Jeffco Transcript February 27, 2025

BY NATHANIEL MINOR CPR NEWS

Cities say they won’t follow new laws on housing

Leaders of a growing number of Colorado cities are indicating they don’t intend to comply with recently passed state laws that will pre-empt local governments’ control of parking, housing density and other land use issues.

Local governments in Colorado and across the U.S. have historically had domain over the rules that shape their growth.

State legislators took a swipe at that last year, passing a suite of bills aimed at increasing the state’s housing supply and boosting transit use by requiring some cities to allow more accessory dwelling units, apartments, townhomes, duplexes and other multi-family dwellings, and less parking in certain areas.

Now, as various compliance deadlines loom, cities including Boulder, Broom eld, Fort Collins, Longmont and Denver, are moving to reshape local rules and codes to conform to the new state laws.

But other local governments are pushing back. O cials in Westminster, Arvada, Colorado Springs, and Northglenn have at least suggested, and in some cases explicitly said, that they won’t follow some of the laws.

ey cite varied issues like inadequate infrastructure, unreliable transit service, and the loss of neighborhood character.

ere’s one common objection, too: the loss of local control.

“Folks, this is insanity,” Westminster Mayor Nancy McNally said during a City Council meeting earlier this month in which she and other members directed city sta to not to comply with three of the new laws.

“I believe this is total overreach by our state government who should have a billion other things to be looking at, not how we run our cities,” she added.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Gov. Jared Polis said the state and local governments should work together to solve Colorado’s housing a ordability crisis.

“We would expect local leaders to of course follow the law, help deliver more housing now, and save people money. Local governments must follow the laws of Colorado,” Eric Maruyama wrote in an email.

It’s unclear whether the conicts will escalate to legal action, though some cities have already discussed the possibility of suing the state over the laws. How the disputes shake out could help determine where development powers rest in Colorado, and how its residents live and move through it in the future.

Westminster: Fears of Soviet-style apartment blocs

One of the marquee bills passed last session forces some cities to allow greater housing density near certain transit lines. e law requires such cities to set “housing opportunity

goals,” which are calculated by using a formula that considers the amount of land near existing or planned transit stations and lines.

A map produced by the state identi es a Regional Transportation District commuter rail station, two stations on its frequent Flatiron Flyer bus route along U.S. 36, and the Federal Boulevard corridor as areas eligible for denser housing. Under the law, Westminster could choose to concentrate its more dense housing zones in only some of those areas or petition the state to put it elsewhere in the city.

After subtracting acreage exempt allowed under the law, like open space and ood plains, Westminster sta estimate the city’s housing opportunity goal is 50,506 units — just more than the 50,323 existing housing units in the city.

One Westminster city councilor took that gure as an indication that Soviet-style apartment blocs could be in the o ng.

“I want to know … who the state thinks is going to live in these 50,000 units,” said council member Kristine Ireland.

“Everyone’s going to ee this state in droves because people want single family homes,” she added. “ at’s why people are leaving this state. ey don’t want to live in apartments from birth to death. I saw this stu in Russia and it was built under Lenin.”

Having a goal of 50,506 units, however, does not necessarily mean that 50,506 new housing units will be built.

Rather, the law requires Westminster to change its zoning to allow that many units to exist in

certain areas near transit. Some housing already exists in those zones, and the city’s current zoning allows for more.

City sta downplayed the impact its existing housing stock and zoning capacity would have on its goal, saying most land near transit corridors and stations do not have housing densities that meet the minimum of 15 units per acre and cumulative average of 40 units per acre required by the law. A neighborhood of four-story apartments would have roughly 40 units per acre.

e city, however, has already embraced high-density development in areas like its new downtown, built on the site of an old mall and near a Flatiron Flyer station. ose developments will help the city meet its goal and o er an example for what it will need to do elsewhere, said Matt Frommer, transportation and land use policy manager with the Southwest Energy Efciency Project, an advocacy group that supported the housing bills.

“ ey’re blessed with good transit,” Frommer said. “And that’s where we want to build more housing to address our transportation and climate issues and provide more a ordable housing.”

Market forces will also be a key factor in what eventually is built, Frommer said.

“You need the stars to align,” he said. “ e landowner needs to want to build housing and it needs to make sense for them nancially.”

e state Department of Local A airs, which is overseeing implementation of the transit-

apartments and other multifamily projects close to some transit lines starting this sum-

Legislative backers and housing advocates say such local parking regulations drive up housing construction costs, rents, and contribute to sprawling neighborhoods di cult to navigate outside of a car.

In Arvada, the law would limit the city’s ability to require developers include parking for new housing near RTD commuter rail stations and ve local bus lines. While the City Council has not yet taken a formal position on the new laws, a spokesperson said, several city leaders said in a recent meeting that they would undermine the city’s character and its ability to determine its own future.

“Our [parking] code de nitely matches the character of our community,” said councilmember John Marriott, adding: “We have been exible and are willing to have conversations with our community about what this should be and balancing these competing interests. But to have the state dictate to us that this is what’s going to be, I think, is completely wrong.”

“I believe this is total overreach by our state government who should have a billion other things to be looking at, not how we run our cities.”

Nancy McNally Westminster Mayor

oriented communities law and others, and Westminster, both issued statements to CPR News emphasizing collaboration — but also staking out their respective territories.

DOLA Executive Director Maria De Cambra said the department would ensure “all actions adhere to Colorado law” and a Westminster spokesperson said the city wants a solution that “respects home rule authority and the awareness of local control.”

e law requires a ected cities to change their zoning rules by the end of 2027.

Arvada: Stalled on the state’s new parking law

Another key law prevents some local governments from requiring parking be built with

Other members said it was unfair to force the city to penalize driving when a key factor — transit service — is outside of its control.

“RTD is the most unreliable organization,” said councilmember Bob Fifer.

“Our land use as a community should not be based on an organization that can’t get their act straight to even service our community,” he added. e on-time performance for RTD’s local buses has su ered in recent years, and during the pandemic, the agency pared back how often the G Line runs. at line stops at three stations in Arvada.

RTD’s aspirational service plan calls for restoring the G Line to 15-minute service during peak times, but in a new statement, an agency spokeswoman said there are no current plans to do so.

“ e agency closely monitors ridership trends and, when adjustments may be necessary, makes every e ort to provide a level of service that supports demand,” spokeswoman Pauline Haberman wrote in an email.

Haberman also touted the agency’s current plans to restore service across the Denver metro this year. e state will also soon begin to contribute more funding for transit operations, including at RTD.

RTD plans to increase service on a dozen routes in May, though not on any that will affect Arvada’s parking regulations. e ve lines that will affect Arvada’s parking regulations only run every half-an-hour at the most, RTD schedules show.

Arvada Councilmember John Marriott speaking at candidates forum in 2024.

PHOTO BY LILLIAN FUGLEI

As Cities Deal With Homelessness & Affordability, Look for a Greater Focus on Manufactured Homes

Two weeks ago, this column was about Colorado’s new law requiring jurisdictions to facilitate the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on parcels zoned single-family.

houses in a factory seemed impractical. However, with our patented shipping technology, merging housing with assembly line mass production could be a game changer.”

portant factor is solving our housing shortage.

Toward the end of that column I promoted two companies, Verdant Living and Boxabl, which sell ADUs which are factorybuilt and assembled onsite.

This week’s topic was inspired by the following statement contained in an email last week from Boxabl: “Did you know that car factories, like Ford, can output one car per minute? Why hasn’t anyone done that in the housing industry?

“It’s shocking to hear that homelessness in the U.S. reached an all-time high last year. At Boxabl, we’re committed to making a difference. We’re working hard to solve the problems that have stopped factory-built housing from gaining market share.

“Before Boxabl, the concept of building

In earlier columns I have written about modular and manufactured homes by other companies, including my Oct. 12, 2023, column featuring Dvele (Norwegian for “dwell”) whose website (www.Dvele.com) boasts that it has already delivered nearly 300 “modules” of “precision engineered sustainable homes.”

Dvele defines the problem thus: “We’re facing multiple crises in housing, availability and affordability, energy, security, health issues, and a changing weather system. With Dvele, we sit at the intersection with our mass produced, high performance, health centric homes. And they’re improving the future for everyone.”

