Lone Tree Voice 0903

September 3, 2020

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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO

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INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 6 | LIFE: PAGE 8 | SPORTS: PAGE 15

Fire agencies pitch in on Colo. blazes, hurricane First responders deploy to locations in need of extra assistance

BY NICK PUCKETT NPUCKETT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Firefighters from across the metro area were deployed to assist at the scene of Colorado wildfires and with the aftermath of Hurricane Laura on the Gulf Coast.

South Metro Fire Rescue and the Castle Rock and Denver fire departments each sent first responders to assist with the blazes raging in the state. Also called into service were members of the West Metro Fire Protection District, which covers significant portions of Jefferson and Douglas counties, and the Arvada and Thornton fire agencies.

Among the blazes where local fire agencies have been assisting is the Pine Gulch Fire, centered 18 miles north of Grand Junction, which had engulfed more than 139,000 acres as of Aug. 30, making it the largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history. The fire was about 77% contained as of that date, with 646 people working to douse the blaze, according to the federal National Wildfire Coordinating Group.

SEE AGENCIES, P10

BY NICK PUCKETT NPUCKETT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

One of the world’s biggest names

E-learning teachers express frustration, anxiety One Douglas County educator cites crying by colleagues, high stress

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

IBM Watson Health also named HealthOne, the health care system of which Sky Ridge is a member, as the No. 1 health care system in the country.

“Sky Ridge is proud to have earned this incredible quality distinction and honored that our HealthOne division is the top health care system

As Douglas County e-learning teachers geared up for their first week of classes, starting Aug. 31 after a weeklong delay, some expressed frustration and anxiety over the coming weeks, saying their student rosters continued to change, technology presented challenges and expectations from administrators remained unclear.

In the preceding two weeks, the Douglas County district had pivoted to a new model for high school e-learners, and in middle and elementary schools, some teachers still didn’t have final rosters for their students or direction on how to grade their assessments as of Friday, Aug. 28, according to district teachers.

Now, some teachers interviewed

by Colorado Community Media are describing themselves and their colleagues as -- in the words of one -- “at a breaking point.”

“I’ve never seen my colleagues under the amount of stress they’re under right now,” one district high school teacher for e-learning said.

SEE SKY RIDGE, P17

SEE TEACHERS, P13

Firefighters from South Metro Fire Rescue Brush 33, based in Centennial, push back against the Cameron Peak Fire in the Arapahoe and Roosevelt national forests in northern Colorado on Aug. 24.

COURTESY PHOTO

Tech giant honors Sky Ridge, HealthOne Hospital, health care system earn national recognition

VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 30

in technology has recognized Sky Ridge Medical Center as one of the top 100 hospitals in the United States.

IBM Watson Health, a subsidiary of the technology giant, named the Lone Tree hospital in its annual ranking of the top-performing hospitals and health systems in 2020, according to an Aug. 28 news release from Rocky Vista University in Parker.

STREET ART THRIVES IN TOUGH TIMES Walls talk in era of COVID, Black Lives Matter P8

SPORTS: AN EARLY-SEASON CHALLENGE

Mountain Vista teen sets course record at Vista Nation invitational P15

2 Lone Tree Voice

September 3, 2020S

A look at key races in the battle to control state Senate Parker Republican says GOP flip would ‘provide balance’

BY EVAN OCHSNER THE COLORADO SUN

Republicans in Colorado look unlikely to reclaim the state Senate majority they lost two years ago, observers from both sides of the aisle say, relegating the party to another two years in the background as Democrats control Colorado’s government.

The party is grappling with an election year that forces them to play defense and the unpopularity of President Donald Trump, who could harm down-ballot candidates. Less than three months to the election, GOP lawmakers and candidates say they remain optimistic about their odds, but most acknowledge they are just hoping to hold control of three key swing seats Democrats want to win.

“Flipping the Senate is going to be a pretty heavy lift,” said Republican strategist Ryan Lynch. “I think the hope out there is that we’re able to maintain the status quo going into redistricting.”

Republicans need to gain two seats in order to retake control of the upper chamber and disrupt the complete power Democrats have over lawmaking in Colorado. Along with a 19-16 majority in the Senate, Democrats hold a 41-24 advantage in the state House and Gov. Jared Polis isn’t up for reelection until 2022. At best this year, Republicans are looking to regain a

couple of House seats they lost in 2018.

In 2018, Democrats seized power and have passed legislation to require employers to provide sick leave, set pollution reduction targets to address climate change, added new police accountability measures and toughened regulations on the oil and gas industry. The party’s lawmakers are pledging to take on other progressive priorities should they remain in control and prioritize increased funding for transportation, education and health care.

“A majority will continue (to) help ensure we will be able to deliver on the types of policies we’ve passed,” Senate President Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, said in an interview.

In addition to flipping two seats, Republicans need to win every seat they currently hold and stave off Democratic challengers in open seats.

It’s a big ask, and some Republicans believe that the party is more likely to have a net loss of one seat than it is to gain any. Democrats said they feel confident about holding the seats Republicans are targeting.

The electoral fortunes are a big reversal from the predictions from GOP leaders in the past two years.

Conservatives suggested that voters would see the downsides of one-party control and Democratic overreach and demand a return to split partisan power at the Capitol.

Republican Senate leader Chris Holbert declined an interview request, but in a statement, the lawmaker from Parker said voters in swing districts want bipartisan powerbrokers. “Putting Republicans back in control of the state Senate would provide bal-

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Sen. Kevin Priola, R-Adams County, and Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, listen as the Senate Health and Human Service Committee hears debate on a bill that would change Colorado’s vaccine exemption rules on Feb. 19.

PHOTO BY JESSE PAUL/THE COLORADO SUN ance, which is what those voters tell us that they want,” Holbert said.

GOP strategist Andy George, who ran the Republican state Senate campaign operation for more than a decade, said the party is facing an unfavorable map this year and is forced into a defensive stance. “Even is the best outcome they could hope for,” George said.

Jeffco seat seen as vulnerable Republicans’ best shot likely is in two suburban Denver districts.

The most vulnerable state Senate seat for Democrats is believed to be the 19th District, which sits in Jefferson County and includes part of Denver’s northwest suburbs around Standley Lake.

Rachel Zenzinger, an Arvada Democrat, won the seat from Republican incumbent Laura Woods in 2016. The district has more unaffiliated voters than it does members of any political party and continues to trend in that direction, according to an analysis from conservative-leaning Magellan Strategies.

Republicans hope Zenzinger’s support for progressive policies during her term will alienate those unaffiliated voters. Jesse Mallory, who was chief of staff for Republicans the last time they held the Senate, from 2015 to 2018, and is now a senior advisor for Americans For Prosperity Action, said he thinks Zenzinger may have voted for more liberal bills than her constituents would be comfortable with.

But Zenzinger says her record is bipartisan and her independent-minded voters will see through the criticism.

“They just don’t buy into those kinds of partisan attacks,” she said. To buttress her support, she also landed the endorsement of the pro-business, conservative-leaning Colorado Chamber of Commerce.

Though unaffiliateds now make up over 40% of her district, there are still slightly more Democrats than Republicans in it. Zenzinger also has a significant fundraising edge, having hauled in eight times more money than her Republican opponent Lynn Gerber, according to campaign finance records analyzed by The Colorado Sun. Campaign funds allow candidates to spend on materials like mailers and

flyers and also serve as an indicator of how much support they have and how well their campaign is run.

Bridges faces challenge in Arapahoe In the eyes of many Republicans, their next-best chance for picking up a seat is District 26 in Arapahoe County, which is held by Greenwood Village Democrat Jeff Bridges.

Bridges, who previously served in the House, was appointed to the seat in 2019 after the resignation of his predecessor, Daniel Kagan.

November’s election will provide all voters in his district with their first chance to weigh in on that appointment. But many Republicans see their chances in that district as even less favorable than in the race to unseat Zenzinger.

Like Zenzinger, Bridges has a large fundraising edge, raising more than 10 times what Republican challenger Robert Roth has collected, according to campaign finance records.

Arapahoe County was long a politically moderate part of the state, but Democrats swept into power in that area in 2018, led by U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, who defeated five-term Republican incumbent Mike Coffman. Voters also pushed out other Republicans, including Sheriff David Walcher, County Clerk Matt Crane and state Rep. Cole Wist.

Democratic lawmakers and strategists believe they are likely to hold Bridges’ seat. Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, said he thinks Bridges has served his district well and hopes he will be rewarded for it. “He is a good, solid representative of that community,” Fenberg said.

Republicans, meanwhile, are most vulnerable in a formerly friendly seat.

Republicans are two seats away from a majority, but that’s only if the party is able to hold on to all of its other seats. In all, 18 seats are in play this cycle. And on paper the breakdown would appear to favor Republicans.

GOP incumbents occupy four seats up for grabs, Democrat incumbents hold seven, and seven others are open.

But two of the Republicans seeking reelection are facing tough challenges from Democrats and one of the open seats, formerly held by a Republican, is at risk of switching loyalties.

SEE ELECTION, P24

Lone Tree Voice 3

0September 3, 2020

Douglas County hands out recovery funds to cities, businesses Funding comes from federal CARES Act addressing COVID impacts

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Some Douglas County municipalities and small businesses are on their way to receiving COVID-19 recovery funds after the county began divvying up their $30 million of CARES Act money.

In an Aug. 25 meeting, commissioners approved an agreement between Douglas County and various municipalities, including Castle Pines, Castle Rock, Larkspur, Lone Tree and Parker, for the dollars.

This agreement will allow these cities and towns to seek reimbursement for specific COVID-19-related expenses incurred between March 1 and Dec. 30 of this year, according to a release from the county. Reimbursable costs include medical, public health and payroll expenses.

The funding comes from the $2 trillion federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed in March of this year. Douglas County applied for this money through the state’s Department of Local Affairs and was notified July 24 that its request was granted.

“This further highlights what makes Douglas County so special,” Commissioner Lora Thomas said in the Aug. 25 meeting. “Over and over we see how people partner together in this county ... so that we all work together so that everybody benefits.”

Each municipality will receive funds based on their population, assessed value and full-time employees per local government. Castle Rock will receive $3,486,031; Parker will receive $2,876,671; Lone Tree will receive $1,231,675; Castle Pines will receive $380,359; and Larspur $36,608.

Small businesses Local businesses with 100 or fewer employees can also apply to receive funding from the county’s portion of CARES Act dollars.

Businesses with physical locations in the county can receive up to $10,000 of relief for expenses like personal protective equipment, touchless payment systems and structural changes or improvements required to remain open under COVID-19 health orders, according to a release from the county.

