able to request a ride through an app or by phone, and a vehicle will pick you up and take you to your destination within the city,” said Labrie. “However, unlike Uber or Lyft, this micro-transit system is subsidized by the City and RTD, which signi cantly reduces the cost for riders. e maximum fare for any ride within the city will be range between $2 to $3.” e on-demand ride is set to launch this fall, enabling reservations for pickup and drop-o with approximately 30 minutes advance notice.
It’s a city pilot program that is ecofriendly and helps people get around without using their personal cars, aiming to increase mobility, accessibility, and reduce environmental impact. e on-demand ride feature o ers rides in Brighton and potentially the surrounding areas, with a user-friendly booking app available in both English and Spanish. By reducing car usage and emotional stress, it helps keep the Brighton environment clean and greener. Additionally, the on-demand transit system takes care of the rst part of your trip by providing a connection to the RTD
The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg is a refuge for a variety of wildlife.
COURTESY
Colorado experts say vaccination is strongest defense against measles
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
With con rmed measles cases popping up across the Denver metro area, here’s what you need to know about the infectious disease and what to do if you believe you have been exposed.
With more than 1,000 measles cases con rmed nationwide, there have been about a dozen con rmed in Colorado, as of June 4.
According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, these cases have been con rmed in Aurora, including Children’s Hospital Colorado, Greenwood Village, Denver, Evergreen, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction, Glendale and Windsor.
In addition to the department collaborating with municipal partners at Metro Denver Partnership for Health to deliver information, Laura Larson, the assistant director for community health for the county, said its epidemiologists have been working with child care facilities and the school district to educate and inform families with unvaccinated children.
“We are working closely with CDPHE in preparation for managing any measles exposures in the county,” Larson said.
Signs, symptoms and who to call Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease.
e virus spreads if an infected person coughs or sneezes onto someone else, or touches a surface in which another person touches the same surface. Additionally, if a person breathes in air in the room up to two hours after a person with measles spent time in, the person can contract the disease.
According to state law, illnesses including measles must be reported.
Symptoms appear one to two weeks after being exposed. First signs include a runny nose, cough, red or watery eyes and a fever up to 104 degrees.
White spots in the mouth can appear about 2-3 days after the rst signs appear, and raised bumps atop red spots occur a few days after that.
Measles can cause other severe illnesses and long-term complications such as hearing loss, pneumonia, lung damage and brain swelling. Daniel Pastula, the chief of neuro-infectious diseases and global neurology at UCHealth, added that it has the ability to hide in the brain and cause dementia.
e disease also increases a person’s risk of contracting other illnesses and
having other infections.
“Measles likes to infect some of your memory immune cells,” said Pastula. “It can wipe out protection against other infections that you may have had before.”
While there is no speci c treatment for measles, experts are warning people about taking vitamin A in an attempt to prevent the disease because high levels of the vitamin can be toxic to the liver.
Report an illness at tinyurl.com/dougco-health-report.
The MMR vaccination
Experts say the strongest defense against measles is being vaccinated with the MMR vaccine, which can prevent measles, mumps and rubella. ere is another vaccine called MMRV, which includes prevention from varicella.
Pastula said since 1989, the recommendation has been for children over the age of 1 to get two doses of the live measles vaccine and they will “be good for life.”
e Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children get the rst dose of the MMR vaccine between 12 and 15 months old and the second dose between the ages of 4 and 6.
However, the vaccine doesn’t prevent an individual from getting measles. One dose of the vaccine is 93% e ective and two doses is 97% e ective. If a vaccinated individual gets measles, Pastula said they
will most likely develop milder symptoms and be less likely to have severe side effects
“Vaccines aren’t necessarily designed to prevent you from getting sick, they’re designed to keep you out of the hospital,” Pastula said.
e National Foundation for Infectious Diseases states that about one in ve unvaccinated people in the United States who contracts measles will be hospitalized.
Also, if an unvaccinated individual is exposed to measles, they can most likely get vaccinated within 72 hours.
However, pregnant women, immunocomprised individuals and infants under the age of 1 are unable to get the measles vaccine.
Samuel Dominguez, professor of pediatric infectious diseases at Children’s Hospital Colorado said that while the vaccine is safe, infants under the age of 1 already received immunity from their mother’s antibodies. ese antibodies can interfere with the infant’s ability to respond to the vaccine.
“When you’re trying to evaluate whether to get vaccinated against measles or not … you’re not only protecting yourself, you’re protecting other people and potentially other people that you love,” Pastula said.
If people are planning on traveling out-
side of the country, Dominguez said infants between 6 and 11 months should get a dose before they go. Once they return, they should still get the two recommended doses.
For more information about what to know when traveling, visit cdc.gov/measles/travel/index.html.
How did we get here?
Pastula called the highly contagious disease an “ancient virus.”
In 1912, measles became a national epidemic in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 6,000 measlesrelated deaths were reported each year within the rst decade.
Before a vaccine became available in 1963, it was estimated to infect 3 to 4 million people in the U.S. each year. However, an improved vaccine was developed in 1968, which is the vaccine that is available today.
By 1981, the number of reported cases was 80% less compared to the year before. en in 2000, the disease was declared eliminated from the U.S.
Pastula said despite measles cases occurring every year since then, most doctors have never seen an active case, including himself.
“But, unfortunately, we’re sliding back into the history books,” Pastula said.
Where to find free meals for kids this summer
School across metro
Denver o er free meals to kids all summer
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SUZIE@COTLN.ORG
When school cafeterias close for the summer, thousands of Colorado families lose access to a vital resource: free and reliable meals for their children.
Fortunately, public school districts across the state are stepping up to ll the gap through the federally funded Summer Food Service Program, which provides
free meals to anyone 18 years old and under, with no registration or ID required.
Whether you live in Brighton, Fort Lupton, Golden, Westminster or the mountain communities served by the Canyon and Clear Creek Couriers, multiple locations are o ering nutritious meals all summer long.
Some locations o er breakfast and lunch each weekday, while others serve meals at parks, schools and community centers or provide grab-and-go options.
Below is a district-by-district guide to help you nd a free summer meal site near you. Be sure to check dates and times. Some programs start as early as late May and run through early August, but hours and service days vary.
27J Schools (Brighton, Commerce City, Henderson)
Monday to Friday May 27 – August 1
Breakfast 8 – 9 a.m., Lunch 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Locations: Northeast Elementary:1605 Longs Peak St., Brighton Vikan Middle School: 879 Jessup St., Brighton Stuart Middle School: 15955 E. 101st Way, Commerce City Grab-and-Go Pickup: ursdays only, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at Henderson Elementary, 12301 E. 124th Ave., Henderson
Eligibility: Free for children 18 and under. Adult meals are available for $4 (breakfast) and $5 (lunch).
Note: No service on July 4
Weld Re-8 School District (Fort Lupton) Monday to Friday May 27 – July 31
Breakfast 8:30 – 9:30 a.m., Lunch 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Location: Fort Lupton High School: 530 Reynolds Street, Fort Lupton
Eligibility: Free for children 18 and under.
Additional Resources
USDA Summer Meals Site Finder (www.fns.usda.gov/summer/site nder): Locate nearby meal sites across Colorado Hunger Free Colorado (hungerfreecolorado.org/): O ers a Food Resource Hotline at 855-855-4626 for statewide assistance.