Dvele claims that by manufacturing homes in a factory and assembling them onsite, they reduce construction time by 80% — an im-

On May 18, 2023, I wrote about another company, Liv-Connected, which specializes in small homes that are “ready to ship and install within 12 weeks. These are small homes, although they offer versions up to 2,500 square feet, including a 2-story model. Homes can be delivered on standard flat-bed trailers and can be installed onsite in as little as a day, once site preparation (foundation, etc.) is complete. Like Boxabl, they also sell a model that is on wheels built to RV standards. Their website is www.Liv-Connected.com

With prices as low as $165,000 for a 500square-foot home, Liv-Connected’s singlefamily Conexus model (pictured at left) has been selected by Hawaii and Texas for disaster response initiatives, according to the website.

I look forward to hearing more about manufactured housing in the future, especially as it relates to homelessness.

U.S. Farmers Are Turning Less Soil

Modern, mechanized tillage had become an ecological disaster, killing all that was alive in the soil while worsening erosion and runoff. But this is all changing, primarily because farmers recognize the economic benefits — less fertilizer and diesel fuel to buy, lower labor costs, higher crop yields and profits — that can come with no-till farming or reduced tillage…

The shift has been gradual, but sweeping over time. In 1973, 82.2 percent of U.S. cropland was managed by conventional tillage, according to the Agriculture Department, and only 2 percent was managed by “no-till” methods, with the remaining 15.8 percent using reduced tillage. Half a century later, only 27 percent of U.S. cropland uses conventional tillage, with 38 percent now using no-till and 35 percent using reduced tillage, according to the USDA’s 2022 agricultural census, released last year. The acreage under conventional tillage dropped by 8 percent between 2017 and 2022 alone.

—Dana

Millbank, Washington Post

Buyers Need and Deserve Professional Representation, But Here’s Why They Shouldn’t Have to Pay for It

It should be clear by now that “not much has changed” regarding sellers compensating the buyer’s broker in most real estate transactions. What has changed is that buyer agents must use other means than the MLS (e.g., calling the listing agent) to find out what compensation is offered for each listing.

First, let me outline the important services that are required in any transaction. Let’s start with all transactions, whether or not the buyer is taking out a mortgage loan.

Although the purchase contract can move some of these expenses to the seller’s side, that is rare, because it will make the purchase offer less attractive, with the buyer losing out:

For All Home Purchases:

Recording the deed with the county

Tax certificate

State document fee

Half of the closing services fee

Appraisal (if ordered)

HOA fees (if applicable, per contract)

Water & sewer adjustments

Additional Costs with a Mortgage:

Mortgage title policy & endorsements

Mortgage closing fee

Recording the deed of trust with county

Tax service (if charged by lender)

First year’s insurance premium

2 to 3 months’ insurance reserve (escrow)

1 to 2 months’ property tax reserve

Loan origination and discount fee

Survey (if required by lender)

Credit report

Interest on loan (based on closing date)

Mortgage insurance (if over 80% LTV)

Flood certificate & insurance if required

How much do these closing costs add up to for the buyer? In the cash scenario, they are not that much, and just over 20% of closings

are for cash nowadays. For closings that involve mortgage financing, however, those costs can really add up. My buyer who closed on a $630,000 purchase two months ago paid $7,144 in closing costs, which computes to 11.3%. If she had to pay my commission that would have been 14.1% The seller’s closing costs on the same transaction came to $2,834, which computes to 4.5% of the purchase price. Paying my commission raised the seller’s cost to 7.3%, still far lower than the 11.3% paid by the buyer without paying me anything for my services representing her.

From a purely cash standpoint, it should be remembered that the seller is the only one walking away with cash from the transaction. In the above case, not counting the deduction for property taxes and mortgage payoff, the seller netted $591,444.74, or about 94% of the purchase price, even after paying both agents’ compensation.

Buyers’ agents perform a variety of important services, which someone has to pay for, but the seller is the only party coming away with money, and the buyer is already stretched by those other expenses detailed at left.

The services provided by a buyer’s agent are important and significant, but the plaintiffs in the class action suit a year ago asserted that compensating the buyer’s agent should be added to the buyer’s other significant closing costs. The 2024 survey of buyers and sellers by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) asked what services buyers most appreciated from their agents:

Helped them understand the process (61%)

Pointed out unnoticed features/faults with the property (58%)

Negotiated better contract terms (46%)

Provided a list of good service providers, such as inspectors (46%)

Improved buyers’ knowledge of search areas (45%)

Negotiated a better purchase price (33%)

Shortened their home search (23%)

Expanded their search area (21%)

I contend that it is appropriate that sellers compensate the buyer’s agent, and that this is common in other industries besides real estate. Look at Amazon. When you purchase a product through that website, Amazon is your agent for the vendor, which pays Amazon 8% to 45% as a “referral fee.” When you purchase something through an app on your

iPhone, you pay the same price as on the vendor’s website, but Apple keeps 30% of the purchase price as a commission. If Amazon or an app were to charge you a fee on top of the list price… well, it simply wouldn’t work. If you hire an auto broker (as I did in 2012 for a hard-to-find car), the dealership, not you, pays the auto broker a commission. Likewise, virtually every new home builder offers a 3 percent commission, typically, to the agents who represent buyers. To offer less puts them at a competitive disadvantage. Why should it be different in the resale market?

Golden Real Estate lists and sells residential properties across the entire metro area.

Lakewood city council candidate faces felony charges while campaigning

Desiree Gonzalez sent aggressive emails to reps in 2022, docs show

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Desiree Gonzalez, a candidate for Lakewood City Council, is facing felony charges of retaliation for emails sent in December 2022 to the city’s mayor and council containing threatening language and photos of pyrodex, rearms and ammunition, according to court documents. Gonzalez has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains in the race to succeed Councilmember Rich Olver, who resigned his seat at the end of 2024. e special election is scheduled for March 25. Mail-in ballots will be distributed to voters during the rst week of March.

During a recent status hearing, the judge scheduled Gonzalez’s next court appearance for March 10 to address motions concerning a potential jury trial.

Should the case proceed, the trial is tentatively slated for May 5-8.

According to the initial arrest report, several council members were troubled by statements in her emails, including one that stated, “ e FBI counterterrorism is on another assignment. is gun with [sic] either A. Be evidence for the FBI or B. Be evidence of a mass shooting. Who Knows! Not my problem anymore. You don’t know the Lakewood I do, but you just might.”

Lakewood police arrested Gonzalez shortly after she sent the emails in question, later releasing her on bond. Authorities took her into custody again on Jan. 12, 2023, for violating the terms of her release. Since Gonzalez couldn’t a ord to pay the new bond, she was forced to spend time in jail.

Gonzalez alleged in her email to the Je co Transcript that she was wrongfully

Je com 911 moves

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e facility at 440 Indiana St. is an unassuming two-story o ce building. It has an outdoor patio area, a covered parking area and views of Green Mountain and the Golden-area foothills.

detained for a year and is pursuing legal action against multiple parties, including her former attorney.

“I was held illegally for an entire year, yes? My rst lawyer, Daniel Mossingho , is facing a malpractice suit for allowing all of this to happen. He’s already been disciplined by the O ce of Attorney Regulation Counsel,” she said.

According to a letter provided by Gonzalez, the O ce of Attorney Regulation Counsel, which is an independent o ce of the state Supreme Court, Mossingho was asked to complete an ethics training course but has no record of disciplinary action against him as of Feb. 18 by that ofce.

Gonzalez calls charges politically motivated

In an email response to the Je co Transcript, Gonzalez dismissed the charges as a political attack, saying her opponents

fabricated the case to silence her.

“As far as every other thing on there, it’s made-up bulls**t by corrupt politicians who want me silenced. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work,” Gonzalez said. “I will be exonerated of all charges.”

Gonzalez claimed the justice system had denied her due process and vowed to take legal action once the case concludes.

“Absolutely no due process for any of these made-up charges up to this point. I will be suing the DA, the City, the jail, and a whole lot of people personally the second I’m exonerated,” she stated.

She also cast doubt on the likelihood of a conviction, questioning whether she would have an impartial jury in the county.

