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Week of January 27, 2022
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE | SPORTS: PAGE 16
There’s a new game in town BY JENNIFER LEDUC SPECIAL TO THE ARVADA PRESS
Flannel Jax, an indoor axe throwing and lumberjack experience center, opened in Arvada at 88th and Wadsworth in December. Billing itself as “extreme, social and fun” the venue gives participants — or “swingers” as the company calls them — the opportunity to compete against one another and hurl an axe at a target for points. Think darts, but with a three pound hatchet. While axe throwing venues and target sports like knife throwing are gaining momentum in Colorado and nation wide, the Arvada location marks the first Flannel Jax franchise in Colorado. There are currently six throughout the United States. Sabash Bahuguna owns the Flannel Jax in Arvada. A native of India, the Arvada resident was seeking a profitable and sustainable franchise opportunity in 2019. The the pandemic, construction and supply chain issues hampered opening, but the growth in the indoor sport industry felt too compelling. Despite setbacks, Bahuguna officially opened his facility in December 2021. After filling out waivers and a briefing on rules and safety protocols, participants are assigned a lane — a la bowling — with two targets against a backboard and a foul line. Lane attendants guide the group through their experience, and offer scorekeeping and throwing tips. On a recent Saturday night, Flannel Jax was bustling. Four groups spread out over seven lanes, and cheers, laughter and fist bumps punctuated the thuds of the axes hitting the pine and cottonwood backboards. John Trimm, an Arvada native, was celebrating his 58th birthday with his wife and two other couples. “I can still get the axe all the way to the wall,” he said, beaming after landing his axe squarely on the target. “We just loaded up on Advil before we came,” joked friend Bridget Hart. Dressed to impress, the group all wore flannel shirts. Although Bahuguna owned a few flannel shirts before buying SEE GAME, P2
VOLUME 17 | ISSUE 32
Arvada Tavern and Carwash owners receive entrepreneur of the year Chamber announces 2021 award recipients BY JENNIFER LEDUC SPECIAL TO THE ARVADA PRESS
Subhash Bahuguna, the owner of the newly owned Flannel Jax’s, an axe throwing PHOTO BY JENNIFER LEDUC and lumberjack sports center in Arvada.
Lenka Juchelkova and Mike Huggins, the wife and husband team behind the Arvada Tavern and The Glo Carwash, are recipients of the Entrepreneur of the Year award by the Arvada Chamber of Commerce for contributing “mightily to the culture, innovation and resilient spirit of Olde Town Arvada and the community at large” and being the model for sidewalk patios and the street closures of Olde Town. In addition to the Entrepreneur of the Year award, the Chamber also announced that the 2021 recipient of Business of the Year was Barber-Nichols, which engineers and manufactures innovative turbomachinery systems used to explore the universe and enable sustainable energy. Animal Assisted Therapy Programs of Colorado, which integrates teams of professional therapists and their therapy animals to facilitate the counseling process, received the Non-Profit of the Year award. The Arvada Tavern is a storied watering hole in Olde Towne. It was granted the city’s first tavern license in 1933. Since 2012, Juchelkova and Huggins have stayed true to, or in touch with, those iconic roots and serve up pre-Prohibition and traditionallystyled cocktails along with a succinct menu. Huggins appreciates the nod from the Chamber, but is emphatic in mentioning their failed bid to revive the former DNote space as Klines Beer Hall on Grandview Ave, which closed its doors a year into the pandemic. “Klines was a learning experience. Being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you’re always getting it right,” Huggins said. “We are very successful, but not always.” Huggins said he’s optimistic that they can resurrect Klines in the vacant space next to the Tavern and former home of The Cereal Box — which also SEE AWARD, P2
2 Arvada Press
January 27, 2022
Jeffco K9 unit captures home invasion suspect Early morning break-in comes to mostly peaceful end. BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JSCO) received a 911 call of
GAME FROM PAGE 1
the franchise, throwing an axe was not something he’d done before, and he emphasized that’s in part what makes
a home invasion in progress in the 5500 block of South Eldridge Street around 3 a.m. Jan. 20. According to the JSCO press release, the caller reported an unknown person had broken down the front door and was wandering around inside the home. Two residents in the home, armed with a handgun had hidden in the basement and eventually were able to crawl through a window to wait
for deputies to arrive at the scene. A K9 officer and his K9 partner Geist, responded to the scene, making several requests inside of the residence for the suspect to show themselves to deputies. “The suspect failed to comply with deputy’s commands,” the JSCO statement said. “During the K9 team search of the residence, the suspect was located hiding behind a couch.”