Eligibility guidelines are available on the county’s website by searching “Small Business Grant Program.”

Applications for the first round of the program will be accepted through Sept. 15 and will be awarded on a first-come first-serve basis.

General Election Nov. 3, 2020 Douglas County is Election Ready - Are You? Visit DouglasVotes.com where you can: •

Register to vote or check your status/affiliation

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Update your mailing address

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Watch the “Life of a Ballot” video to learn about election security

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Find a ballot drop box near you

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Get information about in-person voter services Learn more at DouglasVotes.com or 303.660.7444.

Mobile COVID-19 testing locations through Dec. 31 COVID-19 swabbing and antibody testing are available with or without health insurance for the remainder of the year. To preregister and to learn when and where testing is available visit douglas.co.us/covid19testing/events. For information about other testing providers visit douglas.co.us/covid19-testinglocations

$2.5 million Small Business Grant Program eases COVID-19 impacts Your business must have a physical location and have 100 or fewer employees to be eligible. Complete an online application for COVID-19-related expense reimbursement up to $10,000 by visiting douglas.co.us and search Small Business Grant Program. Applications for the first of five, $500k grant cycles will be accepted through Sept. 15, 2020, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Need some gardening help?

Douglas County Master Gardeners are working and happy to answer your yard and garden questions. Contact them at dcmgardenr@gmail.com or learn more by visiting douglas.extension.colostate.edu

What’s happening with your County government?

Our commitment to open and transparent government includes online posting of information about public meetings at which the business of government is conducted.

To view various public meeting agendas and to participate in-person or remotely visit douglas.co.us and search for Meetings and Agendas.

Labor Day holiday closure Douglas County offices will be closed Sept. 7 in observance of the Labor Day holiday. Visit DoItOnlineDouglas.com for a list of online services.

Visit douglas.co.us

4 Lone Tree Voice

September 3, 2020S

Arapahoe Community College president stepping down Doyle cites expanded offerings, new campus as accomplishments

Arapahoe Community College President Diana Doyle.

COURTESY PHOTO

BY DAVID GILBERT DGILBERT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Arapahoe Community College will bid farewell to a devoted leader next spring, after President Diana Doyle announced her retirement.

Doyle announced she will step down in June 2021, ending an 11-year tenure as the head of the Littleton-based college, and wrapping up a 43-year career in higher education.

“My original goal was to stay here for 10 years, but in the unusual time we’re in, I decided to add one more year for good measure,” Doyle told Colorado Community Media.

Doyle said she’s proud of her legacy at ACC, including adding numerous bachelor’s and associate’s degree programs, starting a veterans’ services center, developing wellness programs for students, and overseeing the development of a new satellite campus in Castle Rock, shared with Colorado State University. ACC also has a Parker campus.

“There’s so much we do for students now that didn’t exist a decade ago,” she said. “But no president does their job alone. I have been blessed with a dream team of employees, students and partners.”

Doyle said she fell in love with higher education right from the start, becoming a resident assistant in her

dorm at Illinois State University. After graduation, she became a residence hall director, then went on to work at the University of Nebraska and the Colorado School of Mines.

“I’ve always loved the ability of higher education to help students grow not just academically, but as individuals,” she said.

But it wasn’t until she took a leadership role at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff that she found her defining role in the community college system.

“Community colleges are a wonderful place to have a more direct impact on students who might not have thought college was for them,” she

said. “I’m a first-generation college student, and there are a lot of those out there. Many people don’t have parents who can assist them with the challenges of college or give them advice on how to succeed.”

Community colleges graduate students who play many vital roles in society, Doyle said, including the vast majority of first responders, as well as auto technicians, IT specialists, nurses and cybersecurity professionals.

While some colleges have seen enrollment flounder in the face of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Doyle says ACC’s fall enrollment is up 6% over last year. Doyle says she believes

the climb is driven by students who may be delaying transferring to a fouryear school, those looking for cheaper or more flexible options, and people laid off from the workforce seeking to boost their skillsets.

She also said ACC has engaged in robust communication with students and the public to overcome hurdles to attendance.

ACC had an easier time than some institutions with the transfer to largely online learning, Doyle said, because the school began developing widespread online offerings years ago. Some classes are attending in person, particularly vocational classes that have irreplaceable handson components like nursing and auto repair.

The Colorado Community College System, which oversees 13 schools statewide, will conduct a nationwide search for Doyle’s replacement.

Joe Garcia, the chancellor of the CCCS, had high praise for Doyle.

“We have been fortunate to not only have Dr. Doyle at the helm of ACC for the past decade, but also as an incredible thought leader who has paved the way for significant change in how post-secondary education is delivered to meet and support the needs of today’s students,” Garcia said in a statement. “I know I speak for our entire system when I express our deep appreciation for her transformational work and tireless dedication to student success.”

Doyle said she hopes the pandemic has abated by next spring.

“I want to go see the world,” she said. “I’m open to new adventures.”

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Lone Tree Voice 5

0September 3, 2020

Colo. Supreme Court rebuffs Neville suit over Polis mask order Castle Rock lawmaker says he will refile case in another court

BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN

The Colorado Supreme Court on Aug. 30 refused to hear a lawsuit filed by top statehouse Republican Patrick Neville of Castle Rock and a conservative activist challenging Gov. Jared Polis’ statewide mask mandate.

The court made its decision less than two days after the lawsuit was filed by Neville, the Colorado House minority leader, and Michelle Malkin of Colorado Springs.

Neville and Malkin, represented by attorney and Colorado Republican National Committeeman Randy Corporon, alleged that Polis violated the required separation between the legislative and executive branches when he issued the mask mandate more than a month ago.

The lawsuit was filed directly to the Colorado Supreme Court, which legal experts told The Colorado Sun was an extremely unusual, if not unheard of, move that made the chances of it being heard highly unlikely.

In the lawsuit, Neville and Malkin said they would take the case to a lower court or the federal court system if the Colorado Supreme Court declined to take up the case.

“Petitioners are ready, willing, and able to litigate the issues raised in this petition in either the state District

House Minority Leader Patrick Neville, R-Castle Rock, on May 12 outside C&C Coffee and Kitchen in Castle Rock, which had stirred controversy when it reopened inside service on Mother’s Day in violation of state health rules then in place.

PHOTO BY JESSICA GIBBS Court in Denver, or the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, or both,” the lawsuit said.

The mask mandate was issued by Polis on July 17 to slow the spread of the coronavirus after he initially said such a requirement was unenforceable.

The Democrat has since said the mandate helped quash a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Colorado.

Polis blasted Malkin and Neville for bringing the lawsuit.

“We are free to be on the side of a deadly virus that has taken the lives

of too many friends, parents, and loved ones, or on the side of Coloradans,” Polis said in a written statement in response to the lawsuit. “I’m on the side of Coloradans.”

Neville, who is a race to maintain his leadership position at the Capitol, said at the time the suit was filed: “We are in month five now of these executive orders with no legislative input. I think the governor has gone well beyond the power that has been given to him. He is actually legislating and writing laws. That’s our job as the legislature. It’s time to put an end to that.”

Polis has has issued dozens of executive orders since the pandemic hit Colorado. The mask mandate is at least the third to be challenged in court. Only one of his directives, around allowing signature gathering by mail and email, has been rejected.

Neville’s lawsuit specifically alleged that the mask mandate violates the Colorado constitution and asked for a legal review of the Colorado Disaster Emergency Act under which Polis issued the order and others.

The legal filing alleged that the court, in the case around signature gathering, ruled that Polis cannot suspend a constitutional requirement.

Neville and Malkin argue the mask mandate constitutes a new law and only the legislature is allowed to make laws.

This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned 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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6 Lone Tree Voice

LOCAL

September 3, 2020S

VOICES Take a stand against PPP taxation

A

s if things GUEST weren’t hard COLUMN enough for Colorado’s small businesses, news comes that the Trump administration plans to claw back a chunk of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds that legitimate businesses have Brett Wesner used as a lifeline to keep their employees on the payroll.

When Congress passed PPP, the legislation made it clear that these loans would ultimately be forgiven if businesses used them for approved purposes, mostly payroll. And, the law

ensured — in writing — that any forgiven amounts would not be taxable, meaning that businesses could use all those funds to keep folks employed.

More than 13,300 Colorado businesses, including this newspaper, signed up in good faith, secure in the knowledge that if they used those funds as Congress intended, they would be forgiven and not taxed. This program helped support or create approximately 900,000 jobs in our state, according to the Small Business Administration.

Well, Congress may have said one thing, but President Trump’s Treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, has other ideas. According to the Treasury Department, forgiven funds may not be taxable, but the payroll businesses paid with those funds can no longer be

considered a business expense.

Now, we don’t know Mr. Mnuchin personally, but our guess is that, as Treasury secretary, he probably knows something about math: Disallowing businesses from claiming that payroll as an expense is the same thing as taxing the forgiven loan.

Which means that Colorado’s small businesses are going to get hit with a huge surprise tax bill, but most won’t know it until — wait for it — after the November election! Surprise!

Now some members of the U.S. Senate weren’t amused by this little “Lucy with the football” tomfoolery.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, has led a fight in the Senate to tell the Treasury Department that they meant what they said: the forgiven loans should

not be taxable, including through the back door. Other senators are worried about the “optics” of standing up for small businesses, if you can imagine.

Colorado’s own Sen. Cory Gardner was an early supporter of a bill Sen. Cornyn introduced (S. 3612) to fix the problem.

Treasury cannot be allowed to override Congress’ promise to our small business community.

Brett Wesner is founder of Wesner Publications Co., a newspaper publisher in Oklahoma and Texas, and treasurer of the National Newspaper Association, a not-for-profit trade association representing the owners, publishers and editors of America’s community newspapers.

Colorado Community Media, publisher of this newspaper, is a member.

It’s time for all of us to go off on a limb Here’s the secret to getting ‘It’ done

T

his is an emotional commercials, especially in plea directed to furniture store ads. anyone within the From deep in the ottosound of my writmans a blonde walks toward the camera gesturing ten voice who talks with all over the place. their hands.

Again, it’s to Please: Stop, quit, QUIET desist, cease. Enter DESPERATION make you think there are deals to be rehab. Borrow a made and the furnipair of handcuffs ture can’t be beat. from me.

It (hand talking) I know why must work, because it’s done and it’s been going on who is likely to for a long time in do it: preachers, marketing. I wish it proselytizers and would stay there. politicians. Certain But it has moved professions think Craig Marshall into daily life. I see it helps to sell it in stores. I see it products.

Smith on the streets. At a I’ve heard some safe distance, of course. nationalities are more We’re the only animal inclined than others.