“Of course, it is Je co, and a racist jury could nd me guilty regardless, and that’s a chance I’m willing to take to expose the criminals who run Je co,” she said.

headquarters, dispatch center with room

to

grow Agency will continue serving 30 agencies in Je co, Clear Creek

But inside is the hub for all emergency services in Je erson and Clear Creek counties, as 440 Indiana St. is the new home of Je com 911.

e agency, which was founded in March 2018, serves about 30 police, re and EMS agencies across the two counties. It has been operating from a West Metro Fire building along Lakewood’s South Allison Parkway.

But, by Feb. 26, it will move all its operations and 180-some employees to its new Indiana Street location.

Je com 911 and its partners celebrated the occasion Feb. 20 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house, showcasing their new dispatch center, training rooms, employee gym and other amenities.

at South Allison Parkway will revert to West Metro Fire.

‘It starts with a phone call’ Along with total square footage, the dispatch center will also be much bigger and better equipped.

“As we cut this ribbon today, we’re not just opening the doors of a new building,” Executive Director Je Streeter said at the ceremony. “We’re opening the doors to a brighter, more uni ed future.”

Streeter described afterward how the agency’s relocation has been in the works for at least two years.

In 2023, he said Je com 911 wanted to nd a location that would be conducive for its employees. So, Streeter and his colleagues gured out that the exact center from everyone’s homes was U.S. Highway 6 and Indiana Street.

“So, two blocks away,” Streeter said, adding that the new location’s easy highway access was another plus.

Je com 911 board members said Streeter sold them on the plan “to give Je com 911 a new home,” and on the Indiana Street building speci cally.

us, the agency bought it for $4.8 million in September 2023. It then started remodeling the structure, which was built in 2005, for its purposes.

e new dispatch center on the second oor especially needed work, as several walls had to be removed, sta members described. Crews also had to t the building with all the necessary radios and other technology required for Je com 911’s operations.

In total, the remodel was $3 million, but Streeter and other o cials said the price tag was much lower than buying land and constructing its own building. Plus, the project actually came in $85,000 under budget, Streeter added.

Je com 911, which is funded by its 30 member agencies, will have the 24,000-square-foot building all to itself.

e facility on South Allison Parkway was about 10,000 square feet, and Streeter said Je com 911 will retain some of that as a backup center. e remaining space

Je com 911 will expand from 42 dispatcher consoles at South Allison Parkway to 52 at Indiana Street, Dispatch Supervisor Erica Munroe explained.

She and other dispatchers said they were looking forward to the new equipment, the consoles customized to dispatchers’ needs, the employee gym and other amenities.

ey emphasized how they love serving their communities in Je erson and Clear Creek counties, and welcomed anyone who’s interested to do a “sit-along” in the new headquarters.

Streeter and Je com 911 board members described how, along with the relocation, the agency will continue improving its technology and expanding its services. In the coming months, Je com 911 will add Red Rocks Community College and a re department in Park County, Streeter said.

Golden Police Chief Joe Harvey, who sits on the Je com 911 board of directors, thanked “the pioneers” who founded the agency in 2018 and all its employees over the last seven years.

Harvey, who started his career in emergency services as a dispatcher, described the stress dispatchers are under “when that very di cult call comes in, and you don’t have anybody to talk to, because you’ve just got to take the next call.”

Harvey described the experience as “an island.”

He continued: “If there’s not somebody there to pick up that phone … we don’t help nobody. It starts with a phone call.”

Harvey and Streeter applauded all the Je com 911 employees for their dedication to a very di cult and stressful job, which Harvey often goes underrecognized and underappreciated.

“ ank you for what you do, for what you give back,” Harvey said of the Je com 911 employees. “Because today is about you.”

Thousands of Je erson County families may be missing out on child tax credits

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Last tax season, a woman walked into a Je erson County tax assistance site, hesitant and unsure, recounted Mary Margaret Bishop-Fouse, a maternal child and family health systems supervisor with Je co Public Health.

She had never led taxes before, and because her income was below the ling threshold, she didn’t think she needed to.

But after sitting down with a volunteer tax preparer, she learned she was eligible for thousands of dollars in credits.

“She was literally dancing and jumping for joy after hearing the thousands of dollars that she and her family would be getting back,” Bishop-Fouse said.

BEST OF THE BEST VOTING STARTS MARCH 1!

Yet, Bishop-Fouse said that thousands of families in Colorado miss out on tax credits they qualify for every year simply because they don’t know about them, assume they’re ineligible or nd the ling process too complicated.

Money left on the table

According to Bishop-Fouse, many families, especially those earning very low incomes, don’t realize that ling a tax return can unlock signi cant refunds.

“I think a lot of times it’s access to information and knowing that if you le, chances are you’re not going to owe anything because your income is so low,” she said. “But just knowing that they have access to these nancial resources can really help.”

Bishop-Fouse added that a lack of awareness is a major barrier.

According to the Economic Security Project, 5 to 10 million Americans missed out on Economic Impact Payments by not ling their taxes.

Many people also avoid ling because they fear they’ll owe money or nd the process overwhelming.

“Taxes can be a complicated system, and we are certainly working as best we can to address some of those hurdles and barriers that families oftentimes face,” Bishop-Fouse said.

She emphasized that breaking down these barriers through free tax assistance programs is key to ensuring families claim the refunds they deserve.

Who is most a ected in Je co?

Bishop-Fouse said certain groups are more likely to miss out on these tax credits. New parents often don’t realize they need to le to claim credits for their newborns, and non-traditional caregivers, such as grandparents or other relatives raising children, may also be unaware they qualify.

Immigrant families sometimes avoid ling due to language barriers or concerns about eligibility. Additionally, federal bene t recipients, such as those receiving Medicaid or SNAP, may mistakenly assume they don’t need to le taxes at all, causing them to miss out on critical nancial support.

How tax credits lift families out of poverty and support basic needs

Bishop-Fouse said that the Colorado Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income

Several free resources and assistance options are available to help families, especially low-income households, file their taxes and claim the available tax credits.

Tax Credit provide crucial nancial support to low- and moderate-income families, often amounting to thousands of dollars in refunds.  is year, Colorado introduced the Family A ordability Tax Credit, o ering up to $3,200 per child younger than 6 and up to $2,400 for children between 6 and 16 years old, even for families with little or no income.

“ ese credits can be substantial,” Bishop-Fouse said. “We’re talking about thousands of dollars going back into the hands of families through refundable tax credits.

“ ese credits are meant to address economic inequity,” she continued. “ ey’re structured so that families with the lowest incomes receive the most help, because they’re the ones who need it most.”

Data from when the federal government temporarily expanded the CTC during the pandemic found that families overwhelmingly used refunds for essentials. About 47% of recipients spent their refunds on food and groceries, 28% on rent and utilities, 16% on childcare and education and 9% on medical bills and healthcare.

Free resources available in Je co e great news is several free resources and assistance options are available to help families, especially low-income households, le their taxes and claim the available tax credits.

• Get Ahead Colorado: A statewide program providing online tools, in-person tax ling assistance, and multilingual support.

• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance: Je erson County has several IRS-trained volunteers who o er free tax preparation for those earning $67,000 or less. ese preparers have a 90% accuracy rate, higher than many paid tax preparers.

• MyFreeTaxes.com: An easy-to-use online platform that allows individuals to le their taxes at no cost.

Bill on gun restrictions clears Senate

Amendment would allow purchase after safety course completion

BY SARA WILSON COLORADO NEWSLINE

e Colorado Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill that would ban the sale of many semiautomatic rearms with detachable magazines, though the chamber also approved a series of amendments that substantially altered the scope of the bill.

e amended Senate Bill 25-3 would now allow people who have completed a safety and training course to acquire otherwise banned guns. at carve-out is expected to appease Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, who has historically been wary of sweeping rearm restrictions.

e chamber passed the bill on second reading after nearly 10 hours of debate.

As introduced, the bill would have outlawed the sale, purchase and transfer of guns that accept detachable magazines in an e ort to enforce Colorado’s existing ban on large-capacity magazines, de ned as magazines with over 15 rounds of ammunition. While not an outright ban on so-called assault weapons, the bill would have stopped the sale of the most common semiautomatic ri es and handguns. Opponents argued that it would decimate the rearm industry in Colorado.