The suspect, 39-year-old Aris Ashford, sustained superficial bite wounds while being apprehended by Geist. He was then transported to St. Anthony’s Hospital where he was treated and released back to deputies. Ashford is currently being held at the Jeffco Detentions Facility for Suspicion of 2nd Degree Burglary, Felony Criminal Mischief and theft.
Flannel Jax an easy draw for anyone, regardless of how rugged or outdoorsy or athletic they think they are. “Apart from bowling or bars or being outside, there isn’t a lot of fun things to do in this area,” Bahuguna said. Mike Worth is the manager, and admits he had never thrown an axe
before accepting the position. Demonstrating the different throwing techniques, the sports management grad hits the bullseye on his first throw. Although Bahuguna has only been in the United States for ten years, he feels connected to Arvada as a resident, and opening a business where
friends and family can have fun together and in his home town already feels like an achievement. “America is the land of dreams,” he said. “One of the greatest things is how everyone in here has been so welcoming and supportive. I call Arvada home now.”
AWARD
where they opened their first business — The Glo Carwash. “Arvada is a great town with great politics. The Chamber is amazing and I learned that first from our carwash,” Huggins said. “I am grateful every day I am here.”
FROM PAGE 1
closed in 2020. While the couple has opened up other bars in Denver, Arvada is
Denver native William Epstein unleashes his inner lumberjack at the newly opened PHOTOS BY JENNIFER LEDUC axe throwing center Flannel Jax’s, in Arvada.
CELEBRATE CELEBRATE CELEBRATE CELEBRATE CELEBRATE JEFFCO CELEBRATE JEFFCO O JEFFCO JEFFCO O Celebrate with us! JEFFCO O Celebrate with us! Celebrate with us! Celebrate with us! Celebrate us! Celebrate with us!
THANK YOUFOR FOR SUPPORTING US! US! HANK YOU SUPPORTING THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING US!
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The Arvada Tavern, a mainstay of Olde Town, serves up classic cocktails. PHOTO BY JENNIFER LEDUC
Arvada Press 3
January 27, 2022
State to distribute free surgical grade masks Polis says program builds on state efforts to protect Coloradans
have agreed to be local redistribution points will have KN95 and surgical-grade masks for those who ask. In a press statement, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said that this is part of the state’s ongoing effort to provide high-quality personal protective equipment to Coloradans who might be especially at risk during the pandemic and future public health emergencies. With the COVID-19 omicron variant surge, the state recommends
BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY DGRIGSBY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Starting later this week, public libraries, fire stations, recreation centers, VFWs, YMCAs and hightraffic community centers that
upgrading from cloth masks to medical-grade masks like the KN95. “We are on a mission to help Coloradans keep themselves safe, and free medical-grade masks are far more effective in preventing infection than cloth masks,” Polis said. ”By making free medicalgrade masks available at libraries across our state and soon for home delivery, we are giving Coloradans a powerful tool to avoid infection. In addition, he said, the state will continue to meet Coloradans where
they are at when it comes to accessing doctor-approved vaccines, free testing at community sites, and free COVID tests delivered to homes. While masks are free, the distribution is limited to select locations that have agreed to participate in the state program. Some libraries may not be participating in the program. Check this link to find a participating library near you: covid19. colorado.gov/freemasks
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The Buying of Homes Has Become More and More Frantic Since the Marshall Fire
I had a busy weekend this last Saturday and Sunday. With two new listings, I held each open for two hours. I couldn’t even count the number of visitors at the single family home listing that I held open on Saturday. Listed at $495,000, over 120 agent showings had been scheduled during the five days that it was active, and I received 25 contracts for it by the Sunday afternoon deadline. It went under contract for $630,000 on Sunday evening. Surprised by this level of interest, I did some research Monday to quantify the increased buyer activity. Here’s what I found. During the first 23 days of January, 403 Jefferson County listings went under contract. Of those, 295, or 73.2%, had been active a week or less at the time they went under contract.. But not only were new listings selling this month. Twenty-four, or 6%, of the listings that went under contract in the first 23 days of January had been languishing on the market for 3 months or longer. Three listings had been on the MLS for over half a year. Of the 403 contracts written so far
in January, 36 (8.9%) were for homes listed for $1 million or more. The most expensive home on that list, a 1930 ranch-style home in Genesee Ridge that had been on the MLS for 275 days, went under contract last Monday. This didn’t happen because of a recent price reduction. It had been listed at $5.9 million since last July 15th. It was originally listed at $6.6 million on April 1, 2021. So, how does January’s activity compare with December’s? In December, a total of 554 Jeffco homes went under contract, most of which have now closed. Of those, 336, or 60.6%, had been active a week or less, versus 73.2% of the January contracts Twenty-five of them, or 4.5%, had been active for three months or longer, versus 6% in January.. Forty-four Jeffco homes (7.9%) sold for $1 million or more in December, compared to 8.9% in January. So, yes, statistics do reflect a more frantic sales pace in January. Taking a longer perspective, let’s look at the 4th quarter of 2021 vs. the 4th quarter of 2020.
