Elbert County News 0114

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January 14, 2021

ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO

A publication of

ElbertCountyNews.net

VOLUME 125 | ISSUE 50

Sudden rule change upends Five Star work Frustration over COVID-19 rules is result as expenses made no difference

BY TABATHA STEWART SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Kiowa firefighter Colton Mason, a beloved department member shown mugging for the camera in a photo from happy times, PHOTOS COURTESY OF KIOWA FIRE died a year ago. Donations made in his honor are being used to expand the fire training facility in Kiowa.

Kiowa Fire to expand training facility Donations made in memory of Colton Mason will fund project

BY TABATHA STEWART SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

The volunteers of the Kiowa Fire Protection District lost one of their own a year ago when firefighter Colton Mason died at age 34 after a car accident. Despite Mason’s tragic death, his contributions to the department continue in a critical way. The district received nearly SEE FACILITY, P4

A rendering shows the expanded fire training facility that will be built in Kiowa, with an anticipated completion this spring.

INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 6 | LIFE: PAGE 10 | CALENDAR: PAGE 11

On Dec. 17, nearly two dozen Elbert County business owners attended a Zoom meeting to discuss how local restaurants might be able to open their doors again for in-person dining. The county had been designated level red on the COVID-19 metric due to increasing positive cases in the county, and the designation prompted the closing of in-person dining at restaurants.

During the hourlong meeting, restaurant owners, Elbert County Commissioner Chris Richardson and Elbert County Department of Health Director Dwayne Smith carved out a plan to apply for Colorado’s Five Star certification program, which, if approved, would allow restaurants to reopen at 25 percent capacity, or 50 people.

To be approved for the Five Star variance program, business owners would have to change a number of things in their facilities, including updating air filters, spacing tables 10 feet apart, taking temperatures of visitors and employees and recording contact information for patrons who visited their establishments.

SEE RULE CHANGE, P5

PICTURE THIS

Exhibit’s photos depict Denver’s ‘vast and unique architecture’ P10

2 Elbert County News

January 14, 2021J

Coloradans in Congress recall harrowing riot Bronze Star medalist Crow prepared to fight if necessary

proceedings from the gallery above the House floor. He was there just to watch, sitting with 15-20 other Democratic members of Congress and preparing to speak later in the day.

Crow was watching the scene outside the Capitol unfold on his phone and knew that rioters were getting closer and closer to the House chambers. He, too, saw Pelosi get whisked away along with Vice President Mike Pence. Police then began evacuating members from the House floor.

“By the time they got the members off the floor, the mob had broken through into the Capitol and cut off the route out,” Crow said.

BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado’s U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse had just finished speaking on the House floor on Jan. 6 in defense of President-elect Joe Biden’s November victory when the Democrat from Lafayette noticed something was Neguse wrong.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi was escorted from the chamber.

Then House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who was sitting behind Neguse, was removed from the House by U.S. Capitol Crow Police.

“It signaled to everybody that something was amiss,” Neguse said.

Neguse was ignoring his cellphone to focus on his important role as one of a handful of Democrats Buck assigned to push

Officers created barricades

This photo posted on Twitter by U.S. Rep. Jason Crow shows Capitol police preparing to defend the House Chamber from protesters on Jan. 6. “This is what it has come to,” Crow wrote in his Twitter post.

back against Republican efforts to overturn the presidential election results. He had no idea that a destructive mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters had breached the U.S. Capitol building. They were

steps away.

“I texted my wife and told her that I loved her — that I love Natalie very much,” Neguse said, referring to his 2-year-old daughter.

Rioters were banging on the doors to the House. It sounded like gunshots. Lawmakers were instructed by police to stay calm and prepare to evacuate. They were told to put on gas masks.

Four members of Colorado’s congressional delegation were in the U.S. House chambers during the deadly riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

All four escaped unharmed.

Neguse and U.S. Reps. Jason Crow, D-Aurora, and Ken Buck, R-Windsor, recounted a harrowing ordeal to The Colorado Sun, denouncing the actions of the rioters and vowing to get back to work as quickly as possible. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Rifle, who was sworn in on Sunday, was the fourth member in the chamber.

Lawmakers were summoned back to the House that night to continue the debate.

Crow was keeping tabs on the

Capitol Police then began locking all of the doors into the House.

Officers moved furniture from the chamber floor to barricade the doors and windows. But the rioters were determined as they yelled and pounded on the entrances. They were undeterred despite being at gunpoint.

“We were getting ready to make a stand,” said Crow, a former Army Ranger who received a Bronze Star.

“I thought for a couple minutes there that I was going to have to fight my way out.”

Crow began running from door to door in the gallery, making sure that each one was locked. There was nothing available to use as barricades because seats in the gallery are bolted down.

He ushered older lawmakers away from the doors. He instructed his fellow congressmen and congresswomen to remove the lapel pins marking their status as lawmakers so that they wouldn’t become targets. He helped them put on their gas masks. He held the hand of U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, a Pennsylvania Democrat, reassuring her that they would be OK. “Susan is a friend and she was upset,” Crow said. “And I was upset, too.”

A photo captured the moment.

Wild was lying on the gallery floor, apparently taking cover behind a railing. She clutched her chest in one hand, her face paralyzed with fear, while Crow grasped the other.