“We spent quite a bit of time these last several weeks trying to get it to a space where we could be inclusive to everyone who was having concerns,” bill sponsor Sen. Tom Sullivan, a Centennial Democrat, said. at includes hunters and sportsmen.

roughout the debate, Sullivan held a photo of the 100-round magazine that a gunmen used during a 2012 mass shooting in Aurora to kill 12 people, including Sullivan’s son Alex. “What we’re trying to do is save lives,” Sullivan said. “We are all hoping that those 550 million rearms that are out there are in the hands of law abiding, responsible gun owners and we don’t have to worry about them taking any action in our communities. What we are worried about is the new (owners) who all of sudden just walk down the street, and … after we pass this, and starting in September, the only assault style weapons they can get are going to have attached magazines to it.”

e new carve-out, however, creates a pathway for Coloradans to obtain the type of guns targeted in the bill. First, a purchaser would

HOUSING

Home rule in common

e state constitution allows cities and counties to become “home rule” governments, where local ordinances generally supersede state law.

Northglenn recently passed a declaration stating that as a home rule city, its local limit on how many unrelated people can live in one home supersedes the recent state law that largely bans such restrictions. O cials in Westminster and Arvada both referenced their home rule rights in recent discussions as well. “ is is the spot where us as home rule communities need to stand up to the state and say, ‘Look, you’ve got yours, we’ve got ours,’” said Marriott, the Arvada councilmember. “You’re in our backyard here. We don’t want you in our backyard. And maybe it’s time for the Supreme Court to decide how this goes. But I don’t see any reason whatsoever for us to roll over and

need to be vetted by their county sheri in a process that would be similar to that required when a person seeks a concealed carry permit. en, if they already completed a hunter safety course from Colorado Parks and Wildlife — which people must do to get a hunting license in the state — they would need to take an additional four-hour basic rearm safety course. If a person did not already have their hunter safety certi cation, they would need to complete an extended course of 12 hours of in-person training over two days.

e course would need to include safe handling and storage, child safety, information about gun deaths associated with mental illness and Colorado’s red ag law. A person would then need to score at least a 90% on an exam after the course in order to qualify for the exemption.

at exemption would be valid for ve years, and a person would need to take a refresher course at that point if they wanted to buy additional rearms with detachable magazines.

“I want to acknowledge the extent to which we’ve heard concerns … from our governor and from Coloradans. We’ve worked to address them,” bill sponsor Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat, said before explaining the amendment.

Republicans remained opposed to the bill and carve-out amendment. Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Monument Republican, said the policy would transform the right to own a gun as outlined in the Constitution into a privilege.

“Sure, it’s a small thing to get a little bit of education to get a rearm, but it’s a big thing to turn your back on your rights as a citizen,” he said.

Ten states require purchasers to have safety training before buying certain rearms, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. Washington, for example, has required training to purchase any semiautomatic ri e since July 2019.

Republicans also argued that the amendment changed the bill too much and it should be sent back to committee for consideration.

e bill passed the Senate State, Veterans and Military A airs Committee in January on a 3-2 vote, with the two Republican members voting against it. roughout the debate, they o ered amendments to exempt certain demographics from the bill, such as domestic violence survivors and veterans. ose amendments all failed.

Another successful amendment on the bill exempts about 40 of the most common semiautomatic ri es used for hunting and some relic rearms.

e bill is set for a nal recorded vote early next week, when it needs 18 votes to get through. ere are 23 Democrats in the chamber. If it passes, it will then move to the House for consideration. Democrats have strong majorities in both chambers. is story is from Colorado Newsline. Used by permission. For more, and to support the news organization, visit coloradonewsline.com.

MEET JUPITER!

just accept this out of the state legislature.”

Arvada’s city attorney told the council the city is preparing a legal analysis and speaking with other cities about the new housing laws. A city spokesperson said the council is expected to discuss them again in March.

State legislators sought to sidestep the home rule issue by declaring their bills address matters of “mixed statewide and local concern.”

University of Colorado Boulder law professor Michael Pappas said if a city were to challenge any of the state laws, the courts would likely have to decide whether local housing policies, in aggregate, amount to statewide policies.

“Is this something that is guaranteed to municipalities via home rule protections? Or is this something, that based on its e ects on the statewide housing availability, is something that is properly considered at the state level?” he asked.

is story is from CPR News, a nonpro t public broadcaster serving Colorado. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.

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State Sen. Tom Sullivan, a Centennial Democrat, listens to witness testimony on Jan. 28 during a Colorado Senate committee hearing on his bill that would ban firearms with detachable magazines.

PHOTO BY SARA WILSON / COLORADO NEWSLINE

During the initial pandemic shutdown there were six adults living together in our house. Five of us had jobs that occupied several hours of our days, but we still found ourselves with many hours of time that had always been lled doing things outside of the house.

VOICES

Finding lessons for life, one brushstroke at a time

As a family, we seized this unique opportunity to learn new skills. We learned sign language, cooked amazing meals, played di erent instruments, and even tried watercolor painting.

My youngest daughter, Carly, an art major with a psychology minor and a creative perspective on life, taught us the basics of watercolor painting. On the day of our rst lesson, she handed out the supplies we needed and began by telling us to create a base of water over the area on our paper where we wanted to paint. As we created our water foundation, she explained that the base makes all the rest of the painting possible. With the base in place, she told us to take a tiny bit of paint and begin to create whatever we wanted to design.

For my rst piece, I wanted to paint a co ee cup with steam rising from the drink. I established my base, took my rst color, and brushed it onto the page. As I applied the paint, I was amazed that it actually began to resemble a cup. About 15 minutes into the lesson, Carly stopped me, gave me a quick compliment, and said, “To improve this, you need to add dimension and depth.”

She explained that to achieve this effect, I needed to manipulate the paint that was already on the page. Following her advice, I lightly wet my brush and

Rbegan to move the existing color, adding to some areas and reducing others. e result was a cup that had depth—something I could genuinely be proud of as a novice.

As I worked on this art project, I was struck by the wisdom of needing to start everything we do with a good base. e water on the page starts everything o right. In our lives the base is equally critical — faith, family, friends and many oth-

er things can be central to that base. Everyone’s base is di erent, but we all must have that foundation to be successful. Beyond the base, I found the idea fascinating that all the color I needed was already present on the page. When I rst examined what I had on my paper, I thought Carly was mistaken; there was no way I had the necessary color. However, she was right. To create something with depth, I just needed to manipulate

what was already there.

In our everyday lives, it’s easy to feel like we lack the things we need. In reality, while we may need to rearrange “the colors,” everything we require is so often already available.

I encourage you to take some time to notice, re ect on and celebrate the areas of your life that are vibrant and full of color. When you look closely, you can nd those wonderful aspects of your life — whether it’s your relationships, family, friends, routines or cherished memories. All that vibrancy can be applied to the areas where you feel a struggle or where the color seems too faint.

Moving that color might involve asking for help or taking time for a conversation. It could also mean nding opportunities to assist others or trying something new. Whatever approach you choose, it can be as simple as adding a little water to your brush and blending those colors as

e rich colors of your life make a difference, but before you can move them, you need to see them.

You have got this.

I hope my words inspire you, and that you will share them with those who need encouragement. ank you to everyone who has shared their stories with me so far; I truly appreciate hearing about the valuable ideas you nd in these columns and how you use them to uplift those around you.

Jim Roome lives in Arvada with his wife, Beth. He spent 34 years in public education. Lessons learned from the one two punch of being diagnosed with MS shortly before his best friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer led him into a new pursuit as a freelance writer and speaker. He uses his life experiences and love of stories to inspire, educate and encourage local, national and international audiences. Contact him at jim.roome@gmail.com.