There’s a congresswoman that does it.

Sure, there are the matwe all know. Her vocal ing motions we’ve all seen cords are attached to her arm muscles. She looks like on “Animal Planet,” but this is different. At least, I she’s signing for the deaf. assume it’s different.

Maybe someone coached How we express ourher. selves is important. It “Wave your arms all over involves word choice, the place. They’ll think you enunciation, composure, know what you’re talking and body language. about.”

Or it can look like the I can’t watch. She hypnoflailing of someone with a tizes me. bag over their head.

I’m told it shows that the Remember cops who speaker is engaging, vivadirected traffic? Or maybe cious, energetic, and pasyou have seen them in sionate. Save it for a bear. films? They were masters They say you should with their hand motions “make yourself big” if confronted by a bear. That’s and whistles, weren’t they?

That’s where it belongs. what waving your arms You’ve heard of “semaaround does: it makes you phore”? big.

“A system of sending Big and annoying. messages by holding the Hand talking is done arms or two flags or poles all the time in television

A publication of

Call first: 9233 Park Meadows Dr., Lone Tree, CO 80124 Mailing Address: 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110 Phone: 303-566-4100 Web: LoneTreeVoice.net To subscribe call 303-566-4100

in certain positions according to an alphabetic code.”

Right now it’s sending this message: “Stop, quit, desist, cease.”

Over in Hawaii, women wear grass skirts and tell stories with their hands and arms. Fine. Again, that’s different.

Their speechless stories are told by gestures and hips.

Signers for the deaf, semaphorers (new word), and hula dancers, and that’s it. If you aren’t one of those, don’t raise your hand.

There’s help. There has to be.

Ask a friend: “Do I annoy you when I talk with my hands?”

If the answer is “No,” disregard everything I’ve said.

It’s possible you are unaware of what you are doing. The same goes for most of us who interject filler words, you know, when we express ourselves. The primary offender in 2020 is “like,” but “you know” is right up there.

If I encounter a hand talker who uses filler words, I excuse myself and say I have to go home and check on the roast in the oven.

There is nothing more important today than ridding the planet of hand talkers. I think we can all agree on that.

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

W

hatever “It” is that we have to get done, there is a secret to making sure that we actually get it done. It’s called accountability, or rather perWINNING sonal accountWORDS ability.

If you are a regular reader of this “Winning Words” column, and even though I am placing the focus this week on people in the profession of Michael Norton selling, what I share below is applicable to all of us who are striving to stay as productive as possible in all walks of life. So, I encourage you to keep reading.

Over the past several months we have all participated in our own version and reality of the “Next Normal.” Some of us chose to participate fully and look for new and innovative ways to work, live, and play. Others fell into the flow and tried to keep pace with what was happening around them. And then there were some who wanted to wait and watch what would be happening next. Possibly waiting too long and losing energy and momentum along the way.

Our daily routines were shifted and, in many cases, completely turned upside down. In the world of professional selling, some folks decided that they would fully participate and amplified their work ethic and behaviors, holding themselves personally accountable for getting “It” done,

whatever “It” was. “It,” in professional selling, could include continuous learning and honing of sales skills. “It” could be committing to prospecting or making a daily commitment to check in on prospects, channel partners, and customers. “It” could be learning how to better understand technology and how to connect and engage remotely. Whatever “It” is, this group was going to get it done with or without management’s direction.

For the teams and individuals who went along for the ride initially, we see that they eventually found their rhythm and understood the effort and behaviors necessary to succeed in getting things done. They realized that the competition was getting close, and sooner or later could take away their business. Salespeople who initially followed old selling habits, even if they were good habits, realized that in the new business landscape they needed to change, and not only change, but hold themselves personally accountable to make the transition and stay relevant, adding value and getting “It” done for themselves and their customers.

Some of the watchful waiters eventually took notice what was happening around them and made the decision to get back in the game of selling. They realized that if they didn’t do “It,” no one else would. And if they watched and waited too long, they would probably be invited to find success elsewhere. And in that moment, they also stumbled across the secret to getting “It”

Columnists & Guest Commentaries

JERRY HEALEY President

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant

jhealey@coloradocommunitymedia.com

eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

MARK HARDEN Editor

AUDREY BROOKS Business Manager

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Lone Tree Voice 7

0September 3, 2020

Commentary: A student’s view of in-person school

BY LILLIAN FUGLEI SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

After a summer filled with everchanging reopening plans, I finally returned to Heritage High School in Littleton to begin my senior year on Aug. 24.

New safety measures include limiting students to two in-person days a week, mandatory face masks, one-way hallways and stairwells, disinfecting all desks, socially-distanced classrooms, prepackaged lunches and more.

Efforts to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus have made the school safer, but have also created the loneliest school environment I’ve ever experienced.

Although necessary to help prevent students and faculty from getting ill, the new limitations feel incredibly isolating. In several of my classes, students couldn’t talk to each other at all. No group work and no possibility of conversations meant no way of con-

necting with each other.

The classes with group work were awkward and clunky. Students had to shout and repeat themselves in order to be heard, it was loud inside the classroom, and it was impossible to carry on conversations from six feet apart.

Classes ended with hand sanitizer and wiping down desks. We had to stand for the last few minutes of class so the sanitizer had time to work before another student sat in our desks.

When class finally ended, the hallways felt as crowded as ever, but were more difficult to navigate with arrows and teachers yelling which direction we were allowed to travel in.

Between masks, signs covering every wall reminding us to social distance, and hand sanitizer everywhere, thoughts of the virus were hard to escape. Every moment I was in school left me wondering if reopening was really worth it.

It was wonderful to see other people again, and to get out of the house.

But combining an already confusing

in-person schedule with three days of overwhelming online classes left me more worn out than any normal school week I’ve ever experienced.

Some classes were fun, some were boring, and some felt almost normal during my two days of in-person class.

But with the added stress and looming threats of coronavirus, I can’t say I felt like it was worthwhile.

Every cough and mask adjustment felt threatening, making sure you and your supplies were sanitized was exhausting, and every joke about school shutting down again amplified the stress. Being in the building means constantly being on guard.

I wish I could have a normal senior year, with Homecoming and Prom and football games and clubs and everything fun that’s supposed to come with being in school. But coronavirus has stripped school down to the barebones academics.

We won’t have a normal year, and I can’t say I feel like it’s worth pursuing.

forfeiting self-governance of our community health makes sense.

I would rather have people who live and work in Douglas County making decisions for Douglas County. Therefore, I am glad the commissioners are bringing the management of our local health back where it belongs ... in the hands of the people of Douglas County.

Jordan Jackson Lone Tree

their empire, with our taxes? Have you all thought through the consequences of this decision?

I support us getting out of Tri-County in the best interests of our people

Heritage High School senior Charlotte Coleman disinfects her desk after class.

PHOTO BY LILLIAN FUGLEI

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Self-governance is better I have been surprised and disappointed by the negative response to the Douglas County commissioners’ announcement to withdraw from the Tri-County Health Department. Many of the opposition letters have focused on mask wearing as the issue, but I believe they are missing the point.

The decision as to whether to remain a part of Tri-County Health is really a question of self-rule governance or not. I support the commissioners’ decision because I believe in retaining as much self-governance at the local level as possible. Decisions in families, businesses, and government are usually best made by the people who are closest to the issues at hand.

If the critics believe they are better served by officials in other regional jurisdictions, I am curious if they would support disbanding the Douglas County School District and allowing Adams County Schools to dictate how we educate our kids. Why not defund the Douglas County Sheriff ’s Office and delegate the safety of our community to the Arapahoe County Sheriff ?

I suspect the authors of the critical letters would not be in favor of outsourcing those services. Therefore, I don’t understand why they believe

NORTON FROM PAGE 6

done, personal accountability. No excuses.

I have been so blessed to work with and learn from amazing partners, clients, sales leaders, and salespeople today and throughout my career.

And I have seen so many incredible programs, attended hundreds of seminars, and read countless books on selling. I share that with you because when I am having conversations about sales success or analyzing the difference between underperforming, average, and top performing sales people, there is one thing that salespeople at the very top consistently do better than their peers. They hold themselves personally accountable for doing the behaviors and getting “It” done.

Commissioners were right Kerry Workman’s letter to the editor voiced her feelings about the commissioners’ decisions about the “health crisis” in the county. I offer a couple of good reasons to support the commissioners in their decisions.

First, if you desire and love big government, be glad because Tri-County has just added 50 new people to do case management and contact tracing.

If you are delighted with Big Brother, just let those contact tracing people find you, and maybe quarantine you, or? I have no idea how they plan to proceed in this endeavor. Will they spell it out clearly to us, the people of Douglas County? How easy would it be to get the sticky fingers of Tri-County off our necks once they start building

If you are not in the world of professional selling, and have read along this far, you know that the secret to getting anything done, getting “It” done in our personal or professional life, comes down to holding accountability, personal accountability. No excuses.

So how about you? Did you decide to fully participate early on and amplify your game? Did you fall into the flow and eventually pick up the pace? Or have you been a watchful waiter and now trying to regain your momentum? I would love to hear how you are getting “It” done today at mnorton@ tramazing.com. And when we realize the secret to accomplishing anything is personal accountability, it really will be a better than good week.

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.

because of our very low infection and mortality rate from the fearful COVID. Avoid infection and Big Government.

Mary Ann McCoy Lone Tree

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8 Lone Tree Voice

LOCAL

LIFE

festival also shows that it may also be making more inroads into a largely unpainted frontier: the suburbs.

During Babe Walls, artists painted 12 new murals on buildings around the intersection of Federal Boulevard and 71st Avenue (a map can be found at babewalls.com).

For the last four years, the West Colfax Mural Fest (now the West Colfax Arts Fest) has also led to the creation of many new murals on and around West Colfax in Lakewood. Although that festival was canceled this year, organizers expect it to return in 2021.

New murals have also popped up in recent months on South Broadway in Englewood and along 44th Avenue in Wheat Ridge (where the city currently has a mural program that provides funds for new art).

“I love the team for figuring out this location because everywhere can benefit by having more art and color in their world,” Babe Walls artist Koko Bayer said of the festival. “And we’ve gotten so much positive feedback already from the people in the neighborhood who like having something different and I think we need a lot more of it. It’s not just for RiNo and downtown Denver, it should be for everywhere.”

Here is a closer look at a few of the many murals to recently pop up around the Denver metro area.

From COVID-19 to Black Lives Matter, street art thrives to document 2020

BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO PALBANIBURGIO@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

W

hen Denver muralist Austin Zucchini-Fowler came up with the idea to create a mural depicting an angel-winged nurse in a fighter’s stance wearing boxing gloves last April, he did not imagine the extent to which the image would resonate in Denver — never mind around the world.