Cement Industry Sets 2050 Goal for Carbon Neutrality
In last week’s column about shifting from combustible wood-frame home construction to fire-resistant concrete home construction, I reported that an Australian company has developed a “green” concrete which reduces the large carbon footprint of traditional concrete made from Portland cement. Concrete manufacture and deployment reportedly is responsible for 8% of global CO2 emissions. A reader shared with me information about the Portland Cement Association’s release of its “Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality” in October 2021, suggesting that the industry is aware of its carbon footprint and wants to reduce it. I have posted a link for their roadmap at www.GoldenREblog.com. Here’s an excerpt from a press release published online: “The PCA roadmap involves the entire value chain, starting at the cement plant and extending through the entire life cycle of the built environment to incorporate the circular economy. It recognizes five main areas of opportunity: clinker, cement, concrete,
construction and carbonation (using concrete as a carbon sink). Each phase of the value chain is integral to reaching the goal and can unlock unique and specific pathways to carbon neutrality, including actions such as reducing CO2 from the manufacturing process, decreasing combustion emissions by changing fuel sources, and shifting toward increased use of renewable electricity… “The association is committed to gathering a coalition of industry experts, researchers, policymakers and companies along the value chain to make the roadmap a reality. ‘PCA is actively engaging with organizations beyond the industry to bring the right people to the table to accelerate and advance solutions to reach carbon neutrality,’ said Massimo Toso, PCA climate and sustainability council cochair, and president and CEO of Buzzi Unicem USA. “ ‘Our roadmap is an open-source, collaborative effort and includes stakeholders directly involved in the value chain as well as those not directly involved in the value chain.’ ”
home in the Marshall fire. They are currently living in an Airbnb. Others may have been from victims of that fire, but they didn’t say so in their offer. Another buyer was an investor who told me that they were rushing to buy a home because they felt prices were rising at an increasing rate. This buyer thought that despite the bidding wars, they could get a better deal now Busy Open House! than if they waited another year In the latest quarter, 56% of the to add to their portfolio. homes went under contract in 7 days or Rising interest rates and the expectaless, versus 60.2% in Q4 of 2020. A tion of further increases later on probasmaller percentage of homes that had bly are playing a role. People want to been on the MLS three months or longer buy before rates increase further. You sold in the 4th quarter of each year -- may have read that a high percentage of 3.9% in 2020, down to 3.0% in 2021. buyers are cash buyers, but this has not Having established the statistical basis been my experience, and only three or for my observation that home buying has four of the 25 contracts I received for my become more frantic this month, let’s listing were cash. look at possible reasons. At least one of the 25 contracts I re- Tell your friends that they don’t have ceived last weekend for my Arvada list- to get this newspaper to read my coling was from a family which lost their umn. I send it free by email. Just ask!
Sirens Could Help Alert Residents of Approaching Wildfires
Clearly many lives were saved in the Marshall Fire because it started in the morning and residents were awake and alert to the danger. Imagine if the fire had begun at 2 a.m. How many more people might have died in their homes? A reader suggested that communitybased sirens could help to save lives, and that does sound like a good idea. NextDoor is a great resource for alerting residents about all kinds of dangers, but it would not wake anyone up. Something like the Amber alert which makes a deafening alarm on cell phones could be effective. (I leave my cell phone on at night but it is purposely out of earshot for phone calls and text messages. I would, however, hear the loud alarm used for Amber alerts.) The Amber alert should not itself be utilized for such a warning, because it
can be silenced. If there were a separate alert for fire danger, it’s unlikely that people would silence that alert or turn off their cell phones at night. There are, I’ve found, many seniors who have held off buying cell phones, but the existence of such an alert might inspire them to purchase one. In addition to the low-cost providers, there is a program called Lifeline that provides free cell phones to households that are on various programs such as SNAP, SSI, Medicaid, etc. Learn more online at www.AssuranceWireless.com. If you are currently paying for a landline telephone, you could get rid of it and port your phone number to the free cell phone that you get with this program. The cellphone can also provide you with free internet service via a “hotspot,” allowing you to save money on broadband, too.
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Hometown Service Delivered With Integrity
Broker/Owner, 303-525-1851 Jim@GoldenRealEstate.com 1214 Washington Ave., Golden 80401 Broker Associates: JIM SWANSON, 303-929-2727 CHUCK BROWN, 303-885-7855 DAVID DLUGASCH, 303-908-4835 TY SCRABLE, 720-281-6783 ANAPAULA SCHOCK, 303-917-1749
4 Arvada Press
January 27, 2022
A day in Young AmeriTowne
Jeffco students learn about business and finance in a field trip to Young AmeriTowne.