Of mothers and daughters at Town Hall Arts Center

“It’s a gladiator ght between a mother and a daughter. A force of wills,” said director Joye Cook-Levy in an email interview. “A question of autonomy. ‘Where do I start, and you end?’ ‘Are we our mothers, or are we ourselves?’”

elationships between mothers and daughters are frequently explored in ction for a reason — these relationships are often dynamic and complex, raising all kinds of questions about how people connect to each other and nd common ground. is familial relationship goes under the microscope in Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman’s “’night, Mother,” which runs at the Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 Main St. in Littleton, through Sunday, March 9. e production is part of the Center’s Limited Engagement Series and performances are at 7:30 p.m. ursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

According to provided information, the show focuses on one night in the lives elma Cates (Billie McBride) and her daughter, Jessie (Megan Van De Hey), as they struggle to make a critical and irreversible decision.

By using only two actors, the show allows these two powerhouse performers to stretch their creative muscles and work together to nd the truth and humanity in each character.

“It’s not often that I get to be onstage with the likes of a Billie McBride, and discovering this piece together has been so enlightening,” Van De Hey wrote in an email interview. “It’s a marathon as an actor and we leave every night, spent but excited to come back the next night and see what we nd throughout this rehearsal process. I feel so lucky to get to work on a piece that’s so rich and heavy with meaning.” It rare that audiences are treated to a story that is so relationship-driven and for the actors it was a challenge to which they had to fully commit. Each woman has her own reasons for her choices and by the end of the play, audiences will better understand who the characters are and their

decisions.

“By the end of the play, these two women have learned and know more about each other, than they did in their entire lives together,” McBride wrote in an email interview. “It’s funny and sad, but it opens a door to an amazing kind of discovery.” e characters aren’t the only ones who have been transformed by the end of “’night, Mother.’” e hope is that audiences will go on their own journey as the story unfolds and they get a window into each woman.

“What you leave with is a transformational, cathartic experience as an audience member,” Cook-Levy wrote. “You are choosing to have a soul-whispering, emotional journey. And we need those experiences in our all-too-disconnected way of living these days. is play is like going to a gym for your soul.”

More information and tickets are available at www.TownHallArtsCenter.org.

A Fabricated Reality at RRCC

As part of Month of Photography Denver, the ART Gallery at Red Rocks Community College, 13300 W. 6th Ave. in Lakewood, is hosting “Fabrications,” a

solo exhibition by lens-based installation artist, Melanie Walker e show runs through Wednesday, March 26, and features immersive installations that are both beautiful and unsettling. According to provided information, Walker uses photography in ways that push the boundaries of the form and create works that will take the viewer to a new place. Find more information at https://denvermop.org.

Celebrate the Beginnings of Spring with the Highlands Ranch Community Association Spring is just on the horizon and the Highlands Ranch Community Association Spring Bazaar is welcoming the season with the opportunity to purchase some unique items. e bazaar is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, at the Eastridge Recreation Center, 9568 University Blvd. e free event will feature more than 100 vendors displaying and selling unique and high-quality products, such as photography, sculpture, specialty foods and more.

Abstract watercolor landscape. Silhouette white snowy mountain n light sky. The shape of fir forest. A tall beautiful Christmas tree. Winter season. Gradient sky. Hand drawn watercolor illustration SHUTTERSTOCK

Jim Roome

Annual tree sale will have you dreaming of warmer weather

As I sit here writing this column, it’s currently 21 degrees outside with a couple of inches of snow on the ground. I’m still drinking hot co ee and dreading the thought of putting on all kinds of warm clothes, boots, hat and gloves just to run to the grocery store for a couple of things that we need. At this point in my life, it’s not really the cold weather that bothers me, it’s all the e ort you have to go through just to step outside without freezing.

So, it might seem like an odd time to bring up getting ready for spring and summer. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the seasons have a tendency to creep up on you before you know it, and all of a sudden you are wishing you remembered to get something earlier because you were supposed to put it on your lawn or in your garden three weeks ago.

Yeah, I have to admit that I’m not really much of a gardener. A lot of people I know are 100% on top of that kind of thing while I’m still trying to remember where the gas can is for my lawn mower. In the middle of June.

But I saw that something is about to happen that you may want to take advantage of, but it’s probably a good idea to give it a little forethought before you dive in. So, I’m giving you enough advance notice to check out your yard, maybe measure and consider a couple of things and make some good decisions. at’s because the City of Golden is about to launch their annual Tree Sale. It’s is going to start on Monday, March 3, and continue through April 15 or until all the trees are gone.

Here’s how it works: First, go on line to https://bit.ly/GoldenTrees. (You’ll know you’re in the right place if the word “Sale” shows up when you scroll over it.) at will take you to the menu of trees available, as well as a description of them and how they grow. All trees come in a ve-gallon pot, are 5 to 7 feet tall and cost $85 plus tax. You can take a look at them now, but they won’t be available for purchase until March 3. en you can select and order them in advance. You will need to register for, or have an active online account with the Golden Parks and Recreation Department to make your purchase. Pickup will coincide with the Arbor Day Celebration at the Golden Cemetery between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on April 26. is program is o ered to City of Golden residents and proof of residency will be required. Quantities are limited, and households may order up to two trees. Unfortunately, trees will not be available to purchase in person this year.

is is your opportunity to get trees that are known to adapt and thrive in our area. is is kind of important, because you can make a lot of mistakes with trees, and those can end up haunting you for years. Let me elaborate on that a bit ... .

OK, so I live in the same house I grew up in. I inherited it from my parents when they passed away, so I was here when they planted all the trees I have in my yard and there’s lot of trees. Now, we are talking about back in the early 1960s. In those days, if you wanted a tree, you just drove up to the mountains a bit, looked for a tiny sapling and dug it up. en you planted it in your yard. at worked out all right as long as you knew what kind of tree you were digging up. Pine trees and aspens were pretty easy to identify, but a lot of the other trees tend to look a lot alike when they are little. Now, my parents weren’t exactly tree experts and they planted what they thought were going to be 3 beautiful maple trees, but the two in the front yard turned out to be boxelder trees. By the time they gured that out, the things were over 10 feet tall. e result of that mistake is that for the last 60 years or so we have been plagued with a summer infestation of red and black boxelder bugs and some kind of little green caterpillars all over the trees and yard. Trust me, you don’t want to pick the wrong trees. Plus, going out and digging them up on forest land or private property is illegal, anyway. Just go ahead and buy the right trees.

Now you have the time to put a little thought into adding a couple of trees, a place to buy them that contributes to our community, and as a bonus, you could end up with two free ve-gallon pots! at gives you plenty of time to get a shovel, dig a hole and nd out rsthand why they call this area the “rocky” mountains.

en you can help me nd the gas can for my lawn mower. It’s got to be somewhere in the garage. Eh, won’t need that until June. Maybe July.

John Akal is a well-known jazz artist/ drummer and leader of the 20-piece Ultraphonic Jazz Orchestra. He also is president of John Akal Imaging, professional commercial photography and multimedia production. He can be reached at jaimaging@aol.com.

e bazaar is the perfect opportunity to nd just the right decorations for the warm months, so don’t miss it. Information is available at https://hrcaonline. org/Events/Details/spring-bazaar.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Joy Oladokun at Summit Music Hall

Arizona’s Joy Oladokun is a singer/ songwriter in the style of artists like

Tracy Chapman and Chris Stapleton — she has such a distinctive pen and vocal approach that you instantly recognize it when their music comes on. Over the course of their albums, including last year’s “Observations from a Crowded Room,” they’ve cultivated a dedicated fan base that includes peers like Maren Morris, Chris Stapleton and Noah Kahan.

Buy tickets at www.livenation.com.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

hat started with an old video camera in a French resort and a syndicated kids’ program about ocean conservation has become an award-winning Colorado-based commercial video production company, claiming high-pro le national brands like Apple, Disney, Under Armor, Noodles and Co., and Seagate Technology as clients.

And now, Boulder’s La Storia can put breaking the sound barrier on the company’s resume.

“My brother and I started the company in North Carolina mainly because we had a couple contacts there who we thought might be interested in videos,” said La Storia cofounder RC Walker. “

“We were two brothers from Aspen with no background in lmmaking. ankfully, we met incredible people early on who believed in us, plugged us in, and helped us get connected. We’ve learned and evolved from there.”

e Boulder couple behind La Storia Productions, Walker and his wife Molly McKinney-Walker, made history this past January when their company was hired to document Boom Supersonics’ XB-1 aircraft breaking the sound barrier — the rst civilian company to do that — over the Mojave Desert.