SEE RIOT, P12

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Elbert County News 3

1January 14, 2021

Vaccine rule change means teachers must wait Sudden reversal by state officials causes confusion, concern

BY YESENIA ROBLES CHALKBEAT.ORG

Teachers and other school staff must wait for COVID-19 vaccinations until after first responders and people 70 and older are vaccinated, state officials told local public health agencies Jan. 5.

The updated direction will halt vaccination of school staff and other essential workers in Colorado after the week that ended Jan. 9, said Karen Miller, the nurse vaccine manager for the Tri-County Health Department, which serves Adams, Arapahoe, and Douglas counties.

Educators cheered the news the last week of 2020 that Gov. Jared Polis had moved them up in the state’s vaccine priority list, as most districts planned to bring students back to the classrooms this month.

But without a clear state plan, different districts have taken different paths — with some staff getting their first shots last week and others unlikely to have a chance until March. That disparity has generated confusion and frustration and raised concerns about how fairly the state and the chosen providers are distributing the vaccine.

The suburban Cherry Creek School District started vaccinating school nurses and health staff on New Year’s Day and laid out a plan to have all 9,000 staff members vaccinated by early February.

On social media, teachers in other districts said they had made appointments with private pharmacies using their district ID badges as proof of eligibility.

The updated guidance “definitely came as a surprise. Everyone is eager to get vaccine in arms, so we are aware that some school personnel have been vaccinated, but it will stop after this week,” Miller said last week. “They’ve received further direction that the priority is the 70 and older population.”

State issues letter on change

By the afternoon of Jan. 5, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment confirmed it had sent a letter to vaccine providers clarifying that they should prioritize first responders and older Coloradans before vaccinating school staff. The letter directs local public health agencies to plan to administer vaccines to teachers and other front-line workers after Feb. 28.

“It’s not anybody’s fault that this happened,” Miller said. “There wasn’t clear guidance. There was some confusion.”

A Cherry Creek spokesperson

said the district is following the state’s earlier vaccine priority plan and will continue as scheduled.

“This week, we are working on vaccinating school psychologists, social workers, and special education paras and will be moving on to educators next,” spokesperson Abbe Phillips wrote in an email last week.

But Centura Health, which partnered with Cherry Creek and other school districts, must follow the state’s new guidance.

Dr. Shauna Gulley, Centura Health senior vice president and chief clinical officer, said that as guidance has “evolved,” Centura will follow it and vaccinate only groups that the state identifies.

Some school staff will still qualify. In school districts, for now the priority may be health-care workers, physical therapists, and COVID screeners, Gulley said.

Colorado has created three priority levels for administering vaccines, with two groups, 1A and 1B, within the first. Phase 1B, which includes teachers, also includes health-care workers who don’t work directly with COVID patients, first responders, people 70 and older, and some essential workers. State officials estimate that more than 1 million people fall into this category.

The state further split the categories in Phase 1B by a dotted line, rather than by creating another group. Colorado is asking providers to vaccinate those groups listed above the dotted line first. School staff and other essential workers fall below the dotted line.

COVID safety measures help businesses stay open. Thank you for your continued support. Learn more at douglas.co.us/douglascovid19/keep-it-up-douglas-county

Are you a Douglas County property owner?

Look for your property tax notification in your mailbox the week of Jan. 18. Visit douglascotax.com to view parcel details, prior year payment history, pay taxes and more.

Still have questions visit douglas.co.us/treasurer

Looking for employment or career change?

Whether you’re a young person looking for career guidance, have recently been separated from a job or are considering a new career path, Arapahoe/Douglas Works! provides a variety of no-cost employment assistance services. For more information and to get started visit adworks.org

Volunteer to preserve our local history Do you have a a background in history or archeology and want to serve your community? If so, apply for an immediate opening on the Historic Preservation Board.

For more information and to complete an application visit douglas.co.us and search for Historic Preservation Board. Applications are due by Jan. 31, 2021.

Vaccine supply could play role

Asked about a timeline for educators, the governor’s office originally said teachers could expect to be vaccinated in February or March. The updated guidance on Jan. 5 reiterates that providers should plan to give teachers their first shots at the end of February, depending on the supply of vaccine from the federal government.

“Our top priorities are saving the most lives and ending the crisis brought on by the pandemic as soon as possible,” Conor Cahill, a spokesman for Polis, wrote in an email. “Right now Colorado is laser-focused on completing phase 1A and moving quickly on to vaccinate Coloradans who are over 70, which make up 78% of the deaths in the state, and expects to move to educators and other frontline essential workers in March.”

The announcement that Cherry Creek already was vaccinating school staff led some parents and teachers to ask why Denver Public Schools wasn’t doing the same.

Tay Anderson, who serves on the Denver school board, said it’s upsetting that staff in a wealthier, smaller school district were being SEE VACCINE, P4

Call for Entries Are you a sculptor? Have you considered submitting your artwork to the Douglas County Art Encounters public art program? Submit your entry at douglascountyartencounters2021-2022.artcall.org Entries will be received through Feb. 19. Selected work will be on display from May 2021 - May 2022. Visit artencounters.douglas.co.us for more information.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day office closure Douglas County offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 18, 2021.

Many services are available 24/7 at DoItOnlineDouglas.com

Visit douglas.co.us

4 Elbert County News

January 14, 2021J

VACCINE FROM PAGE 3

vaccinated before teachers in Denver. Nearly a third of Cherry Creek’s 54,000 students qualify for subsidized school meals, an indicator of family income, compared with nearly two-thirds of Denver Public Schools’ 92,000 students.