Back then, he was just looking for a way to pay tribute to the health-care workers putting their lives on the line to fight the COVID-19 pandemic — including several in his own family — while he was stuck at home during the pandemic.

“I kind of got to dig down into art and had this concept to really encompass the community’s gratitude to health-care workers and also just show with the pandemic their fight and the challenges they are facing,” Zucchini-Fowler said.

Zucchini-Fowler’s image debuted on Easter weekend in Capitol Hill at Colfax Avenue and Williams Street on the east side of a building along the alley adjacent to the Taco Bell at that intersection.

But even many of those who haven’t been anywhere near Colfax since the start of the pandemic will likely recognize the image, which has been featured everywhere from CNN to The New York Times to a new commercial for USA Basketball. An Oregon farmer has even created a corn maze based on the mural.

“It doesn’t feel like my mural, it’s like the community’s mural,” Zucchini-Fowler said. “People were feeling so many different feelings and challenges during the pandemic and I think a mural can be the perfect way to express what the community as a whole is feeling.”

Social distancing, time outside fueling art In recent months, Zucchini-Fowler and other muralists have shown their art is uniquely positioned to both document and respond to the pain and promise of recent events, as COVID-19 and the protest movement that sprang up following George Floyd’s murder have given new fuel and urgency to the mural movement that has gained steam around the Denver area in recent years.

Among the Denver-area muralists who have been leaving their mark on the city recently are Adrienne Norris, whose work often focuses on significant women from history. Norris returned to that subject for her two most recent murals, which she completed for Babe Walls, a mural festival celebrating the work of women and

September 3, 2020S

An artist paints a mural of a tiger on the side of a building in Westminster during the Babe Walls mural festival.

PHOTOS BY PAUL ALBANI-BURGIO

It’s Gonna All Be Okay mural Located in the alleyway behind Denver Central Market (which is one of the most mural-filled in the city) at at 27th and Larimer, this mural depicts an angel-winged baker holding a peel beside the words “It’s gonna all be okay.” The mural, which was created

by Austin Zucchini-Fowler, is part of a project honoring the contributions of essential workers that grew out of the success of his angel-winged nurse mural on Colfax. A map of all of the project’s murals can be found at austinzart.com.

Interwoven mural at 14th and Colfax Although the Black Lives Matter street mural has come and gone, this colorful mural that was painted in front of the Denver City and County Building earlier this summer has a similarly epic scale. Artist Pat Milberry told 9News that the pinwheel and sundial at the center of the 28,680 square-foot mural is meant to “create an energy of positive rotation to transition us out of these uncertain times.”

Austin Zucchini-Fowler’s iconic mural of a nurse with boxing gloves on along Colfax Avenue in Capitol Hill. non-binary artists held Aug. 13-16 in Westminster.

Both of Norris’ Babe Walls murals depict black women who were leaders in important social movements. One honors Storme DeLarverie, a leader in the early gay rights movement in New York, and the other depicts Ella Baker, a civil rights activist who spurned “charismatic leaders” in favor of encouraging blacks to advocate for themselves.

Norris was also one of two local artists tapped to spearhead the creation of a Black Lives Matter mural on Broadway in front of the state Capitol last June. That temporary street mural, which read “Black Lives Matter: Remember This Time” was painted with the help of more than 100 volunteers.

Norris said that while street artists have always been the documenters of history and culture, the pandemic lockdowns made the value of such art “more apparent than it has ever been even though we’ve always been here.”

“Because people are keeping distance socially and spending more time outside than they ever have been, it really makes sense to have art that is outside as opposed to in museums and stuff,” said Norris.

Murals coming to burbs While the Denver area’s recent street art explosion has largely been focused on city neighborhoods like River North and corridors like Broadway and Colfax where such art has long thrived, the inaugural Babe Walls

Out in the burbs Chelsea Lewinski mural at Broadway and Oxford in Englewood This new mural on the side of the Goodwill store on Broadway illustrates a Black man finding peace by balancing his masculine and feminine sides.

Bluebird mural in Wheat Ridge A bright mural of a bluebird surrounded by flowers appeared on the side of Swiss Flower and Gift Cottage, at 44th Avenue and Jelliston Street, in June.

Zoe Tessier murals at Orchard Town Center in Westminster Last month, artist Zoe Tessier completed three murals at the outdoor shopping and entertainment complex in Wheat Ridge. One is a floral scene featuring a bird while another depicts several flamingos and the third consists of several potted plants along with the words “grow love.”

Lone Tree Voice 9

0September 3, 2020

‘Victoria Longwood’ water lilies are a pretty big deal Plant lovers can get notified when remarkable flowers are about to open

A “Victoria Longwood” water lily is an extravagant specimen on display at Hudson Gardens in Littleton.

BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The Water Gardens and surrounding ponds at Hudson Gardens in Littleton display more than 140 varieties of aquatic plants, which serve as a cover for a variety of minnows, tadpoles and other small critters. With a minimum amount of patience, one can spot a frog sitting on a floating leaf, and in the evening those frogs sing and serenade the surroundings.

The large leaves of the Victoria water lily provide an especially fine perch for these small pond critters as they also offer shade for the swimming residents of the ponds. Each leaf can grow 10 inches in a day, according to material provided at the Gardens.

The Victoria water lilies were discovered in Bolivia in 1801 and are only native to South American river basins, such as the Amazon. Botanists and plant collectors were bringing them to Europe by the mid-19th century, where the first display was at Britain’s Crystal Palace.

COURTESY PHOTO

In 1851, specimens were also introduced in the U.S. In 1960, Longwood Gardens, near Philadelphia, introduced the “Victoria Longwood,” which is the variety found at Hudson Gardens.

These remarkable plants, with the second largest leaf of any plant in the world, were introduced in the Littleton gardens in 1997 and have been growing well since. This summer, plant lovers can register to be notified when a Victoria water lily is about to open in the evening. Members of the active Colorado Water Garden Society maintain the Water Garden ponds and

Virtual fundraiser will aid Young Voices choir

T

hirty years ago, founder Jena Dickey of Littleton gathered 20 young people in her neighborhood and began a children’s choir, Young Voices of Colorado.

It has grown to include almost 200 singers from the five metro counties and has touched an additional 2,000 children through outreach in this area and around the world. On Oct. 3, the choir will celebrate with a virtual fundraising gala, although the young SONYA’S singers will probably SAMPLER not appear in person until 2021. The choir’s home venue is the Newman Center at University of Denver, where a live concert will hopefully be possible. For information about the October concert and the program, see: youngvoices.org Sonya Ellingboe or call 303-797-7464.

Theater tonight (hooray!)

The Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, 4747 Marketplace Drive, Johnstown, opens the theater season with a production of Lerner and Loewe’s beloved “Camelot” from Sept. 3 to Oct. 25. This is a “newly imagined” version, with a cast of eight. Bob Hoppe will play King Arthur and Pat Payne directs. Candlelight will have reduced audience size and extra cleaning between performances for safety. Tickets start at $55.50, including dinner and show. Dinner seating at 6 p.m.; show at 7:30. Call 970-744-3747 Tuesday-Friday, 10-5 and Saturday, 12-5 or visit ColoradoCandlelight.com.

Art reminder Curtis Center for the Arts will

host Art on the Green from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 12 at Curtis Park, just west of the center, which is at 2349 E. Orchard Road in Greenwood Village. Fifty artists will be featured, 10 feet apart. Attendance will be limited to a safe number of attendees at any one time with timed tickets. Masks required for participants and attendees. Call 303797-1779 for information.

Virtual quilt show Visit littletonpresbyterian.org/ quilt to see what would have been the Annual Western Welcome Week Quilt Show. Pastor Cody Sandahl has organized a lovely group of 48 colorful quilts and/or a five-minute musical video.

Highlands Ranch Mansion The Highlands Ranch Mansion is open for self-guided tours, with docents available to answer questions. Call 303-791-0177 or visit highlandsranchmansion.com for information.

DMNS “Dogs! A Science Tale” is exhibited at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, through Jan. 3 and gives a look at adoption, training, play and more.

Developed by the California Science Center. Timed tickets, 303-370-6000, dmns.org.

Exhibit winding up Still at Denver Art Museum, through Sept. 7: “Natural Forces: Winslow Homer and Frederick Remington.” The museum is at Broadway and West 14th Avenue Parkway. Timed tickets purchased in advance 720-8655000, denverartmuseum.org.

members meet with viewers to experience the opening of this spectacular bloom. The Victoria water lily is hermaphroditic: It changes from female to male overnight as it blooms.

Leaf pads can expand more than 20 inches in a day, growing to as much as 8 feet in diameter, with each leaf lasting about a week. For most of the year, the Victoria water lily is distinguished only by these large lily pads, but in late July and early August, night-blooming flowers appear and last only 48 hours. Each plant produces about 10 to 12 flowers a season, according to the publication available at Hudson Gardens. The day before the plant flowers, a tennis ball-sized bud rises from the water and will open to reveal as many as 50 petals.

Its fragrance resembles tuberose, pineapple and banana. In its native setting, the bloom reopens a second night, admitting pollinating scarab

beetles, which don’t live here — only in South America. The flower closes on the beetles, changes from female to male and opens to release the insects that have fertilized the plants.

Hudson Gardens’ information also says that the Victoria water lily is over 160 million years old — it appeared when South America was still connected to Africa and Antarctica. There are two species: Victoria Amazonica and Victoria Cruziana.

Natives of South America make flour from the seeds of the Victoria water lily to bake cakes.

Hudson Gardens’ Water Lily Pond was created in 2012 to house the Victoria water lily collection. It also presents other types of water lilies and duckweed, the smallest flowering plant in the world, which looks like a dense green mat. Flowers are tiny and dangle beneath the water’s surface, as do the roots. We are told that duckweed, often thought to indicate an unhealthy pond, actually helps balance the ecosystem and provides shade for the underwater wildlife. It also provides a source of fat and protein for birds.

While visiting the Water Gardens, take time to look for the lotus, which, like the water lilies, is rooted in a natural soil bed under the water.

Hudson Gardens, at 6115 S. Santa Fe Drive, is open sunrise to sunset daily. Admission is free. Parking near entrance. In addition to ponds, flower gardens are in full bloom. Visit HudsonGardens.org for information about classes and special programming. The popular Sunday concerts are not being held this summer.

10 Lone Tree Voice

September 3, 2020S

AGENCIES FROM PAGE 1

Local crews also were sent to the Cameron Peak Fire, on the Arapahoe and Roosevelt national forests in the Medicine Bow Mountains of far northern Colorado, which remained at 0% containment and had burned across 23,000 acres as of Aug. 30, fire officials said. About 742 people were working on that blaze.