“Our partnership with Boom has been unique. We essentially have served as a key creative partner for the brand overseeing many of their photo and video campaigns and 3-D animation,” Walker said.

“ e Boom event itself was a phenomenal milestone for aviation, but working with the engineers and ground crew on the team was such a fascinating experience for us as lmmakers. ey’re the lifeblood of operations like this, so it was empowering to see this mission through their eyes and build that into the story we were telling in front of a live audience.

e La Storia crew used 18 cameras — seven on the ground and 11 in the air — to capture every angle of the historic moment with Boom’s Supersonic XB-1 experimental aircraft.

Trading accounting for adventure

Walker said he was a nance accounting graduate from the University of Colorado looking for adventure when he got interested in lmmaking.

“After graduating from CU Boulder with a degree in Finance, I decided to play ‘hooky’ and spent a few years living in Hawaii before going to France. I worked in the Alps, where I had an old camcorder, and my roommates and I started making short lms. Films had always inspired me, but this moment of creativity behind the lens ignited a deep love of cinematography and changed my life trajectory.”

“But my brother had been working in North Carolina for a non-pro t, so he at least had a small network of connections. So in 2013, I moved to Charlotte, and we o cially launched La Storia Productions out of our tiny apartment,” Walker said.

“ ankfully, our love and passion for storytelling, along with lots of hard work, introduced us to some incredible people who we still consider some of our closest friends, and they helped us tremendously,” Walker said.

“ ey connected us with the Charlotte creative community and helped us collaborate with like-minded clients. But the best of these introductions during this time was that Geo and I each met our wives on our own lm sets and still get to work alongside them today.

Meanwhile, his future bride made a name for herself on children’s television. Molly McKinney-Walker said her background started in television with a commercial when she was three.

“I got into the industry at an early age and was incredibly blessed to have had the positive experiences I’ve had. My rst big opportunity was at seven years old when I was cast to host the TV, Aqua Kids, an environmental children’s TV show about protecting marine and aquatic environments,” McKinney-Walker said.

“I continued to host this show until I was 24 years old, and I learned so much during this time, both as a talent in front of the camera and lmmaking behind the camera.”

LEFT: RC Walker is filming on location for a La Storia production with American Airlines. RIGHT: Brian Bell on set while discussing the next shot for a commercial with Noodles & Co. and the Fortnight Collective agency.

LA STORIA

She began trading her spot in front of the camera for a producing role, where she interviewed scientists and animal educators on camera.

“ is is actually how I fell into becoming an Executive Producer, since it started making sense to plan and pre-interview the scientists and animal educations I would eventually be working with on-camera,” McKinney-Walker said.

After graduating college and moving on from the show, she started freelancing, producing at La Storia for nine months before she was hired full-time.

After graduating college and moving on from the show, she started freelancing, producing at La Storia for nine months before she was hired full-time.

Both McKinney and Walker settled in Charlotte, North Carolina for a while but relocated to Boulder just before COVID-19 hit. McKinney-Walker said they got the Boulder o ce and nished remodeling it in December 2019 but couldn’t use it for a few months due to COVID-19.

“We had a brick-and-mortar location in North Carolina and planned on keeping it and opening a second mid-west location to compete with the Los Angeles market, but as with so many other industries, COVID-19 changed that plan for us,” McKinney-Walker said.  e La Storia team had even built a whole new set for a major tech company client on their campus in San Jose, Calif., but they never used it due to the pandemic. “It was beautiful with painted wood walls and a multi-functional background,” Walker said. “But with COVID, we couldn’t get into the o ce, so we ended up pivoting and rebuilding the entire set in our home basement to lm the content our client needed. I guess that’s one of the perks of a cinematographer and a producer being married and quarantining together. We were able to utilize our available resources and help our clients solve problems,” Walker said.

The story behind La Storia

Walker said they came up with the name La Storia early on.

“We wanted to choose a name with international

air. I had spent time living in France but phrase story had a complex spelling in French, so we aimed for simple and memorable,” Walker said. “My brother had spent time living in Italy, and in Italian, the translation for ‘ e Story’ has a dual meaning. It captures history and modern-day storytellers, sharing the importance of timeless stories that must be told.”

McKinney-Walker said one of La Storia’s longeststanding clients, Seagate Technology, one of the largest tech companies that makes hard drives in the world, has worked with their company for almost 11 years.    McKinney-Walker said being a creative partner is something they can o er their high-caliber clients.

“I think our high client retention rate with high pro le clients re ects the relationship and partnership mentality we have with our clients. Ironically, as a production company that provides photo and video marketing solutions for our clients, we’ve never done marketing for ourselves. We truly operate on a word-of-mouth referral system, which works for us. I always say when think about our clients, we take their brands on as our own,” McKinney-Walker said.

“It de es a typical traditional agency model with established brands; we already have a strong in-house marketing team,” she said. ” We can provide triage support when they are overworked or need help scaling up for something they don’t have the in-house resources for, like the project we traveled to the Mojave Desert for recently, to lm Boom Supersonic.”

Walker said it was fascinating working so closely with the Boom team and getting the honor of telling their story, learning and understanding the process, cadence of the tests, crew safety, and camera angles.

“I’ve worked in daily communication with Kaden Colby, Head of Creative Production and Events at Boom Supersonic, for over a year to prepare for their supersonic test ight. is was the sixth ight we’ve shot for them,” Walker said.

McKinney-Walker said Boom wanted to be authentic and live on the day of the shooting, so they wanted people to feel like they were there. Event coverage had not been done to the extent their team pulled it together, with many partners involved, to make that possible from a story brand standpoint.

“As a company specializing in creating 30-second commercials for many of the brands we work with, getting to have a project like Boom’s supersonic ight was

taxiing out,” is a massive moment for this team, but it’s often not shown in the movies.”

McKinney-Walker said that for them, it’s never just about showing up and doing a job; they felt the emotion of getting to know them for a year. When they handed the aircraft over to Geppetto, it was uncertain whether he would return from that ight. It’s about life and visually communicating these people’s trust in each other and the unknowns from pushing innovative boundaries.

“With clients like Boom who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, it’s a contagious energy that encouraged us to push the realm of what had been done for our industry as well for events like this,” McKinneyWalker said.

“ e Boom event was unique, and we wanted to capture the immersive moment. However, we’re responsible for ensuring no safety issues present or distract the ground crew from performing their duties,” Walker said.

“We took tremendous care in the choreography of our cameras so they could do their job, ignore us and stay focused. From a safety standpoint, they knew when our cameras were in position, where our guidelines were, and most importantly, after a year together, they trusted us.”

For more information about La Storia, visit https:// lastoriaproductions.com/

General Inquiries:  info@lastoriaproductions.com

Interested in Hiring La Storia:  molly@lastoriaproductions.com

For information about LSP Film Rentals, Cyc studio, Cinema Camera Rental House & Prep Space, please visit https://www.lsp lmrentals.com/.

Studio and Rental Inquiries:  cheers@lsp lmrentals. com

LEFT: RC Walker and Molly McKinney-Walker owners of La Storia Production.

RIGHT: Molly McKinney Walker and Alfredo Jones were on-location at Mojave Air and Space Port, documenting the first supersonic flight of the XB-1 aircraft for La Storia client Boom Supersonic.

FUNDRAISER

But the true impact goes beyond the event itself.

CASA currently has over 170 trained volunteer advocates supporting 275 children in Je erson and Gilpin counties, but the need far outpaces resources.  e organization estimates that only 40% of children who need a CASA advocate receive one.

“ e First Judicial District ranks sixth in the state for child abuse and neglect cases,” Hellmuth said. “ ere’s so much more work to be done.”

The power of a CASA advocate

CASA volunteers don’t just attend court hearings; they become a steady presence in a child’s life. CASA advocates remain a constant, trusted adult in a system where placements change frequently and caseworkers rotate.

During the fundraiser, CASA Executive Director Leah Varnell shared that consistency has been life-changing for kids like Bobby and Mike.

Bobby entered the system at age 12 after his mother’s substance abuse left him neglected and alone, Varnell shared. By the time Bobby was placed on a mental health hold, he didn’t ask for a family member. He asked for Steve, his CASA advocate.