Various locations across Douglas County provide measles vaccinations.
PHOTO BY HALEY LENA
What I’ve Learned About Why Condominiums Are Getting Harder to Finance
Four years ago on June 24, 2021, part of a 12-story condominium building in Surfside, Florida, collapsed at 1:14 a.m. killing 98 residents and injuring 11 others.
But that’s only one event that has contributed to the increasing difficulty of selling and financing the purchase of condos across America.
Primarily because of severe weather, especially hail storms in Colorado, master insurance policies have gotten more expensive and their deductibles increased dramatically. When the deductible in a master insurance policy exceeds 5% of the insured value, units within a condo association become “non-warrantable” according to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines — and over 90% of all loans are sold to those federal agencies after closing and must therefore meet those guidelines.
home for first-time homebuyers who are less likely to have that much cash. They could also go to a “portfolio” or “non-QM” lender, but those lenders don’t typically offer the low down payments of conventional or FHA lenders.
by a single entity
Fewer than 35% of the units are the primary or second home of the unit owner (FHA only)
The HOA has inadequate reserves
Every lender has its own condo questionnaire that must be completed by the association property manager. The questionnaire addresses the numerous concern areas of the lender. The loan could be rejected if:
Master insurance deductible is over 5%
Commercial space exceeds 35%
More than 15% the unit owners are 60 or more days delinquent on HOA dues
A construction defect lawsuit is pending
Less than 10% of the HOA budget is allocated to reserves
There’s a lot of deferred maintenance
FHA does a lot of this analysis for lenders and will provide a 3-year certification which lenders can rely on, but the application process is tedious and many condo associations fail to apply for or renew their certification.
That FHA lookup website is https:// entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/condlook.cfm
Here’s what the screen looked like when I searched for the Centennial condo featured with a price reduction in last week’s ad:
Sometimes it’s hard to know whether a unit is a condo or a townhome. The simple distinction is that a townhome owns the land under it, but even a standalone home could legally be a condo.
Buyers can pay cash, of course, but condos have long been considered the entry-level
More than 20-25% of the units are owned
NAR Dilutes Its Rule Against Hate Speech by Realtors
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis cop in May 2020, and the heated rhetoric, much of it racist, which followed, the National Association of Realtors enacted a “standard of practice” to go along with Article 10 of the NAR Code of Ethics, which bars Realtors from denying professional services based on “race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.”
Inspired by demand for social change and an unprecedented number of complaints received by NAR relating to discriminatory conduct and language by Realtors, the Board approved Standard of Practice 10-5 with language that expanded Article 10 to include the prohibition against harassment and hate language generally and not just limited to a Realtor’s professional life.
SOP 10-5 was implemented by the NAR Board of Directors on Nov. 13, 2020, and read as follows: “Realtors must not use harassing speech, hate speech, epithets, or slurs
based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.”
Here’s the new language, which no longer enforces that rule on Realtors’ communications or actions outside their business life:
“Realtors, in their capacity as real estate professionals, in association with their real estate businesses, or in their real estaterelated activities, shall not harass any person or persons based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.” (Emphasis added.)
SOP 10-4 continues as follows:
“As used in this Code of Ethics, harassment is unwelcome behavior directed at an individual or group based on one or more of the above protected characteristics where the purpose or effect of the behavior is to create a hostile, abusive, or intimidating environment which adversely affects their ability to access equal professional services or employment opportunity.”
The search showed that this condo is approved by FHA for the 3-year period beginning July 24, 2023.
Although regulators have determined that the buyer’s agent, not the listing agent, is obligated to check whether a condo is FHAapproved, a responsible listing agent should, in my opinion, do the simple search described above and not list “FHA” as acceptable financing if the community is described as “rejected” or “expired” on that website.
Even if the website shows the association as approved, the lender will still require the long-form questionnaire from the association and study the budget, declarations, bylaws and more before approving a loan, so the lender should request those documents as soon as possible after the buyer goes under contract — certainly within a week.
The legal description can sometimes mislead a lender, broker or buyer as to whether they’re dealing with a condo or a townhome. Typically, the legal description should refer to a “condo declaration” and not have a “block and lot” description that is more appropriate to a parcel that includes land. Some legal descriptions which include the word “condo” are in fact townhomes, and vice versa. The title company can quickly research the full legal description and answer that question, which becomes critical to obtaining loan approval. Another clue would be if the association is on the FHA condo lookup database.
Back to the subject of insurance coverage and deductibles, a buyer who purchases a condo as a primary resident or second home should get an HO-6 “walls-in” condo insurance policy which includes a “loss assessment” endorsement, which would pay for the deductible which is assessed to each unit owner as the result of a hail or other claim. The annual cost of such a policy is far less than the insurance policy for a single-family home and can save you up to a 5-figure special assessment from the condo association. If the master policy does not include roof, exterior, etc., the unit owner should purchase a more expensive HO-3 policy instead of the HO-6 policy.
FHA is favored because of its low downpayment requirement — as little as 3.5% — but with a higher down payment it’s possible the lender will only require a “streamline” review, which is quicker and less expensive. That requires a minimum 10% down payment for a primary residence and 25% for a second home.
It’s important for a buyer to hire an agent experienced in condo purchases and who can refer you to the best lender.
$560,000
This updated, 4-bedroom/2-bath, 1,586-squarefoot tri-level home at 6337 W. 68th Place is in a quiet, established neighborhood. Each level has been thoughtfully renovated. The vaulted main level has new luxury vinyl plank floors, and there’s new paint throughout. The galley kitchen has new cabinets, complemented by white appliances. The upper level has 3 bedrooms with new carpet and an updated full bathroom. The lower level has a spacious family room with a brick fireplace and above-grade windows. There is a 4th bedroom, laundry, and updated 3/4 bathroom on that level. The windows and siding were replaced in 2018, and a new roof was installed last month. A narrated video tour is posted at www. GRElistings.com. Call Kathy at 303-990-7428 to request a private showing.
SANCTUARY
tion today,” Craig said. He also termed the buyout o er as ridiculous as the owners - who live in Florida - are not trying to cover their expenses or even the projected sales of the sits. ey originally o ered the land to the sanctuary 10 years ago for $2 million. “We couldn’t a ord that either,” Craig said.
Fears of being forced out e sanctuary is home to over 550 animals including lions, tigers and bears. ey were rescued by Craig and others from mostly roadside zoos and basements and were badly abused by the people who kept them in captivity. In 2023, sanctuary o cials rescued animals held at the abandoned zoo in Puerto Rico, which drew international attention. e sanctuary largely depends on donations to help with the sanctuary upkeep and rescue work.
Craig fears that the housing development and the resulting complaints from homeowners will eventually force the facility out of the area.
“When we moved to rural Weld County 31 years ago, there were wheat elds and open farmland for miles around – with the nearest house miles away,” Craig said.
But as more people moved into the area around the sanctuary complaints started piling up.