And the Grizzly Creek Fire, near Glenwood Springs, had burned 32,000 acres and was 73% contained as of Aug. 30, with 657 working at the scene, the NWGC said.

At press time, South Metro Fire Rescue had eight firefighters assisting crews battling the Pine Gulch and Cameron Peak fires and one more assisting fire prevention in Pike National Forest southwest of the metro area.

South Metro deployed its first two crews Aug. 13, according to spokesperson Connor Christian. The agency sent one crew of three to the Pine Gulch Fire area near Glenwood Springs and a four-person crew to the Cameron Peak Fire in Larimer County.

One battalion chief was sent to command a crew of 20 in Pike National Forest and one lieutenant safety officer was sent to assist with Pine Gulch as well.

The three-person crew sent to Pine Gulch came from Station 41 in Parker on a Type 3 brush truck. That crew returned Aug. 24. Another threeperson crew from Station 39 in Castle Pines left Aug. 24 to replace the first Pine Gulch crew. The four-person crew fighting the Cameron Peak Fire came from Station 33 in Centennial in a Type 6 brush truck and at press time had not yet completed its deployment.

Crews will rotate based on roughly two-week rotations until their services are no longer needed.

‘No negative impact locally’ A Type 3 brush truck can hold up to 500 gallons of water and is typically found in departments of rural, mountainous communities. A Type 6 brush truck is better suited for off-roading and can hold up to about 300 gallons of water.

Denver Fire sent has sent at least 60 members of its 158-person Wildland Crew to assist in the two largest local wildfires, according to the department’s Twitter account. The department, which also serves the city of Englewood, also sent three wildland engines and a suppression module, a device designed to protect electrical devices from voltage spikes.

And Castle Rock Fire sent three firefighters to assist with the Grizzly Creek Fire.

“There is no negative impact locally with these deployments,” Castle Rock Fire Chief Norris Croom said in an Aug. 27 email. “We have a reserve brush truck that gets placed in service to fill in for the deployed truck, and we have sufficient staffing to allow for these deployments.”

West Metro Fire Protection District spokesperson Rhonda Scholting said in an email on Aug. 27 that the agency had three firefighters deployed to the Cameron Peak Fire.

Arvada Fire spokesperson Deanna Harrington said on Aug. 27 that her agency had five firefighters deployed to Colorado forest fires: Three sent with one of the agency’s brush trucks to the Grizzly Creek Fire and two battalion chiefs at the Cameron Peak Fire.

And four Thornton Fire Department were loanded out to help with blazes around the state, including the Wil-

A photo taken by a firefighter on the scene of the Cameron Peak Fire near Fort Collins.

COURTESY OF ARVADA FIRE

FIRE AGENCIES WARN OF HIGH DANGER

In this photo taken by an Arvada firefighter on the scene of the Cameron Peak fire, a tanker drops fire retardant onto the fire while firefighters look on. Tankers like this one are filled with retardant at the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield.

COURTESY OF ARVADA FIRE

The State of Colorado has a statewide open-fire ban effective through midSeptember.

Connor Christian, spokesperson for South Metro Fire Rescue, reminded homeowners to be cognizant of the high fire danger.

“Our biggest tip is to be very cognizant of making sure no one is having flammable materials around dry vegetation,” Christian said. “We also encourage mitigation around homes.”

Christian said South Metro has responded to multiple grass fires along highways — occasionally caused by something as simple as a loose tire from a semi-truck.

“It can catch vegetation on fire extremely quickly,” Christian said. “It is extremely dry. Take care of your properties as much as you can to reduce the fire risk and your home.”

South Metro has fire mitigation tips available on its website at southmetro. org.

liams Fork Fire seven miles southwest of Fraser, said spokesperson Sabrina Iacovetta.

Called to help after Laura Meanwhile, South Metro Fire Rescue and the Castle Rock and Denver fire departments, among others, sent first responders to College Station, Texas, to assist residents of the area struck by Hurricane Laura, along with other members of Colorado Task Force 1, the Colorado-based emergency response team for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

About three dozen metro area first responders from Colorado Task Force 1 joined other FEMA task force members from around the country at College Station on Aug. 27. The task force members, made up of firefighters, physicians, paramedics, hazardous materials technicians, heavy rigging specialists and canine handlers, will help in various capacities depending on the SEE AGENCIES, P11

Denver Fire Department personnel prepare to leave for College Station, Texas, Aug. 27 to assist with the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. The personnel are part of Colorado Task Force 1, a statewide response team associated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

COURTESY PHOTO

Lone Tree Voice 11

0September 3, 2020

AGENCIES FROM PAGE 10

needs upon arrival, according to South Metro Fire Rescue Public Information Officer Eric Hurst.

Hurricane Laura struck Louisiana and the Texas coast Aug. 26 as a Category 4 storm.

Gusts reached up to 150 mph, according to Weather.com.

Denver Fire sent 10 first responders, South Metro Fire Rescue sent 12 and Castle Rock Fire Department sent one to help with Hurricane Laura.

The task force could help dealing with floodwaters, technical rescues, humanitarian work or delivering supplies, Hurst said.

Colorado Task Force 1 is a Colorado-based team designed to assist search-and-rescue operations, emergency medical care and in other capacities as they are needed. The task force has about 200 members in all.

Department heads do not expect any diminishment in local services, according to a Denver Fire spokesperson.

“The large number of firefighters we have allows us to maintain these services. We will not allow that to be compromised to maintain our certification and accreditation,” the spokesperson said. “We have that in the back of our minds all the time.”

Reporters Paul Albani-Burgio and Scott Taylor contributed to this story.

In a photo by Thornton Fire Lt. Perry Otero, crews in trucks are seen preparing to battle a part of the Pine Gulch Fire, just north of Grand Junction.

COURTESY OF PERRY OTERO

West Metro firefighters on the scene of the Cameron Peak fire. West Metro’s crew worked at night and employed a strategy of lighting a “control line” fire along a barrier ahead of the fire to consume the fuel for the forest fire before it could reach it to help gain control of the fire.

COURTESY OF WEST METRO FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

Crews of firefighters from around the country stand with their equipment for a group photo during their time fighting the Pine Gulch Fire, which has been burning north of Grand Junction.

Thornton Fire Lt. Perry Otero led the team for two weeks in August.

Firefighters are shown getting ready to tackle a part of the Pine Gulch Fire north of Grand Junction in a photo by Thornton Fire Lt. Perry Otero.

COURTESY OF PERRY OTERO

COURTESY OF PERRY OTERO

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Lone Tree Voice 13

0September 3, 2020

Superintendent, school district ask for patience ‘We’re going to need ... understanding, grace and positive intent’

BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

The Douglas County School District is asking for patience from the community as the district begins the school year under the cloud of COVID-19 and irons out kinks in its various education offerings, Superintendent Thomas Tucker said.

“I continue to ask our very passionate community for continued grace and patience as we start the school year,” Tucker said in an exclusive interview with Colorado Community Media. “We’re going to need that same level of understanding, grace, patience and positive intent throughout the school year.

Because we don’t know what tomorrow holds.”

After the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the spring, the district decided to offer multiple options for student learning for the fall. District families have the choice of either sending their students to school for “hybrid” learning — where kids attend inperson classes two days a week — or having them learn 100% online for the first semester.

In the first couple weeks of school, teachers, parents and students have struggled to adjust as their class schedules and plans for the upcoming year remain in flux. Hybrid

Superintendent Thomas Tucker speaks to Douglas County students at a graduation ceremony June 26. learning began Aug. 24 but onlineonly instruction was pushed back by a week to Aug. 31 due to staffing and technology challenges.

“This is the first time in the ... history of public education where we’ve had to face a pandemic like this,” Tucker said.

Tucker said while it would have

been easier to just bring students back with online-only learning, the district wanted to bring students back to in-person learning.

“Because we know how important the affective part of education is, the relational part of education,” he said. “We believe in the power of touch, we believe in the power of

TEACHERS FROM PAGE 1

“There has been more crying in August than probably in the last 10 years by the teachers and staff.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Douglas County families have been given the option to either send their students to school for a hybrid learning program or to exclusively learn through online platforms for the first semester.

Of the district’s 68,000 students, about 6,300 have elected to do onlineonly classes. That’s not what the district expected, Superintendent Thomas Tucker said.

“We were surprised that over 6,000 students and their parents chose e-learning,” Tucker said in an interview. “The same proportion of staff didn’t follow students to the e-learning cohort.”

Staffing shortages have made the start to e-learning rocky, but Tucker says enough teachers have now been brought on board and issues should begin to be worked out.

Principals to manage e-learning When the back-to-school plan was first put in place, about 60 district teachers asked to be assigned to e-learning, said Diane Smith, the district’s director of e-learning. Now, there are 165 e-learning teachers. Some of those additional 100 teachers were new hires and others were reassignments from other schools, Smith said.

A few days before both e-learning and hybrid learning were set to begin Aug. 24, the district announced it would delay all levels of e-learning by a week due to staffing and technical

PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK

difficulties, according to a public statement from David Ray, the school board president.

“Due to many staff members not having timely access to our digital content, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the first day of school for our elementary and middle school eLearners,” said the statement, posted to Facebook.

In a letter to parents, the district cited difficulties in setting up an elearning platform as their reason for delaying high school instruction.

Tucker and some district teachers, however, have confirmed a total shift in the e-learning plan for high schoolers announced Aug. 21. Instead of having one district-wide platform for e-learning instruction — which is how it will be done for middle and elementary students — the leadership for online-only high school instruction was transitioned back to each individual high school. Now, each school’s principal will manage e-learning.

“That seems to be a really good

decision,” said Kallie Leyba, president of the Douglas County Federation, a local teacher’s union. “It’s unfortunate that principals are handed this so late in the game.”

‘It’s been a scramble’ This change was in part due to the complex scheduling associated with high school-age students, one teacher explained. With electives, AP courses and other advanced-direction classes, a district-wide approach just wasn’t possible.

“High school is too specialized,” the teacher said. “They just don’t have enough content specialists to open up a whole new (online) school.”

This teacher, a high school level e-learning instructor, asked to remain anonymous because of the district’s policy on media interviews, as did others who spoke with a reporter for this story. Teachers are asked not to speak with members of the media without going through the district’s head office first.

PHOTO BY ELLIOTT WENZLER

relationships.”

‘Each day we’re working hard’ In the next few weeks, Tucker has four main priorities, he said. First, to focus on helping build relationships between students and teachers.