Or take Mike, said Varnell, who was separated from his siblings at age seven and cycled through multiple foster homes. He began struggling with severe anxiety and behavioral issues.

Mike’s CASA volunteer, Jenny, fought to keep him in the same school despite changing districts, ensuring a sense of stability. Jenny advocated for music les-

sons to help him cope and is now pushing for him to nd a forever home.

“ ese kids have had a con dant, a friend, a cheerleader and an advocate,” Varnell said.

What’s next for CASA?

CASA is already planning its Champions for Children Breakfast on May 1. is free event will focus on sharing rsthand stories of impact and recruiting more

volunteers. Unlike the comedy night, Hellmuth said this event will explore CASA’s advocacy e orts and the urgent need for more community involvement.

In addition, CASA is hosting CASA 101, an informational session at the Je erson County Courthouse on March 20, where interested volunteers can meet advocates, learn about the role and explore training opportunities.

e next 30-hour CASA volunteer

training session starts April 14, preparing new advocates to take their rst cases.

“We always need more advocates,” Hellmuth said. “Every child we serve has a story. e problem is, there are too many stories and not enough advocates to tell them.”

To volunteer, donate, or learn more about CASA’s upcoming events, visit CASA’s website.

Guests bid on auction items during the fundraising event.

PHOTO BY BRIDGET DVORAK / BRIDGET MARIE IMAGES

Thu 2/27

Jennifer Deann Scott: Absinthe + Elm @ 6pm Denver Beer Co. Olde Town Arvada, 5768 Olde Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada

Pretend Friend @ 6pm

New Terrain Brewing Company, 16401 Table Mountain Pkwy, Golden fox n' vead

@ 6:30pm

Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St, Denver

no fauna @ 7pm

Hi-Dive, 7 S Broadway, Denver

Ren Q. Dawe: Hai Comedy @ 7pm

Sushi Hai, 3600 W 32nd Ave, Denver

Black Market Translation: Punketry! @ 7:30pm Mutiny Comics & Coffee, 2 S Broadway, Denver

Slick Portal @ 9pm The Dahlia, 119 S Broadway, Denver

Fri 2/28

One More Time: A Tribute to Daft Punk @ 8pm Meow Wolf Denver, Denver

Ray Rock @ 9pm BurnDown Denver, 476 S Broadway, Denver

Judith Hindle, Everlasting Everything, Rose Cold, and Assistance: LIVE AT D3 @ 6pm D3 Arts, 3614 Morrison Rd, Denver

Smokin' @ 8pm

Buffalo Rose, 1119 Washington Ave, Golden

Phat Daddy @ 8pm

Tue 3/04

Cocktails in Cool Places: Welton Street @ 4:45pm / $35

Blair Caldwell Library, 2401 Welton St., Denver. asalutz@historicdenver.org

Monarch Casino Black Hawk, 488 Main St, Black Hawk

Ari Shaf�r �21+ Event� @ 9:45pm

Comedy Works - Larimer Square, 1226 15th Street, Denver

Sun 3/02

Beyond Laser Light Experience @ 12pm Denver

Queen City Jazz and Pancake Supper @ 5:30pm / $10-$45

Teague Starbuck @ 7pm The Arvada Tavern, 5707 Olde Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada

Sat 3/01

Sábados de Orquesta En Vivo en La Rumba! @ 7pm / $25.18 La Rumba, Denver

Opera Colorado - La Boheme @ 2pm

Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Speer Boulevard and Arapahoe Street, Den‐ver

Royal Street Ramblers @ 6pm

Dazzle Denver, 1080 14th Street, Denver

Mugshot @ 6pm

Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St, Denver

Mon 3/03

Dead Heat @ 6pm

Summit Music Hall, 1902 Blake St, Denver

Nessa Barrett @ 6:30pm

Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St, Denver

Nathan Tasker: Trust Again Tour @ 7pm

Riverside Church, 2401 Alcott St, Denver

Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church, 11500 West 20th Avenue, Lakewood. reception@soth.net, 303238-2482

No Cure @ 6:30pm

Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St, Denver

Varials @ 6:30pm Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St, Denver

Matt Rife Parking @ 7:31pm

Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison Beeson @ 8pm Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St, Denver

Wed 3/05

Annie in the Water: Cervantes Other Side @ 7pm

Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom & Other Side, 2637 Welton St, Denver

Polish @ 7pm

Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St, Denver

Wild Love Tigress: The WoodCellar @ 8pm The Woodcellar Bar & Grill, 1552 Bergen Pkwy #101, Evergreen

3OH!3: 303 DAY @ 7pm Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St, Denver

Je co school board presses district on gaps in safety policies

BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SGLASSMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e Je co School Board received an update on the district’s Student Safety Enhancement Project during its February meeting, with district o cials outlining measures to improve school safety protocols.

But while administrators detailed initiatives ranging from expanded training to enhanced background checks, board members focused on tough questions about implementation, e ectiveness and accountability.

As the presentation unfolded, board members zeroed in on concerns about gaps in current policies and the real-world application of proposed changes.

Board member Paula Reed questioned how student-reported safety concerns are handled and whether there are potential roadblocks to students feeling comfortable coming forward.

“We need to make sure students feel empowered to report when something isn’t right,” Reed said. “Sometimes the really popular teachers may be the problem, and if a teacher is super popular, then you get back into the whole ‘I don’t want to get that person in trouble, or I’m afraid my friends will be angry with me because now I’ve gotten this popular teacher in trouble.’”  Reed also mentioned that coaches and teachers may use social media to post pictures or updates about student activities and asked if teachers have guidance about how to have appropriate online interactions.

THREATS

Christy addresses families and sta “At Columbine, one of our core values is integrity — prioritizing personal and collective responsibility and accountability for all members of the Rebel family,” Christy said. “Aligned with that value, I feel it is important to address the recent media reports about misconduct by a former Columbine teacher, Ms. Kearney.”

Christy said the school rst received concerns about Kearney at the end of the 2021-22 school year when the parents of a 12th-grade student accused her of grooming and inappropriate behavior.  At the time, Kearney was deployed overseas on military leave.

“I noti ed my supervisor and the dis-

Je co’s chief legal counsel, Julie Tolleson, said that community partners like Ralston House have told the district that social media connections can be a dangerous and challenging path for teachers and students.

“Our new policy prohibits social media connections, including friending or following students on a social media platform,” Tolleson said.

Board pushes for stronger accountability in reporting

Superintendent Tracy Dorland acknowledged that reporting systems like Safe2Tell and Title IX are in place but admitted that more work must be done to ensure students know these resources and how they work.

“We need to make sure students understand these resources and trust that action will be taken,” Dorland said.

Reed pressed further, asking how the district ensures that reports of grooming or misconduct aren’t ignored or lost in the system.

“How do we make sure that those reports don’t just disappear into the ether?” she asked.

District o cials said that while a tracking system exists, they acknowledged the need for greater transparency in communicating outcomes to sta and families.

Concerns over teacher background checks and vetting volunteers

Board member Mary Parker pushed for more clarity on background checks, asking if the district is doing enough to prevent bad actors from slipping through the

trict’s then-Title IX coordinator,” Christy said. “Ms. Kearney never returned to Jeco after her military service and resigned in lieu of termination proceedings.”

e district reported Kearney to the Colorado Department of Education and later shared its full investigative ndings with U.S. military o cials. Christy said they also informed the California Department of Education, where they believe she lived after her deployment.

While Christy followed the district’s procedures for the complaint against Kearney, he acknowledged missteps in handling the student’s request for “homeless” status as part of a FAFSAnancial aid application.

“At the time, the student requested to be declared an unaccompanied minor (homeless) with the rationale of completing a FAFSA college nancial aid application, and Columbine and district sta supported those e orts,” he said.

cracks.

“Are we making sure that people who should not be working with kids are not working with kids?” Parker asked.

Je co’s chief human resources o cer, Amanda Pierorazio, emphasized that all employees undergo ngerprint-based background checks through the FBI and CBI and that the district monitors daily arrest records for employees.

However, o cials admitted that more consistency is needed when vetting longterm contractors and volunteers who spend signi cant time on campus.

Parker also questioned whether there is a uniform standard for background checks across all school personnel categories.