“Year after year we would see people moving here with romantic ideas of what life would be like living next to a wildlife sanctuary – but eventually coming to terms with some of the realities that exist,” Craig said.
e issues that come with living near the sanctuary, according to Craig, include;
e thousands of seagulls that scavenge food and y to adjacent properties where they sometimes drop or leave food behind…. And poop on buildings, cars and houses, said Craig. e bald eagles (21 of them) that stay here yearround and scare people who think they
will snatch up their “little foo-foo dogs or cats,” Craig said. e smells from the animals (they consume 100,000 pounds of food per week), so they also defecate an enormous amount, Craig said. “We clean their habitats, but there is still a smell just like a large dairy operation might have,” he said. e large number of ies and other bugs that come to bene t from the food as well. e coyotes, raccoons, fox, and other wildlife… that also increase due to the food supplies. e sounds of the animals – especially lions roaring, as people think it is great to hear lions roaring until they hear one roaring at 2 a.m. on a still summer night and are convinced the lions have escaped and are right outside their bedroom window, Craig said. e sights of all our heavy equipment and commercial supplies being stored or parked together, as people complain to the county about their views being disrupted, he said. e carnivore sounds that scare their dogs, horses, cows and pets – especially when the wolves howl or the lions roar.
People often shoot o guns and highpowered ri es near the sanctuary dispensing thousands of rounds of ammunition just yards away from animal habitats. Fireworks are also set o near the sanctuary borders, Craig said.
Homeowners also host parties where people come up to the fences at night to make noises and shining ashlights at the animals.
“ is has resulted with us nding beer cans and trash in the habitats in the next morning,” Craig said.
Weld County made the property owners, and the sanctuary enter into a contract as one of the conditions for approving the development ten years ago, Craig said,
e requirements included building a tall privacy fence to be built along the common border between the subdivision and the Sanctuary’s property. A 20foot bu er from the privacy fence would prevent any building in the zone, Craig said.
e contract would also require a three-person board of directors for the development’s HOA.
“ is was intended to help give a seat to a sanctuary representative so we could help manage certain behaviors or acts that might negatively a ect the sanctuary,” Craig said.
e sanctuary also required an inperson interview with any prospective buyer, Craig said.
“ is was required so a sanctuary representative could be open and honest about the historical issues that had already caused issues – just so the people considering a signi cant purchase would have a chance to hear the potential issues they could face,” Craig said.
e two women signed the contract in 2011 but then ended up moving to Florida not long after the approval was given by Weld County. In 2024 they suddenly resurrected the project without contacting the County to inform them of the
new work being done.
Craig said when the sanctuary sta noticed the construction began in mid2024, he contacted the women and their Realtor.
In a meeting, the women expressed how they did not want to follow several of the contract terms.
“ ey stated the interviews might scare o potential buyers, which we responded that all we cared about was making sure people were realistic when considering a purchase,” Craig said via email. e property owners also did not like the requirement that the sanctuary could help pick any replacements on the HOA’s board of directors.
“We explained that once they were either gone or moved away, the sanctuary would still need a pro-sanctuary person on the board,” Craig said.
Marketing is underway
e women have since declined to meet with Craig to iron out the outstanding issues with the contract. In the meantime, Realtors are marketing the development as being so close to the sanctuary.
“Now open! Boasting a prime location in Keenesburg and showcasing an impressive array of new homes with open layouts and designer details, Vista West is a must-see for house hunters in Weld County. Residents will appreciate close proximity to Fort Lupton, Brighton, e Wild Animal Sanctuary and Denver International Airport. Several thoughtfully designed ranch- and two-story oor plans are available, some of which o er RV garages. You’ll love our professionally curated xtures and nishes!” says an online advertisement.
Fetcher’s letter says that Craig will receive notice of every meeting of the association and that the developers are “committed to a long-lasting relationship with the Wildlife Animal Sanctuary.”
Julie Marshall, Colorado Director for Animal Wellness Action, blasted the move by the developers.
“ is is a most egregious example of thoughtless, non-collaborative development against local Colorado values. ere will be undeniable damage to longstanding wildlife protections, local business and statewide Colorado values,” said Marshall via email.
“ e Wild Animal Sanctuary is an integral and cherished part of Colorado, and Pat is our hometown hero, who has spent decades to create what is undeniably the world’s most successful and renowned sanctuary like no other,” Marshall said. “Local children and families go here year-round to marvel and be educated about lions, tigers, bears, wolves, bobcats and a host of wildlife — every single one saved from the thoughtless, sel sh acts of humans. Weld County Commissioners must ensure these out-of-towners adhered to their own signed contract with government and stand strong to support our local icon.”
Wildlife o cials to review ‘translocation protocols’ after a string of recent deaths
dentiality law when asked for details. e causes of death for three wolves found dead in Colorado are all under investigation by CPW and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Roughly 20 other adult or yearling gray wolves remain alive and in the wild across the state, and advocates and CPW o cials hope that an unknown number of pups born this spring can soon be con rmed and added to the total.
But for now, with a small population working to establish itself in the early stages of the program, the deaths of one-third of the individuals reintroduced this year have pushed Colorado wolves’ survival rate below a critical threshold outlined in CPW’s formal reintroduction plan.
Citing research derived from other states’ wolf management plans and the federally-led e ort to restore wolves to Yellowstone National Park in the 1990s, that plan, adopted by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission in 2023, anticipated that survival rates for reintroduced wolves would range between 70% and 85% in the early years of the program. Early survival rates were listed among the benchmarks CPW said it would use to measure “short-term success.”
“A survival rate of less than 70%” for reintroduced wolves
plan says, “would initiate protocol review.”
“An unusually large number of losses during the rst year of releases or following any modi cation to established protocols will prompt a full review of management procedures,” the document continues. “To assure high initial post-release survival, the project may be suspended at any time until likely cause(s) of problems are identi ed, and acceptable solutions can be implemented to resolve the problem(s).”
CPW spokesperson Travis Duncan con rmed to Newsline Tuesday that the agency would review its procedures, but not until causes of death for the animals are established.
“Out of an abundance of caution, CPW will assess the mortalities of wolves translocated in 2025 to determine if any translocation protocols should be modied,” Duncan said. “ is cannot occur until nal determinations from the USFWS necropsies have been made on the cause of the mortalities.”
A decades-old benchmark e 70% target in CPW’s plan comes from a 2015 technical report by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife assessing that state’s wolf population. e Oregon report, in turn, cited three previous studies from
that wolf populations can be sustained with mortality rates as high as 25% to 30%. Crossing that threshold, the report’s authors wrote, results in an “increased risk of conservation failure and biological extinction.”
e target also roughly aligns with benchmarks set by planners of the rst-ever managed wolf reintroduction program, undertaken by the USFWS in and around Yellowstone National Park beginning in 1995. Federal o cials projected that the restoration e ort would be successful if overall mortality could be limited to 20% — 10% from authorized killings of wolves due to livestock con icts and another 10% from “natural causes, accidents, or illegal killing.”
e 1990s e orts near Yellowstone met or exceeded those expectations, successfully reestablishing sustainable wolf population in two di erent areas ahead of the predicted schedule of three to ve years. In the Yellowstone area, 24 of 31 relocated wolves survived the program’s rst two calendar years, along with 19 of 23 their pups, for a total mortality rate of 20%. In a parallel e ort in central Idaho, wolves fared even better. Although no pups were born within the rst year of reintroduction, 30 of 35 relocated individuals survived the program’s rst 20 months, a
CPW biologists will have a better understanding of the state of reintroduction once the number of pups born in Colorado in 2025 is con rmed. e agency says it’s monitoring four “potential dens” of breeding pairs.