SEE PATIENCE, P14

In response to questions about this policy, Tucker said any teacher can speak to the media after the request has been processed through the district’s communications department, even if they have negative comments about the district.

“That’s what they should have done from the start,” the high school e-learning instructor said about the shift in high school e-learning. “Now it’s been a scramble and each high school is dealing with this differently.”

That teacher and others feel they haven’t been properly trained in the digital platforms being used for online instruction, she said.

“It’s a type of technology we don’t have any training for and only a week to figure it out,” she said.

Outside of the technical challenges, teachers have described confusion over the district’s expectations.

“The biggest problem is teachers and students don’t know what they’re doing Monday (Aug. 31),” said a district middle school teacher, who also asked to remain anonymous.

“There’s still a lot of unanswered questions that we would like answered before the first day of school,” she said. “Such as grades. We haven’t been given any direction on how much weight should be given (to assessments) ... that’s just one example.”

‘It’s all on me to figure it out’ Another area where the teacher feels she is missing is in how to enforce discipline in an online classroom.

“There hasn’t been anything like that communicated to e-learning teachers for discipline,” she said. “I don’t feel I have that support and I don’t know who I would turn to if I SEE TEACHERS, P14

14 Lone Tree Voice

PATIENCE FROM PAGE 13

Second, he hopes to aid students as they begin to develop a feel for the online platform and technology. Third, to assess the social challenges students have experienced from being out of school for the past six months. Fourth, to assess the loss of academic learning students have seen due to the in-person school closure, he said.

“Each day we’re working hard to communicate better and to address technology,” he said.

Diane Smith, who was hired as the district’s head of e-learning on Aug. 3, is focusing on making sure students have their correct class lists, she said.

“Our priority really is to be sure all our kids are scheduled appropriately, that they are connecting with their teachers and each other and that they’re beginning to settle into the curriculum and develop a routine,” Smith said.

After weeks of changing student lists and classes, teachers were told they should be able to contact their students and families with instructions for the first day of school by Aug. 30, said one district teacher interviewed who asked to remain anonymous.

Smith believes almost all students were contacted by their teachers before the start of e-learning Aug. 31, she said.

“I’m sure there are a few little glitches here and there ... but the vast vast majority of our kids were in class this morning and beginning to learn,” she said.

So far, the district hasn’t seen many issues with the hybrid learning program, Tucker said. While there have been some positive cases of COVID-19 throughout the district, no school has seen a large outbreak, he said.

September 3, 2020S However, Tucker has not ruled out the possibility that the district could have to return to online-only learning, he said.

“If we don’t get control of this virus ... that could happen,” he said.

‘We have the right people in place’ One of the biggest struggles the district has seen so far this year is staffing shortages, Tucker said. The district didn’t anticipate that more than 6,000 students would opt for the 100% e-learning option.

In March, this wasn’t a struggle because all teachers and all students were on the same program of onlineonly learning. When the district chose to create an option of hybrid learning or e-learning, it split the teaching staff.

“What we did not anticipate is not having an adequate number of staff members to teach those courses,” Tucker said.

Originally, the district didn’t want any teachers to have to provide instruction for both the hybrid model and the onlineonly option, Tucker said. Some teachers, however, have reported that this is the case for them.

“To keep that promise, we have to have staffing,” Tucker said. “We’re going to compensate them for their extra time teaching in-person as well as teaching online.”

Now, even though the district has hired enough teachers to cover their e-learning needs for the moment, they will continue hiring throughout the year, he said.

“This is not the first challenge I’ve had to address and the school district has had to deal with,” Tucker said. “This is not the first crisis in Douglas County and unfortunately, it won’t be the last ... but we have the right people in place who are compassionate and professional in dealing with crises.”

TEACHERS FROM PAGE 13

have to write up a student ... if each teacher has different policies, it can cause confusion for students who have six teachers per week.”

In response to questions about a lack of direction for teachers, Tucker said the district has taken steps to keep instructors informed.

“We’ve done a good job of communicating,” he said. “Can we do better? Absolutely.”

The middle school e-learning teacher has seen her class schedule change multiple times in the past few weeks. At some points, she was being asked to teach classes outside of her area of expertise, training and credentials, she said.

When her final class schedule was set, less than a week before classes were set to begin following the delay, her roster of students was still up in the air, she said.

Without knowing who is in her classes, she said she worries about being adequately prepared to help students with learning disabilities, English language challenges and advanced learning plans.

“I worry that those who are behind will fall further behind,” the middle school e-learning teacher said.

“It’s all on me to figure it out, with my caseload of (over 150 students) ... how can I make sure they’re each successful?”

Some teachers also expressed

concern over their relationship with parents.

“If I was a parent and I’m getting these emails ... I would feel like they were further along in the planning process than it actually is,” the middle school teacher said. “I really think when the administration says teachers are ready when they’re not, it starts a lack of trust ... if teachers are coming in unprepared, the blame would be placed on them.”

The high school teacher is also afraid of how she and her colleagues will come across to their students’ parents.

“We take such pride in what we do ... we have a certain way of teaching and interacting with students that’s our own personal take on it and none of us want to look incompetent or incapable or uncaring,” she said.

Tucker and Smith ask for patience as they continue to work through the issues coming up with e-learning.

“I want to communicate very clearly to our teachers that in order for us to be successful, for our students to be successful, we need our teachers, we need to ensure they have a level of comfort,” he said.

“We’re all in this together, I promise them this will work out.”

Smith said teachers will continue to be trained in technology as the school year goes on and that all the issues with e-learning will soon be ironed out.

“I’ve been in education over 40 years and this has been the most challenging I’ve ever had,” she said. “And I know it’s been the same for them.”

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September 3, 2020

LOCAL

SPORTS

Lone Tree Voice 15

Long course is early season challenge Vista Nation XC Two-Mile Invitational sees record by boy runner

BY JIM BENTON JBENTON@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

H

arrison Witt was zealous after winning the boys race at the Vista Nation XC Two-Mile Invitational meet on Aug. 28, while girls winner Taylor Whitfield was more reserved after her victory.

Witt, a senior at Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch, ran the two-mile cross country course on the Mountain Vista campus in 9:34 to break the course record of 9:53 set by Valor Christian’s Cole Sprout.

“I felt I ran great,” said Witt. “We had a lot of good preparation, a lot of good workouts. On the second lap I ran by some of our fans and it was pretty cool to hear their voices and help me to think about why I race.

“It was a course record time by 15 or 20 seconds. That’s pretty cool. We do a lot of our workouts on this course so I know it pretty well.”

Whitfield had a 10-second margin over second-place Emma Stutzman of Pomona with a winning time of 11:27 in the girls race on an overcast day with a light rain falling.

“It went good,” said Whitfield. “Me and my teammates worked together the whole race. The conditions were great. We were so grateful it wasn’t hot. We started strong, attacked the hills and we were running with everything we had because you don’t know how long it will last.

“Going up that last hill I was saying: `You gotta go, and remember your teammates are right behind you.’ They were doing their best and pushing through pain so I can do it for them.”

Valor Christian won the team title in the girls competition with 20 points.

Mountain Vista was second with 51 points followed by Regis Jesuit, Niwot and Broomfield to round out the top five teams.

Jocelyn Millican of Valor Christian finished third in the individual race while teammates Lanie Szuch was fourrh, Suvina Heidt fifth and Valor’s Brooke Wilson seventh.

Mountain Vista had three girl runners finish among in the top 10, with Shayda Zarrin in sixth place, Annie Romalia ninth and Shantell Hatner 10th.

Witt helped Mountain Vista to a first-place finish in the boys team standings with 40 points. Chaparral was second with 71 points while Rock Canyon ran third, Dakota Ridge fourth and Valor Christian fifth.

In the boys individual race, Vista’s Jayden Nats was fourth. George Maldonado III of Chaparral was fifth with teammate Brennan Draper sixth. Robert Scott of Rock Canyon was seventh, Owen Nolan of Mountain Vista eighth and Valor’s Ty Garnett ninth.

The two-mile course is used a lot in early season races as runners get tuned up for the 5,000 km or 3.1 mile courses that are used during the regular and post-season races.

“For sure this race helps for the rest of the season,” said Whitfield. “This course is really hilly so it takes a lot endurance-wise to get up the hills and

Valor Christian’s Taylor Whitfield, shown with number 808, won the girls race on Aug. 28 at the Vista Nation XC Two-Mile Invitational meet with a time of 11:27.

PHOTOS BY JIM BENTON

Valor Christian’s Taylor Whitfield won the girls race on Aug. 28 at the Vista Nation XC Two-Mile Invitational meet. is good preparation for running an extra mile. And it was good practice for racing together after not racing for so long.”

Mountain Vista coach and meet director Jonathan Dalby was impressed

by Witt’s performance.

“Harrison ran a great race,” he

said. “The time was impressive because he was out there running for his teammates, not for himself.

Over the past five months Harrison has put the team goals in front of his individual goals. As a result, he has set himself up to have a successful senior year.”

Mountain Vista’s Harrison Witt, shown in above photos, set a course record of 9:34 on Aug. 28 to win the Vista Nation XC Two-Mile Invitational meet held at Mountain Vista High School.

16 Lone Tree Voice

September 3, 2020S

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Lone Tree Voice 17

0September 3, 2020

C R O S SWO R D P U Z Z L E

Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree

FROM PAGE 1

in the country,” Sky Ridge CEO Kirk McCarty stated in an Aug. 28 email.

“Quality and safety will always be top priorities for us, giving our patients and their loved ones peace of mind knowing they are in good hands when in our care.”

Other local HealthOne hospitals include Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Rose Medical Center in Denver, the Medical Center of Aurora, the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children in Denver, Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver and Centennial Medical Plaza. HealthOne is a division of Nashville-based HCA Healthcare Inc. Rocky Vista University in Parker partners with HealthOne on its College of Osteopathic Medicine graduate program and residency programs for family medicine, general surgery, vascular neurology, neurology, osteopathic neuromusculoskeletal medicine and psychiatry.

Rocky Vista and HealthOne have

partnered since 2010, HealthOne spokesperson Laura Stephens said in the release.

“With a shared dedication to academic and clinical excellence, HealthOne and RVU have made a commitment to training and supporting the next generation of physicians,” Stephens said. “While the types of partnerships may change, this shared dedication forms a bedrock of trust and collaboration that we hope will extend well into the future.”

The IBM Watson Health Top Hospital Program releases three annual studies on health system and hospital outcomes performance, according to IBM’s website. The list is divided into five categories: major and non-major teaching hospitals, and large, medium and small community hospitals. Sky Ridge was listed on the list of Teaching Hospitals (non-major).