Program brings economics to life for Jeffco students in fun, hands-on day of play. BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Before you actually walk through the doorway of Young AmeriTowne, you can hear the fun and excitement. When you peer through the slim glass windows, you can see the beehive of activity taking place inside. There’s music in the air, courtesy of the AmeriTowne radio station, and students — on this particular day, fourth and fifth-graders from Stober Elementary School, running the whole shebang. Young AmeriTowne is an awardwinning educational program offered to 4th, 5th and 6th grade teachers to help students learn about business, economics and free enterprise and financial literacy in a fun and hands-on way. There are three Young Ameri-
Towne campuses, but Jeffco students attend the Belmar location. The permanent facilities in Denver and Belmar feature a life-like Towne with 16 businesses plus a Towne Hall. Each year, teachers from 420 Colorado schools use the Young AmeriTowne curriculum, with more than 34,000 students attending in person. The program, designed by Young Americans Center for Financial Education, was created in 1990. Prior to their school’s visit, students go through fun steps like applying and interviewing for the job they’ll do when they arrive. From Mayor to package delivery person — all walks of life and types of jobs are represented. Students can be a doctor, banker, radio DJ, television personality, grocery clerk, accountant or even a police officer who’s authorized to give out tickets to Townies who break the rules. If you do get a ticket, expect to be hauled before the judge to plead your case. Rumor has it, the judge is usually pretty reasonable and lets folks off with just a warning. Mary Tallerday Smith, Assistant
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Customers line up to purchase items from the Young AmeriTowne Market.
Jonas Smead (center, left), a teacher at Stober Elementary, looks on as students take PHOTOS BY BOB WOOLEY care of business in Young AmeriTowne.
Director of Young AmeriTowne, was once a student enjoying the experience herself. She said the experience is much more than just learning about jobs. “The students each have their own personal checking account and goals to balance their own checking account and to help their business make a profit and pay back a bank loan with interest,” she said. Ronald Buttermore, director of Young AmeriTowne in Belmar, said a lot of the experience is connected back to community by teaching realworld lessons in running a town for a day. During a student’s time at one of the campuses, they receive AmeriTowne money that is direct-deposited into their checking account. They can use that money to purchase goods or services from other businesses during one of their break periods. They learn to write checks, use a debit card and be responsible consumers as well. Tallerday Smith said it helps kids understand how businesses and towns work, and how inter-dependent they are.
“Every business has to pay other businesses for things like radio advertising. They also have to pay rent to City Hall,” she said. “It kind of teaches them how communities work together.” In the course of running their businesses, students also learn about economic principals like supply and demand — raising prices if things are selling well but stock is running low, or advertising or slashing prices if goods aren’t selling. Aside from lessons about economics and finance, both Buttermore and Tallerday Smith agree that one of the best things about the program is seeing how children find themselves and express their personalities in the jobs they take on for the day. “It’s really cool to see these kids step into these roles — kids that might normally be shy — having them take on these customer service skills or show their talents in writing for the newspaper, doing math at the bank or just interacting with other kids they might not be used to talking to, is so rewarding,” Tallerday Smith said.
Arvada Press 5
January 27, 2022
Rotary on quest for best in business ethics
a question everybody should be asking.” Nominations may be made online at ethics.goldenrotary.org and must be received no later than Feb. 28.
ATTEND THE LUNCHEON
COURTESY OF GOLDEN ROTARY CLUB
Awards luncheon slated for May 6 at Denver Sheraton West BY DEBORAH GRIGSBY DGRIGSBY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Rotary Club of Golden wants to know which local organizations you think display the highest standards of ethical practice. For-profit business, nonprofit organization? It doesn’t matter because there’s an award for both, and you can help by submitting an online nomination. Tom Hughes, Chair of the Rotary Club of Golden EIB Awards Committee, says this year’s event is extra special as after two years of being either canceled or scaled back, the luncheon returns in all its glory to an in-person format. “Color us happy campers,” Hughes
said. “COVID didn’t give us many options in `20 and `21—we are pleased as punch to get this thing back up to where it was.” Each year, Rotary’s Ethics in Business program seeks nominations from the public to help identify and honor one for-profit business and another for a nonprofit organization that demonstrates the highest standards of ethical business practice, integrity, and civic and social responsibility. According to Hughes, Rotary collects the community nominations and then turns them over to an ethics class at the Colorado School of Mines for selection. While nominees come primarily from the Golden, Hughes said those from across Jefferson County are welcome. Winners will be announced at a luncheon emceed by perennial favorite Denver meteorologist Ed Greene, who has served as the event’s master of ceremony for 15 out of 17 years.