But it’s clear now that Colorado’s restoration e ort is falling short of the successes experienced in the northern Rockies in the 1990s: Including three deaths con rmed in 2024, eight of the state’s rst 25 relocated wolves have died, a mortality rate of 32% — with more than half of calendar year 2025 left to go.
e state’s plan calls for winter releases of 10 to 15 wolves annually in the program’s rst three to ve years, with an initial target of a stable population of at least 50 animals within the state. Without a turnaround in survival rates and pup production, however, that timeline could be in jeopardy.
“CPW is developing plans for the coming year’s translocation e orts, so Colorado’s wolf population will continue to grow, leading toward a self-sustaining population,” the agency promised in a press release this week.
is story is from Colorado Newsline. Used by permission. For more, and to support the news organization, visit coloradonewsline.com.
Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Standard Blade.
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
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A reintroduced wolf is seen shortly after release in Grand County on Dec. 19, 2023.
COURTESY OF COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE
Schools consider financial literacy curriculum
BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SUZIE@COTLN.ORG
Forget balancing a checkbook. Today’s teens need to know how to avoid identity theft, decode a credit score and gure out if that “buy now, pay later” plan is actually worth it.
With a new state law requiring all Colorado high school students to complete a course in nancial literacy beginning with students in the 9th grade on or after Sept. 1, 2026, educators now face a practical challenge: how do you design a course that prepares 21st-century teens to make smart nancial choices in a world of skyrocketing rents, digital wallets, student loans and TikTok stock tips?
e law, House Bill 25-1192, mandates a semester-long course in personal nancial literacy for every public school student, beginning with the class of 2028.
But it leaves the details up to local school districts, many of which are still guring out what today’s students need most: the basics of budgeting and saving, yes, but also how to navigate the gig economy, manage online spending and protect themselves from in-
No charges against deputy for 2024 shooting
Deputy Lane Paintin shot a man four times after the suspect fired on neighbor
BY MONTE WHALEY MONTE@COTLN.ORG
Adams County Sheri ’s Deputy Lane
Paintin will not face criminal charges for the Feb. 18, 2024 shooting of Francisco Cruz, who had shot a weapon at his neighbor and refused to a deputy’s command to stand down just before Paintin red his weapon.
e shooting at 340 West 80th Avenue was investigated by the 17th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team, led by City of Brighton Police Detective Valerie Rolf and City of ornton Police Detective Fred Longobricco, according to a decision letter issued Tuesday by 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason.
Based on the evidence presented in the shooting, “there is no reasonable likelihood of success of proving the elements of any crime beyond a reasonable doubt against the involved o cer,” Mason said in his letter. “ erefore, no criminal charges will be led against the law enforcement o cer (Paintin) involved in this incident.”
Firing gun while drunk Cruz told deputies on March 20, 2024 he was “extremely intoxicated,” according to the letter. He recalled ring his gun while he was drunk but thought that he was alone in his driveway and claimed that he did not re at anyone.
“He recalled the police yelling at him to drop the gun and raise his hands, but that he did not have the gun and could not raise his hands because he was too drunk,” Mason said in his letter.
Cruz was charged with attempt to commit murder in the rst degree for the shooting incident, Mason said. He later pleaded guilty to assault in the second degree and was sentenced to six years’ probation.
Deputies said they responded to 340 West 80th Avenue just before 5 p.m. on Feb. 18, 2024 on a report of a gunshot wound. Once patrol deputies arrived at
the location of the call, they contacted the homeowners who said that no one was shot but their next-door-neighbor, Francisco Cruz, red a handgun at them and struck their home.
Cruz retreated to inside his home after the shooting, Mason said.
After establishing a perimeter around the home where Cruz was believed to be located, Paintin – using his car as cover –drew his gun and pointed it at the front door as he repeatedly gave commands directed at Cruz to exit the residence.
Within minutes, Cruz emerged and stood in the front doorway of the home
with the door open, Mason states. Cruz refused to comply with orders to walk out and show his hands. One of the deputies announced: “He’s got a gun in the right pocket, gun in the right pocket.”
Within moments, Paintin stated, “If he reaches again, I’m shooting him.” Seconds later, Paintin red his handgun at Cruz four times, striking him in the chest. After the shooting, a K9 o cer removed Cruz from his residence, and he was transported to a hospital where he was treated for his injuries.
Neighbors told deputies Cruz had a history of getting drunk and confronting them. He also was known to carry a black handgun in a holster in the back waistband of his pants. On the day of the shooting, Cruz told a tenant to come over to him. When the tenant refused, Cruz red a round from his handgun at the tenant but missed him and hit a bucket in the front porch of the residence, Mason said.
Paintin told investigators deputies conrmed there was enough information to arrest Paintin for attempted murder. Paintin drew his weapon, pointed it at the residence, and gave commands in English and Spanish to the occupants of the home to exit with their hands up, Mason said.
Paintin saw Cruz reach to his right side a second time, prompting the deputy to believe Cruz was reaching for his gun. Paintin re at Cruz four times.
“Deputy Paintin explained that at that moment, he considered the male had already red a gun at the neighbors trying to kill them, he believed that the male was about to draw the gun and re it at him and the other o cers standing in the road,” Mason said.
Adams County DA declines to charge deputy for 2024 shooting.
MONTE WHALEY
Riverdale Ridge captures first state girls golf crown
BY STEVE SMITH SPECIAL TO COLORADO TRUST FOR LOCAL NEWS
at trophy case at Riverdale Ridge High School may need to grow some. e Ravens captured their rst state team championship in girls golf. Riverdale Ridge beat Durango by 13 strokes after the two-day tournament at e Broadlands in Broom eld.
Junior Brynn Balliet was the team’s medalist. She nished with an 81-79 –160, good for fourth place in the strokeplay portion of the meet. Leah Johnson, a freshman, and junior Karina Panyavong (78-92 – 170) nished tied for ninth.
“We had a combination of three juniors returning and four freshmen (two of whom made the varsity squad),” said
RRHS coach Wade Balliet. He was the class 4A coach of the year in girls golf according to voting from MaxPreps and CHSAANow.com. “ e freshmen hadn’t played a lot of tournament golf. ings started clicking.”
Riverdale Ridge didn’t lose a tournament this season. e Ravens won their rst regional tournament as well.
“Our coaching sta thought next year was going to be our year,” Wade Balliet said. “We had a lot of freshmen early on in the season. But we started to watch them play. We had a good three weeks of practice before the season started, and we could see the freshmen grow, even though they hadn’t played that many tournaments.”
Durango High School was the top-
rated team in class 4A for much of the season. But the Ravens and the Demon didn’t match up until the regional round in Fort Collins. e state tourney was at the Broadlands in Broom eld. On the second day, Leah went par, birdie, birdie, birdie on the rst ve holes.” Riverdale Ridge won the team title by 13 shots. e MaxPreps.com/CHSAANow.com voting also put Panyavong, Johnson and Brynn Balliet on the rst team of all-state girls golfers this season.