The Medical Center of Aurora and Swedish Medical Center join Sky Ridge on the list of Teaching Hospitals.

UCHealth’s University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora was listed as one of the top Major Teaching Hospitals.

Answers

Solution © 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

SKY RIDGE

FILE PHOTO BY NICK PUCKETT

THANKS for

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18 Lone Tree Voice

September 3, 2020S

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RTD board appoints 1st woman as transit agency’s CEO Jeffco representative was the sole ‘no’ vote

BY MICHAEL KARLIK COLORADO POLITICS

Debra A. Johnson, the current deputy CEO of Long Beach Transit in southern California, will be the next CEO and general manager of the Regional Transportation District.

On Aug. 25, RTD’s board of directors approved Johnson by a vote of 14-1, which prompted the negotiation of an employment agreement with her.

“I have been preparing to lead at this level for more than 25 years,” Johnson said during a video presentation to the public in August.

She wrote in her application to the board that she directs the operations of the Long Beach agency, which serves 14 cities and 23 million customers. Johnson has a master’s degree in public administration and has also worked for transit systems in Washington, D.C., San Francisco Debra A. Johnson will be the next CEO and Los Angeles County. and general manager of RTD. COURTESY OF RTD “We made history tonight and I “So the question is, how did RTD look forward to making a lot more get so far off track with excessive positive history,” said Director Troy salaries, when at the end of the day L. Whitmore, District K, referring less than 3% of the population uses to Johnson’s new status as the first RTD?” she asked. woman, and also the first Black In an online survey that gathered woman, to lead the eight-county, ap685 responses, the public rated the proximately 3,000-employee agency. three finalists similarly, with 37% There were nearly 60 applicants saying Johnson to succeed was “very qualiinterim general fied” compared manager Paul to 33% each for J. Ballard, and Le Grand and an executive Quigley. search commit“Debra has tee narrowed the operating the finalists to experience Johnson, Adelee working with Le Grand and larger agencies Tina Quigley. in bigger cities, The board but applying a deliberated on Troy L. Whitmore, smart, efficient a separate call closed to the RTD board director of District K approach to ensuring sound public before operational prorejoining the cesses,” wrote meeting to take one anonymous respondent. a vote.

“Seems to have a lot of executive Director Natalie Menten, repexperience. Liked her presentation, resenting parts of Lakewood and spoke a lot about what she will do Golden in District M, was the sole for the organization and how she vote against the hiring resolution, although not because she opposed would handle the COVID-19 pandemJohnson. She said the three womic,” wrote another. en before the board had similar “She seems solid, yet unspectacuqualities and experience. Menten’s lar,” noted someone who gave her dissatisfaction stemmed from her a middling rating on the one-to-10 desire to cut the salary for the posiscale. “If we want to maintain the tion of general manager. status quo, this is the choice to “My vote tonight is in opposimake.” tion to what is going to be another Lance L. Longenbohn, the presibloated executive salary at RTD,” dent of Amalgamated Transit Union she said. “I will not stand quiet as Local 1001, said that the operators’ the taxpayers will be on the hook for union is “very pleased with the another big bill.”

Board of Directors’ selection of Menten said that in the past, she Debra Johnson. We agree that Debra attempted to cut $100,000 from the was the best overall choice, and look general manager’s roughly $295,000 forward to working together.” salary. She pointed out that the pay This story is from Colorado Poliwas far in excess of the Colorado tics, a statewide political and public Department of Transportation’s policy news journal. Used by permisexecutive director and even the sion. For more, visit coloradopolitics. governor. com.

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Lone Tree Voice 19

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Lone Tree Voice 21

0September 3, 2020 Roofing/Gutters

Handyman

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22 Lone Tree Voice

September 3, 2020S

P L A C E A D S O N L I N E 2 4/ 7 AT

www.ColoradoCommunityClassifieds.com

To Advertise call Karen 303.566.4091 Colorado Statewide Classified Advertising Network

To place a 25-word COSCAN Network ad in 91 Colorado newspapers for only $300, contact your local newspaper or call Colorado Press Association Network at 720-274-7174.

BRULE GUN SHOW WANTED BRULE GUN SHOW Sept 12-13, Sat. 9-5, Sun, 9-3.

Raffle is Springfield Hellcat 9mm or Ruger American Herritage 22LR rifle.

Meals to-go by Classic Catering 402-203-9829 Information: 308-233-2501

Cash for Mineral Rights Free, no-risk, cash offer. Contact us with the details: Call: 720-988-5617 Write: Minerals, PO BOX 3668, Littleton, CO 80161 Email: opportunity@ecmresourcesinc.com

Colorado Press Network Buy a 25-word statewide classified line ad in newspapers across the state of Colorado for just $300 per week. Ask about our frequency discounts!

Contact this newspaper or call Colorado Press Network, 720-274-7174

Classifieds

Merchandise

Misc. Notices

Firewood

Garage and Estate Sales Garage Sales Annual Community Garage Sale Sept. 11th & 12th 8am-12 noon Stroh Ranch - Parker Off Parker and Stroh Road Something for everyone!

DIRECTV NOW. No Satellite. $40/ mo. 65 Channels. Stream news, life events, sports & on demand titles.

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DENTAL INSURANCE - Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Covers for 350 procedures. Real insurance - not a discount plan. Get your free dental info kit! 1-888-623-3036 www. dental50plus.com/58 #6258.

Eliminate gutter cleaning forever!

LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking protection. Schedule free estimate. 15% off Purchase.

10% Senior & Military Discounts.

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Life Alert. One press of a button sends help fast, 24/7! At home & on the go. Mobile Pendant w/GPS. Free first aid kit with subscription. 877537-8817 free brochure.

Wesley Financial Group, timeshare cancellation experts Over $50K cancelled in 2019. Get free info pkg - learn how to get rid of your timeshare! Free consultations. 450+ positive reviews. Call 844-909-3339

NEW AUTHORS WANTED! Page Publishing will help you self-publish your book. Free author submission kit! Limited offer! 866-951-7214 Stay in your home longer with an American Standard Walk-In Bathtub.

Up to $1,500 off, including a free toilet, lifetime warranty on the tub and installation! Call us at 1-855-5346198

CASH FOR CARS: We Buy Any Condition Vehicle, 2002 and Newer.

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WIDOWED MEN AND WOMEN OF AMERICA. A social club offering many exciting activities and life long friendships.

Social hours for all areas of Metro Denver.

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kearhart@coloradocommunitymedia.com

ATTENTION OXYGEN THERAPY USERS! Inogen One G4 is capable of full 24/7 oxygen delivery. Only 2.8 pounds. FREE information kit. Call 877-929-9587

Split & Delivered $300 a cord Stacking available extra $50 Call 303-647-2475 or 720-323-2173

Health & Beauty VIAGRA and CIALIS USERS! 100 Generic Pills SPECIAL $99.00 FREE Shipping! 100% guaranteed.

24/7 CALL NOW! 888-445-5928 Hablamos Espanol

Miscellaneous Were you or loved one diagnosed with Ovarian, Endometrial, Fallopian Tube, Peritoneal Cancer in 2010 or later & used Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder regularly in the genital area prior to diagnosis? You may be entitled to compensation. 877-7619069.

Attention homeowners! You can protect your appliances & systems. For just a little more than a $1.00/day.

Call now for 1st month free, $75.00 /off 1st year. 1-855-514-1183 AT&T Internet. Starting at $40/month w/12-mo agreement. 1 TB of data/ month. Ask how to bundle & SAVE! Geo & service restrictions apply.

1-888-796-8850 GENERAC generators. Weather is increasingly unpredictable. Be prepared for power outages. FREE 7-yr ext warranty ($695 value!) Schedule FREE in-home assessment 1-844334-8353 Special financing if qualified.

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Office & Commercial Property COMMERCIAL BUILDING FOR SALE BY OWNER. 1263 PARK STREET, CASTLE ROCK. FULLY LEASED. $1,750,000 7,616 SQ, CALL/TEXT 970-379-1364 7200 square foot Lite Industrial Building for rent with Kitchen/eating area,

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Transportation Motorcycles/ATV’s 2014 Harley Breakout with upgrades including screaming eagle, hand grips and foot pegs. This bike is Amber Whiskey, a limited HD color. New battery, excellent condition, runs great and has been garaged.

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To Advertise call Karen 303.566.4091

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Office Building for Rent. 5,000 Square

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1500 Square Foot Storage or shop or parking garage. $4.25/Square Foot. 4735 CR 102, Elbert, Co. 3035653760 ask for Jack.

DISH TV $59.99 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR & voice remote. Restrictions apply. 1-833872-2545.

Please Recycle this Publication when Finished

Home for Sale Southwest Nebraska Home with 2 garages $35,000 cash, small town living in Fishing, Hunting, Boating community.

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Scrap Metal, Batteries, Appliances, Wiring, Scrap Plumbing/Heating, Cars/Parts, Clean out Garages/Yards, Rake, Yard work done w/chainsaw, Certified Auto Mechanical / Body Work & paint available Also can do inside or outside cleaning 303-647-2475 / 720-323-2173

Please Recycle this Publication when Finished

Lone Tree Voice 23

0September 3, 2020

Parker native, ‘Voice’ contestant unveiling new music National exposure was ‘a rare opportunity’ for Hoopes

read the full interview, visit ColoradoCommunityMedia.com.

BY NICK PUCKETT NPUCKETT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Three years since her appearance on NBC’s singing competition TV show “The Voice,” Parker native Kristi Hoopes is preparing to release her debut EP in the coming months.

Hoopes, 22, released her debut single “Don’t Worry Mama” Aug. 21, her first piece of original music since 2014, when she released personal recordings of her music. The Legend High School graduate plans to release her first EP sometime this fall, Hoopes said.

Hoopes participated on Season 13 of “The Voice” in 2017.

Hoopes began a fundraising effort for the EP in 2018.

Hoopes lives near Nashville in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, with her fiancé.

Hoopes studied at Middle Tennessee State University.

Hoopes is dedicating the EP to her friends, family and mentors from Parker and the Denver area. But the singer-songwriter also attributes her success so far to the trust she has had in herself.

“My gut was right, I guess, that people were going to love it,” Hoopes said.

Hoopes’ single “Don’t Worry Mama” is available to stream or download on all major music platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.

Colorado Community Media spoke with Hoopes on the phone Aug. 27 to catch up with the local artist. This interview has been edited for length. To

You lived a dream many people have had to appear on “The Voice” and learn from Blake Shelton and other stars. What was it like?

It certainly was a rare opportunity.

It was particularly wonderful coming in this time in my life. ... It was an incredible experience, not only to build as an artist, but to become a family with the other contestants and coaches. Their insight was very valuable.