“DPS is not trying to have people risk their lives or feel like they’re unsafe to come to work,” he said. “We’re trying our hardest to get folks vaccinated.”

He said districts shouldn’t have to compete for access to the vaccine.

Denver Public Schools officials said they’re working with local public health officials on a vaccination plan and will have more information soon.

On social media, teachers from across the state reported scheduling appointments to get the vaccine at private pharmacies using their district ID badges. But corporate spokespeople for several pharmacies in Colorado, including Safeway, CVS, and Walgreens, said they are focused on vaccinating people who have higher priority on the state’s new list.

“We look forward to eventually moving into other phases with the state as more populations become eligible for vaccination,” CVS spokesperson Monica Prinzing said.

A Cherry Creek spokesperson said some suburban districts

before most had joined in educators get a partnership the first shot. with Centura “There are to more quickly questions vaccinate about equity school staff. and just the A spokesman process of for the Sherihow this gets dan district rolled out,” she confirmed added. “There that as part of are questions that partnerabout how ship letters some districts had gone out can get it from Centura sooner, and othinviting school ers are being nurses and told they need other staff to to wait. It is make vaccine causing more appointments, Bret Miles, questions and with workers who could be head of the Colorado Association confusion.” classified as of School Executives first responders Call for clear ahead of classdirection room teachers.

Bret Miles, Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of head of the Colorado Associathe Colorado Education Association of School Executives, which tion, the union that represents represents superintendents, said many teachers, bus drivers, cafdistrict leaders need clear direceteria workers and other school tion from the state on how they’re staff, said the lack of a clear plan supposed to set up vaccination has caused confusion. efforts, including in rural areas “When educators found out, where there are few health-care they welcomed that news, and providers or pharmacies. they started calling their districts, “I wouldn’t fault any district their health care-providers, and leader that does anything to help even us, saying, `When can we and advocate for their employees, come in and get the shot?’” she but we should have a statewide said. “It’s become clear that this system where we all know where is going to be district by district, we fit,” he said. working with local public health, Many district leaders had hoped and it does look like it is going to the vaccination of teachers and be late February or early March other school staff will provide

‘I wouldn’t fault any district leader that does anything to help and advocate for their employees, but we should have a statewide system where we all know where we fit.’

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CITY OF AURORA

$8,500 in donations to a memorial fund for Mason, which his family requested be earmarked for training of firefighters in the future.

Donations will be used to expand the existing fire training center in Kiowa, and when completed it will be the only one of its kind in the county. Agencies from seven surrounding districts will have access to the training ground, eliminating the need for firefighters to travel to Aurora or Parker for advanced training.

“The response from the community has been amazing,” said Don Ogborn, deputy fire chief.

“This has really been a group effort, with people donating not just through his memorial fund, but also in the form of donated time and equipment. This wouldn’t be possible without everyone who has helped.”

Expansion to the facility, located at 731 Comanche St. in Kiowa, will include four Cones boxes, which are like shipping containers, each one 10 to 40 feet in length and nine feet high. The

peace of mind to people working in classrooms and will reduce the disruptions caused by frequent quarantines.

However, Polis has said repeatedly that the reopening of school buildings should not depend on teachers being vaccinated. District plans mostly call for a phased return to the classroom this month, while widespread vaccination of school staff would take much longer than that.

“I’m not sure that vaccination really was the solution for this school year, for a meaningful second semester,” Miles said. “We’re still facing the same challenges as the fall.”

But having educators higher in the priority list will still matter for running summer school programs and making sure all school staff have been vaccinated before fall 2021, he said.

For now, state officials control the distribution of vaccines, Miller said. Local public health authorities helped to identify which providers such as hospitals and pharmacies could administer shots to large numbers of people, but state officials are the ones who decide how much goes to each site.

This story is from Chalkbeat Colorado, a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. Used by permission. For more, and to support Chalkbeat, visit co.chalkbeat.org.

Chalkbeat reporters Erica Meltzer and Melanie Asmar contributed to this report.

containers will be arranged to resemble a one-story home with a walk-out basement. The finished training site will include a designated forcible entry site, a wildland fire training area, an auto extrication pad and a vehicle fire site.

Firefighters will be able to train in a variety of scenarios, including dragging hoses through a live fire, rescuing people from a smoke-filled home, fighting woodland fires and rescuing drivers who are trapped inside of their vehicles after an accident.

“This training prop will be the only one of its kind in the county,” said Ogborn. “It will also be available for local law enforcement agencies for training purposes.”

Ogborn said the district will hold an open house for the community to visit the new training center when it’s completed, hopefully in the spring. Donations are always welcome, and can be dropped at the station at 403 County Road 45 or mailed to P.O. Box 321, Kiowa, CO 80117.

A video featuring Colton Mason can be found on the district’s Facebook page at Kiowa Fire Protection District.

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Elbert County News 5

1January 14, 2021

RULE CHANGE FROM PAGE 1

They also needed to form a committee of business owners to help self-regulate within the county, dand report to the CDPHE on any complaints or non-compliance issues with businesses.

The Five Star certification would allow Elbert County businesses that received the variance to operate at level orange on the dial, one step less restrictive than the red status that mandated restaurants provide only takeout and curbside service.