Pierorazio stated that new measures are being developed to ensure contractors, volunteers and part-time employees are screened at the same level as full-time sta .

New visitor management system to strengthen school security

Beyond sta background checks, board members also focused on the district’s new visitor and volunteer management system, which is set to launch later this year.

e system will require all visitors to present identi cation, which will be crosschecked against criminal databases before granting access to school buildings.

Board members sought clari cation on how the policy will be enforced and whether it will be applied uniformly across all schools.

District o cials con rmed that pilot programs are underway, with complete implementation expected later this year.

“I want to recognize that proper procedures were not followed. Please be assured that our district and school sta now know and understand how to appropriately deal with matters of student homelessness.”

Christy apologized for the pain this student’s family experienced.

“Harming a child in any way is inexcusable,” he said. “For more than 15 years, I have had the privilege of being part of our Rebel family, and it has been the honor of my career to serve as principal. is horrible situation will haunt me for the rest of my life. “

Threats against Columbine come from outside Colorado

Christy and district o cials acknowledged the growing hostility from social media, noting that many of the threats against Columbine and Je co sta originated from out-of-state individuals.

While board members acknowledged the progress made, they emphasized the need for continued oversight and accountability.

“We owe it to our students, sta and families to get this right,” Reed said. “Safety isn’t just about policies. It’s about making sure they work.”

e board said it will continue monitoring the progress of safety initiatives and expects further updates from district leaders on enforcement, training and security measures in future meetings.

“Unfortunately, not uncommon in today’s visceral social media environment, a number of the threats that have been made towards Columbine and district sta members, and the Board of Education, are coming primarily from individuals who do not live in Colorado,” Mahugh said.

e district emphasized that the Jeffco Sheri ’s O ce is investigating every threat while school and district sta continue working to ensure safety on campus.

“ is behavior has sadly become commonplace, which is especially unfortunate due to the fact that we are a school system, lled with public servants — our friends and neighbors — educating our children,” Mahugh said. We encourage people who are choosing to engage to model the way for how the next generation of students engages online and in community.”

Je co school board member Mary Parker pushes for more clarity on how the district conducts background checks.

BY ELISABETH SLAY ESLAY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Various school districts and sports organizations in Colorado are weighing in on a recent executive order, Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports, issued by President Donald Trump in early February.

e order has raised concerns and sparked discussions regarding the participation of transgender individuals in school athletics, particularly in women’s sports.

Keira, a representative from Team Trans, an international collective of trans and non-binary hockey players, expressed concerns over the executive order’s implications. (Keira requested to not include her last name due to safety concerns.)

“It’s a non-issue that not only lacks scienti c support but is also so minuscule — consider that only 12 athletes in the NCAA identify as trans out of over 500,000,” Keira said. “ e fact that this has become a major focus for this administration and the preceding election is not just a waste of time and e ort, but also dangerous.”

e Colorado High School Activities Association has been a key organization involved in the conversation. In response to the executive order, a representative from CHSAA said the organization is aware of the order and is monitoring both state and federal statutes.

SPORTS

Schools, groups react to Trump’s transgender order

Some athletic programs defer to CHSAA, others hold own positions

In a Feb. 10 email to Littleton Public Schools obtained by Colorado Community Media from a Colorado Open Records Request, CHSAA updated school districts on the steps it’s taking.

“ e order aims to bar transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports, creating a direct con ict between federal directives and existing Colorado state law,” documents state. “We recognize that this development places our member schools and CHSAA as a whole in a di cult position, as it raises legal and operational questions that are not yet fully answered. As always, when federal actions con ict with state law, our goal is to ensure clarity, compliance and support for our membership as we navigate this complex landscape.”

CHSAA goes on to state that it’s still trying to determine answers to questions regarding the impact and the legality of the order.

“While questions have been raised regarding the intersection of this order with Title IX and Colorado state law, we will do our best to nd answers to those questions and to provide appropriate guidance,” CHSAA said.

“As the legal landscape continues to evolve, we will remain engaged and provide updates as new information emerges.”

Additionally, CHSAA clari ed that Colorado state law remains in e ect and protects people from “discrimination and harassment in schools based on disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, family composition, religion, age, national origin, or ancestry.”

“CHSAA is committed to understanding the potential implications of these new federal directives, and we will share more information with you as it becomes available,” the organization said.

Many school districts — including Englewood Schools, Jefferson County Public Schools and Westminster Public Schools — have said they will follow CHSAA’s lead.

Douglas County School district Superintendent Erin Kane said at the school board’s Feb. 11 meeting that the district is already following an injunction that kept it in line with Title IX in 2020 and the district’s policies are consistent with those rules.

“Our biggest takeaway is that

we need to let the dust settle and gure out where everything lands because right now, there are federal departments making recommendations as to what happens next,” Kane said.

Westminster Public Schools has an enrollment of 7,661 students and district spokesman Steve Saunders con rmed that, as of now, CHSAA’s policies regarding transgender athletes remain unchanged.

Je erson County Public Schools said it will continue to follow all Colorado state laws when it comes to how the district treats students, sta and families.

“Physical education, intramural and interscholastic activities are managed in accordance with district policy regulation, which includes the CHSAA’s Transgender Inclusion Bylaw & Policy,” the district said. “ e policy states, ‘students should be permitted to participate in physical education classes and intramural sports in a manner consistent with their gender identity. With regard to interscholastic activities, the district will follow the CHSAA Transgender Policy Statement.’”

South Suburban Parks and

Recreation, which manages youth sports programs and doesn’t receive any federal funding, said it would not be making any changes to its policies.

“Our goal at South Suburban is to provide safe and inclusive recreation opportunities for all members of our community,” said Becky Grubb, South Suburban communications manager.

South Suburban also referenced its existing transgender and non-binary policy, and afrmed that no changes would be made in light of the new directive.

When asked how common it is for transgender women to participate in women’s sports at South Suburban, the organization replied that it does not track this information.

Keira, from Team Trans, pointed out that the debate surrounding transgender athletes goes beyond the concerns of trans individuals, with cisgender women, particularly women of color, facing discrimination based on arbitrary expectations of their bodies.

In 2022, a cisgender high school girl in Utah was investigated for being trangender after placing rst in a state champi-

onship. Complaints from the parents of her competitors who came in second and third place prompted the investigation.

Additionally, in 2023 a 9-yearold girl in Canada was accused by an adult man of being transgender while she was competing in a track meet.

“ is ‘debate’ has led to cisgender women and girls — especially those of color — being subjected to discrimination simply for being perceived as ‘too manly,’” Keira said.

Keira said that many trans athletes view their participation in sports as vital to their wellbeing and mental health, and that no one is “pretending to be a woman” to succeed in athletics, but rather, to survive due to concerns for their safety.

Keira also pointed out the potential harm the executive order could cause to trans youth, whose rights may be threatened as a result.

“Trans kids are watching their rights being actively taken away, and we risk losing them,” Keira said. “ at is not OK. ey deserve to grow up in a world where they feel safe, seen and supported — and it’s on all of us to ensure that happens.”

Players on Team Trans, an international collective of transgender and non-binary hockey players, compete in a hockey game.

COURTESY OF MEREDITH BREUER-WILLIAMS

CROWSSUPDRO ELZZ

1. TELEVISION: e show “Happy Days” is a spino of which older sitcom?

2. LITERATURE: Which author created the character Hercule Poirot?

3. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Where is Barack Obama’s presidential library located?

4. GEOGRAPHY: What river forms part of the border between the United States and Mexico?

5. ASTRONOMY: Which planet in our solar system has the strongest gravitational eld?

6. U.S. STATES: Which four states intersect at the Four Corners monument?

7. SCIENCE: What is anemophily?

8. MOVIES: How much does an Oscar award trophy weigh?

9. WEATHER: What is a haboob?

10. MEASUREMENTS: How many millimeters are in a meter?

TrIVIa

Answers

1. “Love, American Style.”

2. Agatha Christie.

3. Chicago, Illinois.

4. e Rio Grande.

5. Jupiter.

6. Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado.

7. Pollination by the wind.

8. 8.5 pounds.

9. An intense dust storm.

10. 1,000.

(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.

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