What is something you learned from being on the show?

There are so many components to being an artist — it’s not just stepping on a stage and singing a song. It’s about how you communicate a story in such a short amount of time with as much feeling and honesty as you can. It’s tough. Everybody is talented, no doubt. Everyone on that show is talented and they’re there for a reason, but I think the coaches in particular helped polish our vocal sills, encouraged us to try new thing and hone our artistry.

I was never much a belter, and that was something I wanted to hone a little bit more. Then Blake (Shelton) and the coaches off the set were focused with providing me with material that would push my range, which was exciting. It was exciting to step out of my comfort zone a little bit.

What are you focused on now that you’re done with the show?

I just released the first single from my EP I’m releasing in the fall. It was fully crowdfunded in November 2018 via Indiegogo by fans, a lot of whom live in Parker or the Denver metro area. It was very much a hometown

Kristi Hoopes, of Parker, prepares to release her debut EP after nearly two years this fall. Her single “Don’t Worry Mama” is out now wherever music is streamed. COURTESY PHOTO project, even though I was established in Nashville, moved there and lived there for two years. I still had people back home in the Denver metro area that were helping make that possible.

What is it like to see this all come to fruition?

It’s a dream, truthfully. When you first start a project, you have these great, big, high hopes of what it’s going to turn into and what it’s going

to mean to people when it’s released.

When I released “Don’t Worry Mama,” I knew it was going to be a powerful song and it resonated with mothers in this particular chapter of their lives — especially now starting the new school year and college.

What I didn’t know was how meaningful it would be in the mindset of the coronavirus pandemic. It gave the song a new life of its own and gave it a new meaning for this season we’re in.

www.ColoradoCommunityMedia.com/Notices

PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 Legals City and County PUBLIC NOTICE PURSUANT TO THE LIQUOR LAW OF THE STATE OF COLORADO, VFE MANAGEMENT & HOLDINGS, LLC d/b/a CUCA’S EATERY has requested the Licensing Officials of Douglas County to grant a Hotel and Restaurant Liquor License at the location of 1164 Sgt. Jon Stiles Dr. in Highlands Ranch, CO 80129.

The Public Hearing on this application is to be held by the Douglas County Local Liquor Licensing Authority at 100 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, 80104 on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 1:30 p.m.

Date of Application: August 13, 2020 Officers: Vince Eupierre – President and Chief Executive Officer Legal Notice No. 937846 First Publication: September 3, 2020 Last Publication: September 3, 2020 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press

Bids and Settlements PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF

CONTRACTORS SETTLEMENT COUNTY OF DOUGLAS STATE OF COLORADO NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Section 38-26-107, C.R.S., as amended, that on September 27, 2020, final settlement will be made by the County of Douglas, State of Colorado, for and on account of a contract between Douglas County and American Civil Constructors, LLC for the Southern Connector Project; CI 2011-024 in Douglas County; and that any person, co-partnership, association or corporation that has an unpaid claim against said American Civil Constructors, LLC for or on account of the furnishing of labor, materials, team hire, sustenance, provisions, provender or other supplies used or consumed by such contractor or any of his subcontractors in or about the performance of said work, or that supplied rental machinery, tools, or equipment to the extent used in the prosecution of said work, may at any time up to and including said time of such final settlement on said September 27, 2020, file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid on account of such claim with the Board of County Commissioners, c/o Director of Public Works Engineering, with a copy to the Project Manager, Sean Owens, Department of Public Works Engineering, Philip S. Miller Building, 100 Third Street, Suite 220, Castle Rock, CO 80104.

Failure on the part of claimant to file such statement prior to such final settlement will relieve said County of Douglas from all and any liability for such claimant’s claim.

The Board of Douglas County Commissioners of the County of Douglas, Colorado, By: Janet Herman, P.E., Director of Public Works Engineering.

Legal Notice No.: 937838

legals@coloradocommunitymedia.com

First Publication: August 27, 2020 Second Publication: September 3, 2020 Publisher: Douglas County News Press

Misc. Private Legals Public Notice DOUGLAS COUNTY, DISTRICT COURT, STATE OF COLORADO 4000 Justice Way Castle Rock, CO Douglas County, CO 80109 THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO In the Interest of: YASHIV KILGORE, D.O.B.: 11/15/2018; XAVIER KILGORE, D.O.B.: 6/19/2016; SOPHIA ZNAKHARENKO, D.O.B.: 7/27/2006, Children And concerning: YANA KILGORE, D.O.B.: 11/25/1981, Mother; MICHAEL KILGORE (AKA: JAIME CHRISTIAN), D.O.B.: 10/21/1968, Father to Yashiv Kilgore and Xavier Kilgore; ANDREY ZNAKHARENKO, D.O.B.: 1/2/1981, Father to Sophia Znakharenko, Respondents.

Attorney for Department: John Thirkell, #13865 Lori Kennedy, #53479 4400 Castleton Ct. Castle Rock, CO 80109 (303) 814-5325

jthirkel@douglas.co.us lkennedy@douglas.co.us CASE NUMBER: 19JV268 DIVISION 8 DEPENDENCY SUMMONS This Summons is initiated pursuant to Rule 2.2 of the Colorado Rules of Juvenile Procedure, Rule 4 of the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure, and Section 19-3-503, C.R.S. 2019.

TO: MICHAEL KILGORE (AKA: JAIME CHRISTIAN), D.O.B.: 10/21/1968 TO THE RESPONDENT NAMED ABOVE: You are hereby notified that a MOTION TO TERMINATE THE PARENT-CHILD LEGAL RELATIONSHIP INCORPORATING LEGAL AUTHORITYAND ADVISEMENT was filed on June 16, 2020, requesting that the Court hold a hearing to terminate the Parent-Child Legal Relationship as to Respondent Father, Michael Kilgore, (AKA Jaime Christian) and children, Yashiv Kilgore and Xavier Kilgore, a copy of which may be obtained at the office of the Douglas County Attorney’s Office.

A Termination Hearing for Respondent Father, Michael Kilgore has been set for September 23, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. in Division 8, of the Douglas County District Court, 4000 Justice Way, Castle Rock, Colorado, 80109.

Your presence before this court is required to defend against the claims in this motion. IF YOU FAIL TO APPEAR, THE COURT WILL PROCEED IN YOUR ABSENCE, WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE, TO CONDUCT A TERMINATION HEARING AND MAY TERMINATE THE PARENT-CHILD LEGAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CHILD.

You have the right to legal representation at every stage of the proceedings by counsel of your own choosing, or if you are without sufficient financial means, appointment of counsel by the Court.

Termination of your parent-child legal relationship to free your children for adoption is a possible remedy in this proceeding. If that remedy is pursued, you are entitled to a hearing before a Judge. You also have the right, if you are indigent, to have the Court appoint, at no expense to you, one expert witness of your own choosing at any hearing on the termination of your parent-child relationship.

You have the right to have this matter heard by a district court judge rather than by the magistrate.

You may waive that right, and in doing so, you will be bound by the findings and recommendations of the magistrate, subject to review as provided by sec. 19-1-108(5.5), C.R.S. 2019, and subsequently, to the right of appeal as provided by Colorado Appellate Rule 3.4.

This summons is being initiated by the Douglas County Department of Human Services through its counsel.

Dated: August 20, 2020 /s/ Lori Kennedy Lori Kennedy, #53479 Assistant Douglas County Attorney Legal Notice No. 937847 First Publication: September 3, 2020 Last Publication: September 3, 2020 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press

###

Lone Tree Legals 9.3.20 * 1

24 Lone Tree Voice

September 3, 2020

ELECTION FROM PAGE 2

Open race in Centennial Republicans’ most difficult defense is likely Senate District 27, where Sen. Jack Tate, of Centennial, is stepping down. Vying to replace him is Republican Suzanne Staiert, who strategists from both sides say will have her work cut out for her to defeat Democrat Chris Kolker.

Staiert is a former deputy secretary of state who recently litigated the ethics case brought by a conservative nonprofit against former Gov. John Hickenlooper. She’s running in part on her role helping to create Colorado’s mail-in voting system during her time in the secretary of state’s office.

But Staiert said she isn’t getting much help from the Republican Party and instead is leaning on friends to help her win the Arapahoe County district. “I don’t have party activists,” she said.

She’s been outraised by Kolker, and even if she wins, Staiert said she thinks she will likely be legislating from the minority. “I think it’d be tough to take the majority,” she said. “We’d need to pick up two more seats.”

Kolker sought a seat in the state House in 2018, but came up short in his bid to unseat Republican Rep. Susan Beckman. Kolker is a financial planner and former high

The Senate Chamber at the Colorado State Capitol on Jan. 8. school teacher.

More tough challenges for GOP Republicans also have potentially vulnerable incumbents in northwest Colorado’s District 8, held by Bob Rankin, and the eastern Adams County District 25 represented by Kevin Priola.

Each incumbent has outraised his Democratic challenger so far but will need to attract a significant portion

PHOTO BY KATHRYN SCOTT/SPECIAL TO THE COLORADO SUN

of the unaffiliated vote to win.

Rankin will need over 40% of unaffiliated voters to pick for him, according to an analysis by Republican strategist Ben Engen. There’s some disagreement among strategists and legislators about how vulnerable Rankin is, but all political strategists who spoke with The Sun said his race was among the most competitive on the map.

Rankin, who moved from

the House to fill the vacant GOP seat earlier this year, is running against Western Slope attorney Karl Hanlon, who lost in the 2018 Democratic primary for Colorado’s 3rd U.S. House district.

In state Senate District 25, which includes Thornton, Priola will need just under 60% of unaffiliateds to vote for him, according to Engen’s analysis. His Democratic challenger is Paula Dickerson, a

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Priola is a moderate Republican who often serves as a bipartisan vote on more Democratic-led legislation.

But Democrats say they’re still hoping to knock him out of office.

“When you’re playing for the majority, you’re playing for the majority, and every seat counts,” said Ian Silverii, executive director of the liberal group ProgressNow Colorado.

But in an election year that has been shaken by a racial reckoning, an economic disaster and a pandemic that has killed over 160,000 Americans, a lot could change in the months between now and Election Day. In interviews with The Sun, multiple senators emphasized the volatility of the race, and said they’re looking for a curveball that could shift the race in their favor.

Sen. Paul Lundeen, RMonument, a member of the Senate Republican leadership team, said he’s an “eternal optimist” and his party will continue to fight for seats through Nov. 3.

“They say in politics 90 days is a lifetime,” Lundeen said.

Colorado Sun correspondent Sandra Fish contributed to this report.

This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned 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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