The county received approval for the certification program from the Colorado Department of Health and Environment on Dec. 30, and the stage was set for eight local restaurants to be open for business Dec. 31, after putting in hours of work and spending money to meet the criteria put forth by the CDPHE. Then, that same day, Gov. Jared Polis announced that all counties in the red level would be summarily dialed back to level orange. The announcement came as a surprise to local officials, and was frustrating for Elbert County officials and business owners.

“Confusion is shared by many,” said Commissioner Richardson.

“It is clear that CDPHE didn’t expect the governor to direct status changes not supported by the state’s published metrics.”

Polis’ declaration, according to Richardson, once again changed

terly report,” wrote Richardson. the rules mid-game.

“Under the Five Star program as “The new restrictions on those who have worked hard to jump published by CDPHE, businesses through all the hoops placed bewere to be able to operate one fore them just so they can operate level down the dial, orange while businesses that have been proven in red, yellow while in orange, safe throughout the pandemic is etc.,” said Richardson. CDPHE’s a slap in their face. As an indilatest, and it has been evolving, vidual comis now that missioner, as a regardless of member of the color designatcounty board ed, authority of health, and to operate one in cooperation level down will with other local not be given ungovernment til we sustain officials across seven days in the state, I the metrics of will work to that associated eliminate this with the level restriction and designated.” continue to do If Elbert all I can to get County once our businesses again reaches safely open.” the red level, Commisbusinesses with sioner Grant the Five Star certification Chris Richardson, Thayer agreed the conwill be able Elbert County commissioner that stant changes to continue to are challengoperate at the ing, but said he orange level. feels the county Richardson is moving in the right direction posted a lengthy opinion on his as far as a decrease in COVID-19 Facebook page regarding the numbers and measures taken by recent changes, and said the local officials and Elbert County changes were based on “political residents. science” rather than “scientific “Our incidence rate, and our science.” ability for small businesses to “The timing of the governor’s serve the community, are gravitatdecision (and it’s clear it was a ing in a positive direction,” said decision not sought by his own Thayer. “Hospitalizations are well public health experts) coincided within anything that is considwith the release of the U.S. Buered acceptable.” reau of Economic Analysis quar-

‘Confusion is shared by many. It is clear that CDPHE didn’t expect the governor to direct status changes not supported by the state’s published metrics.’

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6 Elbert County News

H

LOCAL

January 14, 2021J

VOICES

Apparently this road was paved with good intentions

arry and I went for a Sunday drive.

Only I made a big mistake. I forgot to put the “Sunday Drive” sign in the window that lets everyone know we’re on the road for leisure, not for QUIET the rat race.

DESPERATION I apologized to the dog and told him to fasten his seat belt.

Sure enough, before I could get to the corner we were followed too closely by someone who was in a Craig Marshall hurry.

Smith Undoubtedly in a hurry to get somewhere and start tweeting and texting.

The Bangles and I used to look forward to Sundays.

The Bangles, an all-woman group, considered Sunday their “fun day.” (“Manic Monday” was written

by Prince. Prince had a crush

on Bangles lead singer Susanna Hoffs. Who didn’t? However, the song was originally intended for another group. For some reason, “Manic Monday” was credited to Prince’s pseudonym: “Christopher.”)

Sundays will never be the same.

Not the way they were. At least not here in the city.

Maybe on the eastern plains, Sundays are slower than the rest of the week.

Not around here.

I drive the limit, maybe five over. It’s not enough. I’m holding everyone up.

“Get out of the way, you plodder, you slowcoach, you malingerer. Your mother was a hamster.”

Maybe I don’t have the right kind of vehicle. All I have now is this station wagon. No one respects station wagons.

Station wagons plod because they’re family cars and dad doesn’t want to endanger his wife and kids.

Except I don’t have a wife and kids; I have large paintings that need to be moved from place to

place.

But the perception is the same: You can and should tailgate a station wagon.

What I’d like to have is an Aston-Martin DB5 that spews oil and carpet tacks.

Harry and I were tailgated five times between home and Elizabeth where I thought we’d be rid of the problem.

Surely in Elizabeth on a Sunday the roads are benign. I was wrong.

A red pickup honked at us.

“Move it on over, you bootless fustilarian.”

Steven Spielberg’s first film was a dandy titled “Duel.” It starred Dennis Weaver as a businessman who is driving his Plymouth Valiant in Southern California on the way to see a client.

Weaver’s antagonist is the unseen driver of an old Peterbilt 281 that chases him up and down the remote highway.

There’s very little dialogue and none between Weaver and his adversary.

Weaver looks like he’s done for

but (spoiler alert) manages to outsmart the trucker.

The beautifully choreographed final scene, when the truck in flames goes off a cliff, features the exasperated groans not of the truck driver but of the truck.

I’m not an advocate of road rage. It’s tempting, but you never know who is in the car behind you.

It might be Satan and Satan might be having a particularly bad day.

As cars pass us, the drivers usually look at me with disdain and generally with sneers.

When I was a kid, the Smiths often went for a Sunday afternoon drive. We were a one-car family and it — most often a Ford — was used primarily for commuting and errands, but not for leisure.

Perhaps the answer is to take an afternoon drive in the middle of the night.

Craig Marshall Smith is an artist, educator and Highlands Ranch resident. He can be reached at craigmarshallsmith@comcast.net.