The keynote speaker is the president and CEO of the Daniels Fund, Hanna Skandera. Hughes said the luncheon is slated for May 6 at the Sheraton Denver West Hotel in Lakewood. When asked why Rotary chooses to recognize excellence in business ethics, Hughes said it comes down to two things. “One, it rewards ethical behavior by businesses,” he said. “Not that they seek rewards, but it’s nice for them to be rewarded for it. And two, it raises public awareness—I don’t know how many people run around wondering if their business is ethical, but it is
HOW TO NOMINATE Rotary Club Of Golden P.O. Box 851 Golden, CO 80402 Phone: 303-278-2823 Email: goldenrotaryethics@gmail.com Submit a nomination: ethics.goldenrotary.org/nomination-form
2022 EIB Awards Luncheon WHEN: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 6 WHERE: Sheraton Denver West Hotel 360 Union Blvd, Lakewood, CO 80228 COST: Tickets are $60 each Four levels of corporate sponsorship available INFO: Tickets and more information at ethics.goldenrotary.org
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FEB 4 - MAY 22, 2022 Charming, handsome, and a compulsive liar, Dorante arrives in Paris looking for a good time. He falls in love with the beautiful Clarice, but his dishonest ways throw him into a tangled web of mistaken identities and false accusations. After lying his way into a world of trouble, can Dorante lie his way back out again? Fiendishly clever and a bit naughty, this updated adaptation of the classic French farce weaves wordplay and swordplay into a madcap, comic romp!
For tickets visit arvadacenter.org Or call 720.898.7200 Underwritten by
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6 Arvada Press
January 27, 2022
Comedy for all ages comes to Colorado ACTS
Actors Molly Weber, Grace Derickson, Pilo Miranda-Troup and Josiah Miranda-Troup at rehearsal for “Illinois Jane and the Pyramid of Peril.”
Wheat Ridge theater puts fun spin on classic adventure movie BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
“Illinois Jane and the Pyramid of Peril” will debut Feb. 4 at Colorado ACTS (Actors Company and Theater
School) Theater with performances running two consecutive weekends. The play will be the latest of more than 200 shows the theater has put on in its 25-year history in Wheat Ridge. Cindy Troup, founder and executive director, said the play is a takeoff on Indiana Jones, with the greatest action hero of all time —Illinois Jane — traveling through Egypt on a quest to find the elixir of life. The play features both teen actors
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from the children’s program and adults from the groups’s community theater program, resulting in a comedy that’s fun for the whole family. Troup said Colorado ACTS started with the goal of providing theater classes for kids, but as students graduated from high school, becoming college students and young parents, they still wanted to be part of the fun. “So, we opened up a community program as well,” she said. “It’s good fun because the kids are learning from the adults and the older ones are getting the energy and the fun.” Aside from being her life’s work, the theater company is a family affair for Troup. Her youngest son is playing evil French villain Pierre LeMalodeur in “Illinois Jane” and has been onstage most of his life. “He wasn’t born onstage — that would be creepy,” Troup said with a laugh. “But he’s literally been onstage since he was very little and he’s a hoot and a holler.” Despite possible perceptions, children’s acting classes at Colorado ACTS, which is a Christian theater, are open to children from any back-
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Cindy Troup, founder and executive director Colorado ACTS
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Arvada Press 7
January 27, 2022
State Legislature argues over Jan. 6, election integrity Democrats introduce resolution BY ANDREW KENNEY CPR NEWS
When Colorado Democrats introduced a resolution to support their party’s national push for new voting rights laws, House Republicans responded with a mixed set of their own messages. On one hand, Republican leaders accused Democrats of trying to relitigate the 2020 election for political purposes. On the other, some Republican rank-and-file representatives introduced amendments that again attempted to undermine the 2020 elections. In a debate that lasted more than two hours, right-wing members of the House GOP caucus proposed a series of amendments to question the legitimacy of President Joe Biden’s election; support Tina Peters, the Mesa County Clerk being investigated over a security breach in her office; and thank some of the people who marched on Washington, D.C. last January 6th. “We all could agree — those that didn’t break the law, those who acted honorably, we should thank ‘em, even if we disagree with them,” said Rep. Dave Williams, arguing that protesters were exercising their First Amendment rights. Williams’ amendment specifically mentioned Rep. Ron Hanks, who attended the
rally but says he did not participate in the Capitol breach. The Republican amendments were doomed to fail, since Democrats control the chamber, and instead were meant to send a message. They won the backing of most but not all of the House Republicans. One failed amendment would have flatly declared that the state legislature “call(s) into question the legitimacy of Joseph R. Biden to be President.” The various counter-proposals also called for more auditing of election results and the removal of dead voters from election rolls. Colorado already requires county clerks to conduct risklimiting audits after each election, in which they check random paper ballots against the machine tallies. The leader of the House Republicans, Rep. Hugh McKean, took a different approach from most of his caucus. While speaking on the resolution, he underlined that Biden won the election, while arguing Democrats were unnecessarily drawing the state into federal politics. “Our election systems here in Colorado work — let’s not turn how we run our elections in Colorado into yet another partisan issue,” he said. Republicans also argued that the election laws being debated in Congress amount to a federal takeover of state election procedures. Democrats said that the federal proposal was important because it responds to bills proposed in Colorado and elsewhere that would reduce
The Colorado state Capitol in Denver.