“ ey practiced their tails o ,” Wade Balliet said. “We had good balance this year. Our juniors told our freshmen what to expect in tournament play. And as a result, we were con dent that the girls would be ready. I’m super proud of them.”
Champ Bailey honors state’s ‘most positive’ student athletes
BY JOHN RENFROW JOHN@COTLN.ORG
High school athletes, two coaches and an athletic director were honored for being the “most positive” in Colorado at the Douglas County School District Legacy Campus in Lone Tree June 2.
Pro Football Hall of Famer and Broncos legend Champ Bailey is the Positive Athlete organization’s lead athlete. Bailey helped to recognize the top seven male and female athletes in high school sports who displayed the highest character and generated overall positivity on and o the eld.
e full list of recipients includes students from schools across Colorado, from Colorado Spring to Fort Collins and Breckenridge to La Junta.
ose honored are: Alex Beasley - Lewis-Palmer (Monument); Avery Leman - Poudre (Fort Collins); Jaden FrancisElizabeth (Elizabeth); Jay Peltier (coach) - Summit (Breckenridge); Katherine
Lorck - Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs); Kevin Prosser III - Rangeview (Aurora); Kinsley Mayo - La Junta Jr/ Sr (La Junta); Liam Graham - Standley Lake (Westminster); Megan WatersLakewood (Lakewood); Peighton Marrero - Strasburg (Strasburg); Ray Lopez (coach); - Abraham Lincoln (Denver); Rhett McDonald - Wiley (Wiley); Roxann Serna (athletic director); - Centennial (San Luis); Ryan Cornell - Longmont (Longmont); Sage Adkins - Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch); Simon Lunsford - Green Mountain (Lakewood);and Staia Yohe-Savage - George Washington (Denver).
“I’d seen their Positive Athlete nominations and bios, but meeting and celebrating the winners in person exceeded all expectations,” Bailey said. “It’s easy to see why they are the future leaders in their communities and the workforce.
I’m excited to follow them as they lean in to take advantage of the ever-growing resources o ered by Positive Athlete—
not just to winners but to all nominees.”
More than 440 nominations from coaches, principals, athletic directors, teachers and parents were submitted for the Positive Athlete program statewide, representing 197 di erent public and private high schools (equivalent to 53% of all Colorado high schools with formalized athletics programs).
Nominations covered all 27 statesanctioned sports as well as e-sports, archery, equestrian, martial arts, motocross, ultimate, Uni ed Sports and more.
Considerations for awards included if students displayed how positive athletes “O.P.E.R.A.T.E.” (Optimistic, Put team rst, Encouraging, Respectful, Admits imperfections, True heart for others and Embraces service).
Five scholarships were awarded, totaling $8,000.
Standley Lake High School’s Graham won the male O.P.E.R.A.T.E. Award, while Leman from Poudre won the female
O.P.E.R.A.T.E. Award. Each received $2,500 toward their chosen academic institution or trade school. Additionally, Mayo, McDonald and Yohe-Savage received Positivity Champ Awards, including a $1,000 scholarship.
“I think that being recognized as a Positive Athlete really gave me more condence not only in my athletics but also in my everyday life, like I was being seen for the work I was putting into my everyday life and my positivity through times of di culty and struggle,” said Waters from Lakewood. “I loved being able to meet the other kids and parents being awarded, because you can really tell that it’s a good group of kids and they were all raised by incredible people. ey are all so kind.”
Nominations will reopen in the Fall for the next school year. However, Positive Athlete is currently taking pre-nominations at www.PositiveAthlete.org, which will trigger an automatic reminder when nominations reopen.
Riverdale Ridge girls golf poses for a photo after capturing the program’s first girls golf state title. The Ravens beat Durango by 13 shots to secure the team championship in late May.
CHSAANOW.COM
Jared Polis signs bill aimed at reducing Colorado’s rape kit backlog
Law will increase oversight, try to decrease turnaround time of evidence kits
BY LUCAS BRADY WOODS THE COLORADO SUN
Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law June 3 launching new e orts to cut down on the state’s delays in processing sexual assault evidence kits, including by increasing oversight over the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Currently, it takes 554 days for the CBI to process DNA evidence kits from sexual assaults, which has left 1,369 cases in limbo as victims and investigators wait for results, according to the agency’s latest available data.
One of those victims is Democratic state Rep. Jenny Willford of Northglenn, the leading lawmaker behind the new bill.
Willford says she was sexually assaulted over a year ago and led a police report. But her case was one of the many swallowed up by the backlog.
“Living this reality is really heavy,” said Willford at the bill signing ceremony Tuesday. “It’s disorienting and it’s dehumanizing. It’s like being frozen in time
out you. And no survivor should ever be made to feel this way ever, because that’s not justice.”
Law enforcement nally issued an arrest warrant for Willford’s alleged attacker last month, more than a year after the incident, after they received the test results from her evidence.
e new law is named the “Miranda Gordon Justice for Survivors Act of 2025.”
Gordon is a vocal advocate for sexual assault victims who helped call attention to the backlog, after waiting more than a year for the results of her own sexual assault evidence kit.
e measure, Senate Bill 304, directs
Gov. Jared Polis signs a bill aimed at tackling the state’s sexual assault kit processing backlog into law at the governor’s mansion in downtown Denver on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
the attorney general’s o ce to create the Colorado Sexual Assault Forensic Medical Review Board to oversee kit processing and make recommendations for how the state can better address sexual crimes.
e group will convene by Aug. 1 and will be made up of sexual assault victim advocates, medical forensic experts and members of law enforcement.
e law also creates a 60-day turnaround goal per DNA evidence kit, three times faster than the state’s current 180day guidance.
Polis said he would like to see even faster turnaround times.
“We always appreciate some room in statute to achieve as much as we can, but
my goal would be to turn the tests around in even quicker than 60 days,” Polis said. Sexual assault victims will also be entitled to updates on their pending evidence kits every 90 days under the new law.
Speaking at Tuesday’s signing ceremony, Democratic Sen. Mike Weissman of Aurora, the measure’s lead sponsor in the Senate, said the bill is about getting sexual assault perpetrators o the street as well as justice for victims.
“We can get lost in processes and abstract terms like ‘kits,’ but what we’re talking about here is bringing forward evidence by which we can arrest people who have committed hideous crimes and subject them to appropriate consequences,” said Weissman. “Without moving through this backlog, we don’t have that evidence, there cannot be accountability.”
Weissman said he and Willford plan to continue to work on speeding up the backlog reduction during the legislative interim and bring further ideas to the 2026 legislative session. He also suggested the General Assembly could take up the issue during a special legislative session should one be convened in the coming months. is story was printed through a news sharing agreement with e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonpro t based in Denver that covers the state.
PHOTO BY JESSE PAUL / THE COLORADO SUN
Planemaker will ‘vigorously defend against’ hedge fund’s $9M lawsuit
A company operating near the Centennial Airport that has spent the past dozen years designing an airplane that takes o like a helicopter must now contend with a $9 million lawsuit from a lender.
XTI Aerospace, which is publicly traded, denies owing money to Auctus, a small Boston hedge fund, and told shareholders May 19 that its nances are stable and improving.