Let the story, our story, unfold

D

o you remember that old saying, “Never judge a book by its cover?” Well, if you are like me, and if you don’t mind admitting just how many times that you made the big mistake of rushing to judgment WINNING too soon, we can WORDS probably agree that we may have made some poor decisions along the way because we judged someone or something prematurely.

We form opinions based on the way someone Michael Norton looks, the car they drive, the career they have chosen, the house of worship they attend, the friends they keep, and the posts they place on social media. We judge others who drive too fast or too slowly, use their blinker to make a turn that is so far away, or they don’t use a blinker at all. Seems like lately, and all too often, we have become the judge and the jury.

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My Uncle Harry used to say something to me each time we talked. He would say, “Now Michael, just remember that there is never anything so good that it can’t get better. And there isn’t anything so bad that it can’t get worse.” I must have been a little hard of hearing because as an eternal optimist I only paid attention to the first sentence, “There is never anything so good that it can’t get better.” And I have found that to be one of the character traits of many successful people who have endured hardships, survived bad economies, and found opportunity in the middle of crises.

“Did you ever notice that some people go around looking for the bad like there is some kind of reward for it?” - Zig Ziglar If we look for the bad, we will find it for sure. If we look for the good, we will find that as well.

And as Andrew Carnegie said, “Sometimes you have to move a ton of dirt to find an ounce of gold.”

You see, we are only two weeks into the new year, and many of

us have already judged or decided what the book on 2021 will be about. If we are determined that it will be good or better than good, that is awesome. If some of us have already given up and can’t see anything but trouble ahead, my encouragement would be not to rush to judgment so quickly.

What if we look at the upcoming year as a 365-page book with a prologue, 12 chapters, and an epilogue. The prologue might be the year that we just left behind, but it could also be the fantastic years that preceded 2020. And if we jumped ahead and were able to read what happens next in 2022, we might be able to feel like we are on solid footing or at least see the light at the end of the tunnel.

As much as the prologue or forward of a book sets the stage and the epilogue lets us know what happens afterward, it’s really the story that compels us to want to read and keep reading. Perhaps we received books as a gift this season, maybe we already had a stack of books waiting to be read.

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efranks@coloradocommunitymedia.com

And I’ll bet that we just can’t wait to get into the stories, characters, adventures, romances, dramas, or comedies of each one.

So, let’s not rush to judgment about what may or may not happen this year. Let’s not judge this book by its cover just yet, instead maybe we can get into the story, get into our story, because as it turns out, we will be the main character.

How about you? Have you read the inside flap and back cover and determined that you already know how the story will unfold?

Or are you willing to be an active participant, determined to enjoy each page and chapter as we go through these next 12 months?

I really would love to hear your story at mnorton@tramazing. com, and when we settle in with our book and our own story of life, it really will be a better than good year.

Michael Norton is the grateful CEO of Tramazing.com, a personal and professional coach, and a consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator to businesses of all sizes.

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

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

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

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Elbert County News 7

1January 14, 2021

Battling the pandemic ‘ultramarathon’ Even a short time wearing mask ‘could save somebody’s life,’ Centennial ER nurse says

priority of which patients to treat first — health-care workers assign the levels red, yellow and green based on the urgency of the problem, said Schroder, a clinical nurse coordinator who has worked in health care “at bedside” for 22 years.

She started as a certified nursing assistant, worked as an emergency medical technician for 10 years and has worked as a nurse for 10 1/2 years.

“For me, having done this for such a long time, I think I had the advantage of treating my stressors as: OK, is this immediately life-threatening?

Requires my attention but can wait?

Or is it somewhere in the middle?”

Schroder said. She added: “I think in my personal life and as far as my mental health, that’s helped me out a lot.”

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Even though he had followed all the guidelines — social distancing, wearing a mask, spending most of his time at home, washing his hands — a senior still arrived at Centennial Medical Plaza, feeling tired but thinking the sensation would go away.

Without a smartphone or tablet, the man was communicating with family on the landline in the emergency room.

Emergency-room nurse Michelle Schroder knew, after observing the man’s condition, that her staff would need to transfer him to another medical campus. And she knew that, at the time, visitors were not allowed. The man had come to Schroder’s building with his wife and daughter.

“I just had a sinking feeling that that was going to be the last time he was going to see his family,” said Schroder, 48. She added: “It’s kind of a feeling that’s really hard to shake.”

Working in the ER, Schroder sees patients leave and usually doesn’t find out what happens to them next.

She never found out what happened to the senior.

“They go home or they get admitted (to a hospital) and it’s not often that we know the outcomes of the patients,” Schroder said.

“We’re in their lives for just a brief moment, and that’s it.”

It’s one of the challenges that Schroder, who lives in southeast Aurora, has faced during 10 months of working a job that puts her faceto-face with the pandemic and the array of emotions that it entails.

She remembers the stress as COVID-19 patients first began to surge into local health-care facilities as the pandemic mounted in Colorado.

“I remember the very first shift when we realized, ‘Hey, it’s here, this is a problem,’ and just feeling as if something really bad was just going to come through the doors,” Schroder said.

Working in emergency medicine, the scene can feel like all-or-nothing: Nurses go through hours of shifts with smaller matters, such as lacerations or sore throats, and then someone arrives with a more acute emergency — having a heart attack or a stroke, Schroder said.

“But you never really worry too much about what’s going to come through the door,” Schroder said. As a nurse, “you know you can handle it,” she added.

With treating COVID-19, though, “it almost felt like because we didn’t know what it was. It felt a lot scarier,” Schroder said.