polling sites, voting hours and mailin voting. The Democratic resolution reads, in part, that lawmakers “(o)ffer Colorado’s premier electoral system as a model for states across the country to adopt in order to increase voter participation while ensuring electoral integrity; and (call) on the United States Congress… to protect the fundamental right to vote, which has been the cornerstone of our democracy since the founding of our republic.” House Majority Leader Alec Garnett said the amendments from Republicans showed the need for federal action.
PHOTO BY MARK HARDEN
“Your ability to vote is under threat. Go pull those records of who voted for those amendments. This couldn’t be more serious,” he said in a speech that at times had him shouting from the lectern. The resolutions in support of the federal voting legislation passed in both chambers along largely party lines. Colorado’s U.S. Senators, Democrats John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, already support the bills up for debate. This story is from CPR News, a nonprofit news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.
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8 Arvada Press
January 27, 2022
Colorado’s graduation rates fell last year The drop was worse among students of color BY DAVID GILBERT COLORADO SUN
Colorado’s high school graduation rate fell for the first time in more than a decade in 2021, according to the Colorado Department of Education. A total of 81.7% of the class of 2021 graduated last spring, down from 81.9% of the class of 2020. The data shows wide graduation rate discrepancies between races and economic statuses. The decline came as the pandemic shuttered schools across the state and sent students home to learn, leading to widening gaps between students of color and their white peers. The graduation rate for white students climbed by 0.6 percentage points last year to 86.6%, while graduation rates for students of color fell by 1 percentage point to 76.1%. American Indian students saw the sharpest decline, with a graduation rate of 64.5% in 2021, down from 66.7% in 2020. Black students saw their graduation rate fall by 0.6 percentage points to 76%, while Hispanic students fell by 1.2 percentage points to 74.2%. Graduation rates also fell for students with limited English pro-
The state had lower graduation rates in 2021.
ficiency, economic disadvantages, those experiencing homelessness and those from migrant families. The graduation rate for migrant students fell by 4.7 percentage points in 2021 to 67%. The graduation rate for students
FILE PHOTO BY THELMA GRIMES
with disabilities climbed by 4.6 percentage points to 66.4%. The state’s completion rate, which measures how many students either graduate high school, obtain a certificate or GED also fell to 83.2% in 2021 from 83.4% the year before. The state’s dropout rate remained at 1.8% in 2021, the same as the year before, and the lowest mark in a decade. About a quarter of districts reported their dropout rates were lower than in 2020. Many districts are utilizing the state’s new graduation guidelines, which take effect for the class of 2022, to provide students with “multiple pathways” toward degree completion, including work-based learning, apprenticeships and concurrent enrollment, according to a news release from the Colorado Department of Education. “We know how tough it was for
everyone last school year due to the challenges brought on by the pandemic with schools going to remote learning and others offering hybrid models,” said Katy Anthes, Colorado’s education commissioner in a statement. “It is a relief that the graduation rate is nearly the same as it was the previous year. With the state’s dropout rate also nearly unchanged, it is a concrete display of the dedication and determination of Colorado’s students, parents and teachers, especially during these tough times.” This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media. FROM $
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10 Arvada Press
January 27, 2022
Colo. teacher shortage highlights need for more school funding, union boss says Lawmakers to start debating how much state money to give school districts next year BY DANIEL DUCASSI AND ERICA BREUNLIN COLORADO SUN
Colorado will continue to face a critical teacher shortage unless state leaders make good on their constitutional obligation to increase education funding, the head of Colorado’s largest teacher union says. “We’re at a crisis point that requires bold action by our legislature,” Colorado Education Association President Amie Baca-Oehlert told The Colorado Sun in an interview ahead of the 2022 legislative session, which began Jan. 12. The union is asking for a major investment in schools and it plans to lobby school districts to spend their share of any budgetary increase on improving teacher pay, Baca-Oehlert said. The push to restore education funding and improve pay for teachers comes as lawmakers are gearing up to debate in the com-
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Adam Williams teaches an 8th grade social studies inside a classroom at Options PHOTO BY ROBERT TANN Secondary Program in Littleton.