“We intend to vigorously defend against any and all claims,” it wrote in an SEC ling.
e TriFan 600 will be a vertical takeo and landing, or VTOL, airplane that will seat six passengers, lift o from helipads or short runways, and y for nearly 1,000 miles. XTI anticipates it will be used for business and commuter travel, or as an air ambulance.
e company does not expect to deliver the TriFan 600 until 2030 at the earliest, according to its latest SEC ling. In the meantime, it has been testing a model of the TriFan, taking pre-orders, and raising millions of dollars from investors, the SEC report says.
e company spent $12.9 million more than it took in during the rst three months of this year. Its SEC ling cautions shareholders: “ ere can be no assurances that the company will ever earn revenues su cient to support its operations, or that it will ever be pro table.”
“ e company’s recurring losses and utilization of cash in its operations are indicators of going concern issues,” it states. “However, the company’s current liquidity position was favorably impacted
ment, “XTI entered 2025 with strong momentum, advancing the development of the TriFan 600 while improving our nancial position.”
XTI Aerospace had $8 million on hand at the end of the rst quarter and claims that it holds almost no interest-bearing debt. Auctus, however, sees matters differently.
e hedge fund says that in 2021 it loaned $5 million to a company called Xeriant, which later agreed to merge with
but XTI says it has a “joint venture” with Xeriant.
Auctus is suing XTI for breach of contract in Arapahoe District Court and seeking $9 million. XTI has told the SEC it doesn’t believe it inherited Xeriant’s debt through the partnership.
Meanwhile, Xeriant is suing XTI in a New York City federal court. It claims that XTI fraudulently convinced it to merge with XTI by claiming the TriFan would cost $250 million to build rather than
$750 million, bene ted from the $5.5 million and technical expertise that Xeriant brought to the project, and then backed out of the merger. Xeriant is suing for $500 million.
“ e case is in its early stages of discovery,” XTI told shareholders May 19. “XTI denies the allegations of wrongdoing… and is vigorously defending against the lawsuit.”
is story was printed through a news sharing agreement with BusinessDen, a news site covering local business news in the Denver metro area.
A rendering of the TriFan 600 being developed by XTI Aerospace.
PHOTO TAKEN FROM INSTAGRAM
BY ISABEL GUZMAN IGUZMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
In a softly lit room in Centennial, Lilly Cadillac Unger shu es her tarot cards with practiced hands. e space, lled with gentle natural light, is the heart of her business, Altered Arcana. On the table, a classic three-card spread — past, present and future — unfolds a story. Among the cards drawn: Death, the Six of Cups and the Nine of Wands.
“I see here that there was some kind of huge transition,” Unger said, pointing to the Death card.
e card’s reputation, she said, is the most feared and is more Hollywood than reality — its real message is transformation and rebirth.
Unger’s journey with tarot began at age 12, sparked by curiosity and the little guidebook included with her rst Rider–Waite deck — the most popular tarot deck, she notes, and one she’s mis-
placed more times than she can count.
For Unger, tarot isn’t about predicting the future.
“Tarot really should tell you about your present,” she said.
e Rider-Waite tarot card deck, rst published in 1909, was created by artist Pamela Colman Smith under the direction of occultist A.E. Waite. e deck consists of 78 cards — 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana — with each card featuring symbolic illustrations designed to evoke intuitive and emotional responses.
Distinctive for its fully illustrated Minor Arcana, the Rider-Waite deck’s imagery draws from esoteric traditions that embrace practices that involve secret or hidden knowledge, Christian mysticism and the teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a secret society that studied occultism and metaphysics, according to the University of St. omas.
Kate Kettelkamp, who reads tarot cards from her Denver o ce, also starts
with the three card spread that displays the past, present and future. After she shu es, she has the person receiving the reading pull three cards.
“I like people to choose their own cards,” Kettlekamp said. “Di erent tarot readers have di erent rules. I like people to select the cards because I feel like you bring your own energy to it.”
When the cards are pulled and laid out as reversals — meaning the card’s art is upside down — Kettlekamp said that can signify an energy blockage.
Looking towards the card that represents the past, Kettlekamp observed the Nine of Cups, reversed.
“Cups are water, so it has this emotional, imaginative quality to it,” she said. “With it reversed, it can (signify) wanting to move something forward but having some obstacle.”
When Kettlekamp moved from California to Denver almost 10 years ago, she said everyone she met in the new city knew their astrology signs and
owned a tarot deck, inspiring her to dive into the metaphysical world. She currently studies consciousness in a graduate program at the California Institute of Integral Studies.
In the program, Kettlekamp studies culture, the human journey, the soul and the environment, which she said sets her up for inquisitive knowledge for reading tarot.
“I like to approach (tarot) from a place of inquiry. Some people ask, ‘should I break up with my partner?’ But I nd that the tarot doesn’t answer deterministically,” she said. “ en they’ll pull the Death card and I’ll say, ‘well, possibly, what do you think? It’s up to you.’ at could just be their current energy that is creating a trajectory towards breaking up.”
Kate Kettelekamp reads tarot cards at Kronos Astrology in Denver. COURTESY
Florentino re ected on the readings she’s done that the cards portray a potentially negative message, and how she communicated it to her client.
Kettlekamp said the cards do not tell the future but can give insight into what struggles someone may be currently facing. She said it’s important for readers to uphold ethics when doing a reading.
“I’ve had people come into my o ce who have been disturbed from prior readings because they’ve been told things that make them anxious. So I do think that there’s some responsibility on the reader’s part to not induce anxiety by giving a deterministic prediction about someone’s life,” she said.
When the cards convey a negative message, Rachel Florentino from Bridge the Gap Tarot in Westminster said she views the cards as morphable.
“It’s not set in stone. ( e cards) are something we can bring to the present and change if we want to,” she said.
“ ere was a client that desperately wanted a baby … When I looked at her present, the problem was, she worked 80 hours a week and she wasn’t listening to her doctors telling her, ‘no, you cannot sustain that type of lifestyle while you’re pregnant,’” she said. “It hurt me because she wasn’t going to do that. I had to tell her she has to listen to people.”
Something Florentino did not always do at the beginning of her reading journey — even when she met the woman who wanted a baby — was shielding. In an e ort to protect herself from her clients’ energies, sometimes Florentino will imagine herself wearing a cloak that acts like a shield.
During another reading, Florentino pulled the Tower card in a past, present and future spread — with the Tower card in the future pile, she said it’s the harshest card of the deck.
“It’s because there’s things that you should be doing that you’re not doing and so the universe is going to make it happen. It can be harsh because it can no longer be in your control,” she said.
According to Florentino, the Tower card can show up when someone may be losing a job if they continue down their current trajectory.
“It’s de nitely a warning of: what do we know we need to be doing but we haven’t done yet?” she said.
Regarding the seemingly worrisome card — the Death card — Florentino said the image of the card, which typically displays a grim reaper-esque skeleton with a sword, scares people, largely due to Western society’s perspective of death.
“I think Hollywood has done a great job in scaring us with (death). In the United States, we’re not open about death and don’t view it as a rebirth but as the end of something. In a lot of other cultures, death is looked at as a deathrebirth process,” she said.