As she watched Colorado’s public health restrictions in March slowly build up into a stay-at-home order, she had no idea how long it would be before things started to return to normal and people could safely

‘We weren’t planning on a marathon’ Michelle Schroder, 48, an emergency-room nurse for Centennial Medical Plaza, poses for a photo Dec. 24 at Southlands outdoor mall in southeast Aurora, a place she somePHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD times goes to with her family in her free time.

socialize again.

“In the very beginning I just took it in a day-by-day basis,” Schroder said. “And I think that’s what a lot of other folks did as well. That feeling of, ‘March and April lasted two years.’ It was the feeling of being fully in the day, minute by minute, waiting and watching. I knew it wouldn’t last forever — I figured it would be less than two years. But had no idea.”

it’s a ‘red.’”

In the system of “triage” — the

Because Centennial Medical Plaza doesn’t have inpatient beds, Schroder hasn’t had to confront COVID-19 deaths but has responded to severe illness. She and her staff care for patients in the short term until they SEE NURSE, P13

‘A mom of schoolkids’

A day after receiving her first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine in midDecember, despite all the trials of fielding patients in a pandemic, Schroder still smiled when talking about her experience living through COVID-19’s spread in Colorado.

“In the beginning, people would say, ‘Gosh, this must be such a change for you,’” Schroder said.

“And (already) having to work nights and sleep in the day, having kids in school, having a husband, not a whole lot changed for me in terms of my routine. I’m a mom of schoolkids, so you need to do the same things: You need to make dinner, help with schoolwork, make sure the house is in some kind of order.”

With her husband working from home and her two kids taking classes online after Cherry Creek School District went remote in March, getting adequate sleep between her shifts was difficult at first, but the family learned to adjust. The isolation from friends and “the heaviness of the situation” weighed on her kids and husband, but Schroder says her own mental health wasn’t impacted.

She found her experience partly summed up when watching a TED Talk, a popular type of thought-provoking speech posted online.

“It was an ER doctor who was talking about, ‘How do you manage stress during the time of the pandemic?’” Schroder said. “She said it’s the constant triage we do. It’s reprioritizing the information, the stressors that are coming in to us.

We can’t treat every stressor as if

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Elbert County News 9

January 14, 2021

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LOCAL

LIFE

January 14, 2021J

Exploring Denver through photographs Y/OUR Denver Photography Competition on view virtually through March 1

BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

T

he digital exhibition of the 2020 Y/OUR Denver Photography Competition is available for viewing through March 1.

It is available on the following websites: Denver Architecture Foundation, www. denverarchitecture.org; and Colorado Photographic Arts Center, www.cpacphoto.org.

The exhibit consists of 30 photographs, all by local photographers of varying skill levels, that depict Denver’s “vast and unique architecture” and includes “all forms of architectural imagery — black and white, color, exterior, interiors and detail images,” states a news release.

Put on by the nonprofits Denver Architecture Foundation and the Colorado Photographic Arts Center, Y/OUR Denver Photography Competition is a corresponding event to the Denver Architecture Foundation’s annual Doors Open Denver.

Doors Open Denver is an event during which the general public can access a variety of the city’s unique spaces. This year, the 16th annual Doors Open Denver, took place virtually Sept. 28-Oct. 15.

This is the third year for the Y/OUR Denver Photography Competition, and 225 entries were submitted to the competition. The 30 finalists part of the exhibition were juried by Samantha Johnston, executive director and curator of the Colorado Photographic Arts Center.

The four competition winners are: Best in Show: CROSSED PATHS by Scott Wilson Best Exterior: Reconstruction of Denver Art Museum by Faina Gurevich Best Interior: Belly of the Cathedral by Edward Huang Best Detail: Denver Series #72 by Rodney Gene Mahaffey “In a time when we are practicing safe social distancing and finding ourselves at home more than usual,” said Pauline Herrera, executive director of the Denver Architecture Foundation, in a news release, “our community can enjoy the beauty of Denver remotely through the Y/OUR Denver digital exhibition.”

Best Exterior: Reconstruction of Denver Art Museum by Faina Gurevich.

Best in Show: Crossed Paths by Scott Wilson.

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January 14, 2021J

U.S. senators, representatives tell of ‘anarchy,’ ‘attempted coup’ STAFF REPORT

Members of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate took to social media to share their experiences from the Capitol in Washington, D.C., amid protests and violence on Jan. 6.

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, via Twitter

• “President Trump instigated a violent attack on our Capitol.

He is a danger to our country. He should be impeached and removed from office DeGette immediately.”

• “We have been evacuated from the House chamber and moved to a safe location. This isn’t a protest. This is an attempted

RIOT FROM PAGE 2

Like Neguse, Crow reached out to his wife, Deserai, to tell her he loved her. “Tell the kids I love them, too,” he said.

“She knows that I’m somebody that when I’m in a situation like that I like to take action,” he said. “She just reminded me that I have young kids and not to put myself in a dangerous position.”

coup. I never thought we’d see such anarchy spurred by our own president.”

U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Aurora, via Twitter

• “We have stopped the coup attempt and will be returning to the Capitol today to finish the business of the people. We will never back down, we will return.”

• “I was trapped in the House Chamber with a few members for a little while as protestors tried to ram down the doors. We didn’t know how we were gonna get out, but Capitol Police were able to clear a route and get us out. We’re all now being protected in a secure location.”