ing months just how much state money to give school districts next year. Colorado lawmakers have not kept up with increasing education funding at the level the constitution requires, leaving districts shortchanged and holding a nearly $10 billion IOU from the state. The state’s coffers are flush with cash at the moment – so much so that taxpayers are expected to receive refunds for each of the next three fiscal years. And the state also has billions more in one-time federal aid it received during the pandemic, giving state lawmakers extra flexibility with spending this year. While the governor wants to chip away at the state’s funding obligation to school districts — known as the budget stabilization factor — with $150 million a year for the next three years, Republicans want to commit to paying the state’s entire annual funding obligation to schools going forward, which could cost hundreds of millions of dollars more each year. Two Republican state senators, Barbara Kirkmeyer of Brighton and Paul Lundeen of Monument, have drafted a bill – set to be introduced this week – that aims to do just that, providing more than $700 million to wipe out the budget stabilization factor. “The bill itself would eliminate the budget stabilization factor, would take $723 million and completely buy it down,” Lundeen told the Colorado Sun. Republicans believe the state can commit to that higher level of funding for education long term. Sen. Bob Rankin, a Carbondale Republican who sits on the Joint Budget Committee, thinks that
increasing property tax revenue amid appreciating real estate values will help the state get there. But Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, argues relying on increasing property tax revenues is less than ideal, and offered a more cautious approach. “Getting rid of [the budget stabilization factor] for one year doesn’t do a whole lot of good,” he said. The constitution requires the state to increase base per-student school funding by at least the rate of inflation each year, so the funding obligation is a perennial problem. “We have to get rid of it in a way that is sustainable so that it goes away forever,” Fenberg added. The Republican proposal, if adopted, could have implications for Democrats’ spending priorities as more money for K-12 education means less money for other initiatives. Baca-Oehlert described the governor’s plan as “a good start” but thinks state leaders can up that figure. “We do believe that there is an ability to do more than $150 million this year,” Baca-Oehlert said. “And with a over half-a-billiondollar hole in education funding, we think that doing more than $150 million would be just a better way to support our struggling schools and students in this time of significant need.” Teacher shortage hits districts Whatever lawmakers decide, Baca-Oehlert worries that without substantial new funding schools will struggle to recruit new teachers and keep them in classrooms. “Our districts need an ability to attract people to the profession, but also to retain them,” she said.
“And so when you have the financial resources to provide those things that are going to impact people’s work life, that can lead to the district’s ability to recruit and retain.” Baca-Oehlert said the union also has a parallel strategy of convincing districts to prioritize teacher pay in spending any new money they may receive from the state. She observed that a double whammy of low pay and pandemic stresses are forcing school districts statewide to grapple with a teacher shortage. CEA recently conducted a survey and found that 67% of its members were thinking about leaving the teaching field in the near future. That’s a 27 percentage point increase from the 40% of members who indicated they were considering leaving when surveyed in December 2020. Meanwhile, it’s become harder for school districts to retain educators as they struggle to compete against the wages in other industries. Some full-time teachers have left the classroom in pursuit of jobs that pay better and are lower stress. Baca-Oehlert cited the example of an early career teacher who chose to leave the classroom and work in a coffee shop in pursuit of higher pay and less hassle. Another teacher, veteran educator Diane Santorico, taught for nearly 30 years before deciding to call it quits last year. She often came home at the end of the day in tears after being forced to teach in a 95-degree classroom while wearing a mask and being unable to use school water fountains. “There’s no doubt that the classroom is the center point for pressures generated by this pandemic,” House Speaker Alec Garnett, a Denver Democrat, told reporters Monday. “Students and teachers and parents have felt a lot of those pressures. We need to do everything we can to invest as much as we can in the classroom.” But House Minority Leader Hugh McKean, R-Loveland, said the General Assembly has been “terrible at prioritizing” education funding. “But yet we all say that we prioritize education and we want to make sure that teachers can get more pay, we want to make sure that students can have more materials in the classroom.” However, if the state doesn’t make good on its constitutional spending obligations, he added, “then what we’re really doing is saying we’re going to continually fund education at a lower level.” This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun. com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.