Regarding the online popularity of tarot card readings — from mass-collective tarot readings on YouTube to online psychic chats — Kettlekamp and Unger suggest looking at reviews to avoid being scammed.
“I would recommend for people to nd someone that has reviews because there are people who will take your money,” Kettlekamp said. “Anybody that has a physical location, not that that’s necessary, but it can indicate how much time they spend practicing.”
For Unger, reviews and having a connection with a reader are two ways to prevent scams.
“You just have to be honest with yourself about if it resonates, and I think you should be careful who you go to,” she said.
“I think at the end of the day, getting reviews, and maybe just really asking yourself: ‘who am I being led to and why? Am I being led to this person because I saw something online that said: he’s thinking about you? And is that what I’m seeking?”’
LEFT: In the two photos, Lilly Cadillac Unger reads tarot cards in Centennial at Altered Arcana. PHOTO BY ISABEL GUZMAN
RIGHT: Kate Kettlekamp moved from California to Denver and was inspired to learn tarot card reading after meeting others who owned tarot card decks. COURTESY OF KATE KETTLEKAMP
creasingly sophisticated nancial scams. What the law requires, and what it doesn’t
While the law sets a content requirement, it allows schools to integrate the nancial literacy standards into an existing course rather than create a new standalone class.
But, students must understand and practice lling out the federal or statenancial aid form (FAFSA or CAFSA), unless they and their parents opt out. Colorado has one of the lowest FAFSA completion rates in the country, according to the Colorado Department of Higher Education. is means Colorado students are missing out on signi cant amounts of federally available grant money.
e law doesn’t include a standardized curriculum or end-of-course exam. Instead, it points to existing high school standards, last updated in 2020, as the foundation. ose standards cover budgeting and saving, credit and debt management and understanding taxes. But they also include topics like risk management and insurance, fraud prevention and identity protection and nancial decision-making and planning for college.
Each district will determine how to implement the course, whether as a graduation requirement embedded in current o erings or as a standalone class
What’s useful for teens in 2025
Anneliese Elrod, chief operating ofcer of Westerra Credit Union, says the curriculum must go far beyond “checkbook math” to prepare students for reallife nancial challenges. at includes understanding how credit cards work, budgeting realistically and navigating everything from nancial aid to digital payment scams.
“Budgeting by available balance is one of the most common mistakes we see young people make,” Elrod said. “ ey don’t understand the di erence between their current balance and what’s pending. It can lead to overdrafts or worse.”
She said teens should learn how to read a pay stub, build a credit score and avoid scams on payment apps like Venmo and CashApp. Lessons should also guide them through how to evaluate nancial decisions, such as whether to rent an expensive apartment or sign up for a “buy now, pay later” plan.
“Even understanding basic investing, like what a Roth IRA is or how to open an interest-generating savings account can give them a huge head start,” Elrod said. Elrod said she was especially glad to see FAFSA covered in the new requirement.
Sell Practical marketing solutions to local businesses.
Sales territories currently available in various communities.
“ at knowledge is something you just don’t intuitively understand, and it’s a very convoluted maze,” she said. “If we are doing it for that reason — bravo.”
Additionally, she emphasized that understanding FAFSA and student loans is crucial, as many students miss out on nancial aid by skipping the application process, which can leave them paying o debt well into the future.
While today’s teens may be more aware of traditional scams than older generations, Elrod said, they’re often more vulnerable to savvy marketing and highpressure sales tactics.
“Marketers are very good at making it feel good and immediate,” she said. “And kids are all about that.”
Keeping teens engaged in a dry subject Teenagers may not be thrilled about taking a required money class, but educators can keep them engaged with realworld scenarios, Elrod said. at starts with relevance.
“ ey’re not going to understand purchasing a house. ey are going to understand going out to dinner with friends or buying new clothes,” she said. “Making the examples relevant helps students connect the dots.”
Elrod’s team at Westerra Credit Union o ers a classroom simulation that gives students a job, a salary and bills to manage and then throws high-pressure sales pitches their way.
“It’s one thing to talk about budgeting,” she said. “It’s another to experience the consequences of blowing your budget on an apartment with killer mountain views and realizing you can’t a ord to eat.”
When students walk through those decisions, Elrod said, the lessons tend to stick. “You can tell them they need to budget, but letting them feel what it’s like to make the wrong choice is much more e ective.”
What parents can do at home
Financial education doesn’t have to stop at school. Elrod encourages parents to involve teens in family budgeting, talk openly about money and consider opening joint accounts or debit cards when they’re ready.
“Every student is di erent. Some are ready at 10, others not until 16,” she said. “ e key is creating habits early and making the conversation feel relevant.”
Elrod recommends apps that help families gamify chores, savings and spending. Some allow parents to set savings rules, such as automatically diverting one-third of every allowance into savings and help kids track their spending in real-time.
“ e goal isn’t to lecture,” she said. “It’s to build con dence. When teens feel in control of their money, they make better choices.”
Thu 6/12
Valdez
@ 7pm
Hi-Dive, 7 S Broadway, Denver
Night Jobs @ 7pm
Hi-Dive, 7 S Broadway, Denver
Spells @ 7pm
Hi-Dive, 7 S Broadway, Denver
Black Dots
@ 7pm
Hi-Dive, 7 S Broadway, Denver
Yookie
@ 10pm
The Church Nightclub, Denver
Fri 6/13
Daniella Katzir Music: Trio on the 16th St. Mall
@ 3pm
Little Moses Jones Opening Up For Rick Lewis Project At The Buffalo Rose @ 7pm
Skyline Block 1, 16th St Mall & Arapa‐hoe, Denver
Jay_Martin
@ 6pm
The Bluegrass Coffee & Bourbon Lounge, 7415 grandview ave, Arvada
Pat McGann: Comedy Works - 9PM @ 9pm
Comedy Works Downtown, 1226 15th St, Den‐
ver
Junkie Kid
@ 10pm
Club Vinyl, 1082 N Broadway, Denver
The Barr Brothers @ 7pm
Buffalo Rose, 1119 Washington Ave, Golden
Sat 6/14
Why Will?: Open mic + Show @ 3pm applewood artist collective, 2001 Routt St, Lakewood
Sun 6/15
Sarah Banker @ 1:30pm The Hampton Social - Denver, 2501 16th St, Denver
Live @ The Rose - Sunday Swing @ 3pm / $20
Buffalo Rose, 1119 Washington Av‐enue, Golden. information@buf falorose.net
Wyatt Flores: The BIG ASS Stadium Tour @ 7:30pm
Empower Field at Mile High, 1701 Bryant St, Denver
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison
Mon 6/16
Aaron LaCombe: America's Soul Live @ 7pm
Foothills Event Space, 3901 S Carr St, Lakewood
Adam Deitch @ 7pm
Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom & Other Side, 2637 Welton St, Denver
Shane Mauss @ 7pm
Meow Wolf Denver | Convergence Station, 1338 1st St, Denver
Tandava @ 7pm
Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom & Other Side, 2637 Welton St, Denver
SNOW RAVEN IN THE PORTAL DOME @ 8pm Auraria Campus, 777 Lawrence St, Denver
Wed 6/18
Sage & Aera: Planting Seeds: Celebrating the Launch of Col‐orado's Natural Medicine Program @ 6:30pm The Beacon, 2854 Larimer St, Denver
Tue 6/17
Brian Kassay at Cactus Jacks @ 6pm
Cactus Jacks Tavern, 4651 Co Rd 73, Evergreen Keddjra @ 7pm Skylark Lounge, 140 S Broadway, Denver
Raquel de Souza: ROOTED IN FUN WHEAT RIDGE @ 6:30pm
Anderson Park, 4355 Field St, Wheat Ridge
Exhorder @ 8pm HQ, 60 S Broadway, Denver
Shinyribs (16 & Over) @ 8pm Bluebird Theatre, Denver
CROWSSUPDRO ELZZ
1. AD SLOGANS: Which retail chain urges consumers to “Expect More. Pay Less”?
2. MATH: What is an obelus?
3. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which president was the last to own slaves?