U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Windsor, via Twitter

• “My staff and I are safe, please continue to pray for our nation. The

Crow said he was convinced that there was a battle ahead.

“I certainly haven’t felt that way since I was in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said. “I never, in a million years, would have thought I would have been experiencing that as a member of Congress in the U.S. Capitol.”

Eventually, law enforcement was able to escort the lawmakers to safety.

“I’m still working through it, honestly,” Crow said five hours later. “I’m still pro-

events unfolding at the Capitol are outrageous. We will not tolerate anarchy in this country.”

• “This is not a protest, this is anarchy. This needs to stop, it’s unAmerican.”

are in a safe location. Thank you to all of our brave law enforcement officials for working so hard to protect the Capitol complex. Keep the faith.”

U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Arvada, via Twitter

“I am safe and my staff is safe. We are currently in a secure lockdown.

Today’s attack on the Capitol and our democracy is dangerous and unacceptable.”

“I’m safe, but I’m filled w/sadness & anger as we witness these protests. It’s the result of a fever that has been building for weeks, months & years, and which has only been further incited by President Trump.

Today is a point of inflection & reflection, & we need to say enough.”

U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Lafayette, via Twitter

“My staff and I are safe — we were evacuated from the House floor, and

cessing the experience.”

Buck was on the House floor as the rioters advanced toward the chamber.

As was Boebert.

Boebert tweeted during lockdown

“Locked in the House chambers,” Boebert tweeted at 2:17 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

One minute later she tweeted again. “The speaker has been removed,” she said.

Buck said the rioters were trying to enter the

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Denver, via Twitter

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Denver, via Twitter

“My staff and I are safe and in a secure lockdown. Grateful to Capitol Police for their work to protect us.

It’s a sad day for our country, but our democracy is stronger than the dangerous attack on the Capitol today.”

House chambers by breaking panes of glass on doors leading to the floor.

“It almost sounded like gunfire, but it clearly wasn’t gunfire,” Buck said. “It was just a metal object breaking the glass.”

A few minutes later, lawmakers were ordered to leave.

“Then they evacuated the floor. We went through the tunnels to evacuation points,” he said.

Neguse said he won’t be intimidated by the rioters.

“I feel more emboldened

than I certainly did this morning,” he said. “The work that we are doing today is of a critical importance. It’s critical for our country and, frankly, for the rest of the world, to see us finish the job. I intend to do that.”

This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalistowned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. Used by permission.

For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com.

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Elbert County News 13

1January 14, 2021

’

‘I still remain humbled’

FROM PAGE 7

are transferred to inpatient care — the plaza can’t keep patients overnight.

That will change when the plaza completes an expansion to become the newly named Centennial Hospital, a shift expected in the upcoming months of 2021.

By that time, the landscape of the pandemic in Colorado could be markedly different. The highest-risk health care workers and individuals — and then Coloradans aged 70 and up, moderate-risk health care workers, first responders and “frontline” essential workers — are expected to have access to the vaccine this winter, according to Colorado’s COVID-19 website. Up next are other high-risk individuals and other essential workers in spring, and then comes the general public in the summer.

The vaccine rollout’s timeline could change based on logistical factors involving the federal government and health-care providers, according to the governor’s office.

As Schroder watched Colorado’s public health restrictions take hold of daily life, she thought of the timeline of the 1918 flu pandemic, hoping the public could avoid some of the pitfalls society faced back then.

The world has more advanced technology and better health care now, “but really what it came down to was prevention, and that holds true for any medical condition that can be acquired,” Schroder said.

She felt prepared to handle the coronavirus pandemic in the short term, but she thinks what’s wearing on health professionals now is how long the pandemic has endured at severe levels.

“We weren’t planning on this being a marathon, and I think it’s more turned into an ultramarathon,” Schroder said.

Reading fiction books — stories that have “absolutely nothing to do with medicine,” she said with a smile — has helped her move forward through the slog of working through the pandemic month after month. So has watching TV shows as a family, which came as a new aspect of life in her home amid the pandemic, along with doing puzzles together and taking the dog on walks more often.

Some activities she and her husband miss the most are attending concerts at small venues where friends of theirs would perform, Schroder said.

As public activities hopefully become safer, Schroder is looking forward to skiing again now that resorts have opened up.

“I still have my pass in hand and ready to go,” she smiled.

Answers

Solution © 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

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14 Elbert County News

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Elbert County News 15

1January 14, 2021

County, sheriff’s office donate hundreds of pounds of food STAFF REPORT

For the first time, the Douglas County Department of Human Services and the sheriff ’s office teamed up to donate canned food and other nonperishable items to the Help and Hope Center this holiday season.

Through the food drive competition, the sheriff ’s office brought in 967 pounds of food and the department of human services gathered 625 pounds.

The Help and Hope Center serves Douglas and Elbert County residents experiencing economic difficulties, home-

lessness and other crises. They provide food, toiletries, clothing, housing assistance, employment assistance and other services.

“If you or someone you know could use a little extra help this holiday season, or any other time during the year, please don’t hesitate to contact the Help and Hope Center,” according to a post from the sheriff ’s office.

Donations to the nonprofit organization can be made through arranging a pick-up or drop-off with their team. More information is available at helpandhopecenter.org/donate.

Sheriff’s deputies help load the nonperishable food items they gathered for the Help and Hope Center into a donation truck.

COURTESY OF DCSO

All-women dental practice to open in Parker Isra Ahmed envisions ‘community hub’ for dentistry

BY NICK PUCKETT NPUCKETT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A multi-disciplinary, all-women dental service provider is opening in Parker by the end of the month, the first of its kind in the Denver area.

Isra Ahmed, of Denver, is moving a new practice to Parker to fulfill a need that has been a dream of hers since Ahmed she started dental school at the University of Colorado — a “community hub” for dental work.

Ahmed, 30, will head a practice of all-women dentists, including an orthodontist, endodontist, periodontist and herself, a prosthodontist. Hers will be the first prosthodontist practice in Parker, at 11005 S. Parker Road.

Ahmed, 30, grew up in Sudan and emigrated to Denver in 2001 amid

the Sudanese Civil War. She draws her inspiration from her father, and credits where she is today because of him.

“The reason I don’t bring up the story is because I don’t like when people define by where I’ve been,” Ahmed said. “I like when people define me by where I am now.”

Colorado Community Media spoke with Ahmed recently about beginning her new dream practice in Parker.

What is prosthodontics?

Prosthodontics is one of the recognized specialties in the dental field. Basically, it’s the most comprehensive specialty of them all.

If you can think of a traffic light, directing every specialty in dentistry—that’s what a prosthodontist is. We work a lot with multidisciplinary cases, meaning one case could entail different specialties, meaning ortho- (braces), endo(root canals), oral surgery (restructuring the jaw and bone, implants).

You can think of a prosthodontist as someone equipped to put together a case, diagnose it in a very detailed manner and execute a plan …

It’s becoming more and more in-

teresting and relevant to the public because there’s a lot of digital stuff that’s going into it. Digital dentistry is a large part of prosthodontics, these days.

What is this new practice you’re opening in Parker?

This office that we’re building is a multi-disciplinary women provider network …

What I’m trying to do here, there are some providers I’ve been talking to — an orthodontist wants to join us, a periodontist (specializing in fine-tune surgery) … also an endodontist, and then me, a prosthodontist.

Sort of like a one-stop shop?

I don’t want to have this center be a “one-stop shop.” I don’t want to have that. For me, I want it to be more of a community center. I want other dentists to utilize our center and I want to refer to other dentists on smaller cases they can do or cases that are prevalent. I want to involve the community in other aspects of this practice, which is focused on women and children — that’s another aspect I’m very passionate about.

I want to do a lot of volunteer

work here, too. I want it to be a hub for the community—that’s the best way to describe it. Because we have a lot of tools, we can help a lot of people, not just dental, but everything else.

I’m not interested in doing quantity. I’m not interested in having a waiting room full of people, that’s not me. I’m interested in delivering very customized ways of doing dentistry that’s catered to the individual.

What makes this place unique to Parker?

Here, in Parker, there is no prosthodontist, so it’s definitely a prosthodontist under-served area, and there is a need. The other part of it is, an all-women provider network like this is unheard of.

The only women care provider places you think of are like a women’s health clinic, which is catered to women. That’s not what we’re trying to do here. We’re trying to provide access to patients who want women providers — men and women. We’re not saying we’re catered to women only.

We’re saying we are women who are a group, a collaborative group, who want to provide the best care for you.

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PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 Legals City and County Public Notice NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR Breglio PUD Amendment Administrative Change CASE NUMBER PA-20-0079 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE 60 County Road 166, Parker, CO 80138 PROPERTY SHALL BE CONSIDERED FOR A PUD Amend-

ment Administrative Change, PURSUANT TO ELBERT COUNTY REGULATIONS. THE HEARING IS TO BE HELD BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMISSION ON THE 3rd DAY OF February 2021, IN THE ELBERT COUNTY BUILDING, COMMISSIONERS’ BOARD ROOM, 215 COMANCHE STREET, KIOWA, COLORADO, AT 1:00 A.M./P.M., OR AS SOON THEREAFTER AS POSSIBLE. CONTACT ELBERT COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FOR MORE INFORMATION: 303-621-3185 Legal Description: Section: 10 Township: 7 Range: 65Subdivision: BREGLIO PUD DEVELOPMENT,

legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com

PAR IN NW4NW4: 10 7 65 N 829.71' X 525' Legal Notice No. 24538 First Publication: January 14, 2021 Last Publication: January 14, 2021 Publisher: The Elbert County News

Notice to Creditors PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Bruce Alan Wood, Deceased Case Number: 2020 PR 12 All persons having claims against the above-

named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Elbert County, Colorado on or before April 30, 2021, or the claims may be forever barred.

Barbara Susan Wood Personal Representative P.O. Box 702 Elizabeth, Colorado 80107 Legal Notice No: 24532 First Publication: December 31, 2020 Last Publication: January 14, 2021 Publisher: Elbert County News ______________________________________ Public Notice

Development Impact Fees

Notice is hereby given pursuant to C.R.S. 29-1109 that a public hearing regarding Development Impact Fees for Elbert County Government will be held on February 10, 2021 at 9:00am in the Board of County Commissioners Hearing Room located at the Elbert County Administration Building, 215 Comanche Street, Kiowa, CO 80117.

Legal Notice No. 24539 First Publication: January 14, 2021 Last Publication: January 14, 2021 Publisher: The Elbert County News ###

Elbert County Legals 1.14.21 * 1

16 Elbert County News

January 14, 2021

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