4. LITERATURE: Author Ian Fleming’s Jamaican estate has the same name as which James Bond movie?
5. TELEVISION: How many seasons of “Wheel of Fortune” did Pat Sajak host?
6. SCIENCE: What are cordyceps?
7. MOVIES: Which actor/comedian/ lmmaker made his lm debut in the movie “Donnie Darko”?
8. ACRONYMS: What does the acronym BBC stand for?
9. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is the only bird that can y backward?
10. FOOD & DRINK: What is a mirepoix?
TrIVIa
Answers
1. Target.
2. e division sign.
3. Ulysses Grant.
4. “GoldenEye.”
5. 41.
6. A type of fungus or mushroom.
7. Seth Rogen.
8. British Broadcasting Corp.
9. Hummingbird.
10. A recipe base of onion, celery and carrots. (c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
bus and FlexRide systems.
Labrie said, e service will initially operate Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. As they gather data on ridership patterns and community needs, this schedule may be adjusted in the future. “So, this service is similar to Uber or Lyft, but it o ers a more a ordable, communitysupported transportation option for local travel.”
Naming contest
Starting on June 8, the City of Brighton is inviting the community to participate and submit creative name ideas that represent Brighton’s character for its new services.
To enter the naming contest, visit www.brightonco. gov/3272/New-Transit-Program-Naming-Contest and complete the short submission form. You must be a resident of Brighton to be eligible to apply. e winner will be recognized by the city and have their name featured on all program branding.
PUBLIC NOTICES
FINAL SETTLEMENT
Project Title: Painted Prairie E. 64th Ave & Dunkirk Improvements
Project Owners: Painted Prairie Public Improvement Authority
Project Location: City of Aurora, Adams County
The Painted Prairie Public Improvement Authority plans to accept the above titled project as substantially complete and for Final Settlement to WT Excavating, LLC after July 10, 2025. In accordance with the Contract Documents, the Painted Prairie Public Improvement Authority may withhold a portion of the remaining payment to be made to WT Excavating, LLC . as necessary, to protect the Painted Prairie Public Improvement Authority from loss on account of claims filed and failure of WT Excavating, LLC. to make payments properly to subcontractors or suppliers.
Project suppliers and subcontractors of Hall Contracting, LLC. are hereby notified that unresolved outstanding claims must be certified and forwarded to:
Contact Person: Barney Fix, P.E.
Address: 8051 E. Maplewood Ave Suite 300 Greenwood Village, CO 80111 as soon as possible, but no later than July 3, 2025.
non-consecutive publications
Legal Notice No. CCX1755
First Publication: June 12, 2025
Last Publication: June 26, 2025
Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the following subdivision(s) will be considered for approval by the City of Commerce City Community Development Director on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.
S24-0010: SFG ISF II COMMERCE CITY
84 LLC, on behalf of Ridgetop Engineering, is requesting approval of the 84th and Uinta final plat to create one lot and dedicate right-of-way from approximately 4.37 acres. The property is generally located at the southern portion of E. 84th Ave and Uinta Street (8200 E 84th Ave), currently zoned I-2 (Medium-Intensity Industrial District).
The case file(s) and a copy of the Land Development Code of the City together with the subdivision plat are on file for review by emailing the Community Development Department at cdplanner@c3gov.com .
Any owner of property located within 300 feet of the subject property may invoke the public hearing process by submitting said objections in writing to the Director of Community Development in accordance with Sec. 21-3241 by no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, May 12, 2025.
Director of Community Development
Para más información, contacta 303-227-8818
Legal Notice No. CCX1754
First Publication: June 12, 2025
Last Publication: June 12, 2025
Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Jack E Waterman
A/K/A Jack Waterman, A/K/A Jackie E Waterman , Deceased Case Number: 2025 PR 48
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado on or before October 13, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.
Shelley S McMillan
Personal Representative 11500 W 80th Ave
Legal Notice No. CCX1753
First Publication: June 12, 2025
Last Publication: June 26, 2025
Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express
NOTICE OF CONTRACTORS SETTLEMENT
Notice is hereby given that on or around July 15, 2025, Sand Creek Metropolitan District, Adams and Denver Counties, Colorado will make final settlement with Sturgeon Electric, Inc. (“Contractor” herein) for all construction services rendered for materials, labor, supplies and construction services rendered by Contractor for the 4th leg of the traffic signal at E. 40th Avenue and Salida Street; a new traffic signal at the intersection of E. 41st Avenue and Salida Way; and a mid-block pedestrian crossing on North Telluride Street all as a part of the Denver 60 Public Improvements project in the City and County of Denver (“Project” herein). Prior to July 15, 2025, any persons having properly filed claims for labor, materials, team hire, sustenance, provisions, provender or other supplies, rental machinery, tools, or equipment furnished to the Contractor specifically for this Project should present the same to Sand Creek Metropolitan District, 100 Saint Paul Street, Suite 300, Denver, Colorado 80206, attention Ryan Stachelski. Failure to timely and properly file said claim shall relieve Sand Creek Metropolitan District from any duty to withhold funds for such claim.
Sand Creek Metropolitan District
Mike Serra, III, Project Manager (303) 371 9000
Legal Notice No. CCX1751
First Publication: June 5, 2025
Last Publication: June 12, 2025
Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Michael Lee Adams,
a/k/a Michael Adams, Deceased Case Number: 2025 PR 30297
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado on or before: October 5, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.
Kathleen Adams
Personal Representative c/o Whitcomb Selinsky, P.C. 300 Union Blvd., Suite 200 Lakewood, CO 80228
Legal Notice No. CCX 4515
First Publication: June 5, 2025
Last Publication: June 19, 2025
Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express Public Notice
Adams County School District 14 NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Notice of Proposed Budget
Notice is hearby given that a proposed budget has been submitted to the Board of Education of Adams County School District 14 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and has been filed in the office of the Superintendent where it is available for public inspection. There will be two hearings for input on the budget on June 3 rd at 5:30 p.m. and June 12th at 6:30 p.m. Both meetings will be in the board room of Adams 14 Educational Support Services. Such proposed budget will be considered for adoption at a regular meeting of the Board of Education of said District at 5291 East 60th Avenue, on June 12th at 6:30 p.m. Any person paying school taxes in said District may at any time prior to the final adoption of the budget file or register objections thereto.
Arvada, CO 80005
a/k/a Michael L. Adams,