Arvada Press 11
January 27, 2022
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12 Arvada Press
LOCAL
January 27, 2022
VOICES
International Holocaust Remembrance Day: Reflections on empathy, compassion and the courage to act
G
enocide [Greek prefix meaning “race” or “tribe,” Latin suffix meaning “act of killing”]: an internationally recognized crime where acts are committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. The term “genocide” itself was coined by Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin, writing in 1944 particularly in response to Nazi policies of systematic murder of Jewish people during the Holocaust. According to the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention genocide includes: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm; deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s physical destruction; imposing measures intended to prevent births; forcibly transferring children out of the group. Deliberate, calculated, systematic. Forcible, intentional, targeted. Such are the defining words of genocide, first recognized by the UN General Assembly in 1946 and codified as an individual crime in 1948. Empathy [a translation of Greek
empatheia,“within feeling”]: the ability to understand and relate to another’s pain. Most of my Boomer generation is achingly aware of the beyondcredible-belief Nazi program to elimiAndrea Doray nate the Jewish people of Europe, which precipitated, in part, World War II. As younger generations come to take our place in remembrance, I encourage more awareness, more learning, more outrage at the deliberate, calculated, systematic, forcible, intentional targeted genocide of millions of Jewish people during the Holocaust. The United Nations General Assembly designated Jan. 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism.
ALCHEMY
Compassion [from the Latin “to suffer” and the prefix meaning “with”]: an even broader concept than empathy, an understanding of another’s suffering as if actually experiencing it and the desire to mitigate that pain. History has proven that among the deepest roots of genocide is hate, which can take hold anywhere. In fact, earlier this month, in what the FBI has labeled a hate crime, a 44-year-old British Pakistani took four people hostage at gunpoint in a synagogue in Texas, for no other reason that their faith. After an 11hour standoff, the hostages were able to escape because of their courage to act. Such incidents are becoming frighteningly more common. A Jewish community center I pass frequently throughout the week has armed security on the Sabbath and other holy days. It’s easy to understand why. Of course, people of Jewish faith in the U.S. are not the only targets of hate crimes—Blacks, Muslims, Christians, women, Asian American
Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, LBGTQ+ communities … and on and on and on. I’m sure you can help me identify more. Slippery slope [universal]: a course of action that inevitably leads to something unacceptable, wrong or disastrous. Can hate crime eventually lead to genocide? Historically, yes. And it may seem, from reading my words here, that such hate is inescapable, that we are helpless to slow that slippery descent. However, in my heart of hearts, I do believe that each of us—with enough empathy, enough compassion, and tremendous amounts of courage to act—can find our own ways to navigate the slope, and join together to help prevent the unacceptable, the wrong, the disastrous again.
Andrea Doray is a writer who recommends starting with information from the UN on genocide—still taking place around the world—to learn more about how to help. Email Andrea at a.doray@andreadoray.com.
Driving through the destruction
“
You’ve never seen it! You’ve never seen it miss this house, and miss that house, and then come after you!” This quote from the movie “Twister” ran through my head over and over last week. See, I had business up in Boulder. And, the natural way there for me from my house takes me up past Flatiron Crossing Mall, through Superior, and up the highway, with Marshall on my left. Just past the turnoff to the mall, you look to your left, past the trailhead parking area, and you can see where the fire burned…and where it didn’t. In a big field of dry grasses, the burn line cuts a weaving swath right down the middle. Everything to the right, burned and dead; everything to the left, still alive, waving in the early morning breeze. A hundred yards further on, look to the right. There’s the fire line again, having jumped the road. Except this time, all the burn is on the other side—fortunately, saving the wooden fence 18 inches to the left…and the dozen houses beyond. Like a predator, stalking its prey, and then at the
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last minute deciding to pursue other quarry. The giant apartment complex up on the hill seems to have dodged the destruction. Quarter mile further up the street, I look to the left, down into a neighborhood, which, Michael Alcorn miraculously, seems to have avoided the inferno. Or not. First glances are deceiving, especially when driving. What I saw, on first glance, was the second block of the neighborhood. The traffic light allows me to look over and see the first block, razed to the ground. And then, beyond it, the third block, similarly obliterated. And, sure, it’s great that the houses remain standing in the middle of the neighborhood, but it becomes clear momentarily that the only people still occupying this area are insurance adjusters. Back to the right side of the street, there’s the Tesla dealership, half of it charred, the windows boarded up.
HITTING HOME
But just 20 yards over, there’s the Starbucks… serving customers. And behind that, the post-apocalyptic concrete hulk of a hotel. It is unreal how the fire chose it victims. Carried on 100+ mph winds, it seems to have been in too big of a hurry to be thorough. Obviously, that’s no comfort to its victims, but the randomness of the whole thing defies explanation. I know a lot of the conversation since this has been about the climate, how our intensely dry autumn made this situation vastly worse than it might have otherwise been. That conversation, I think, downplays to a degree how extraordinary the other elements of that day played together to brew this tragedy. I’ve lived here 50+ years and I think I can count on one hand the number of days that had extended 100 mph winds; and now there’s speculation that the fire may have ignited when it burst free from the underground coal mine where it had been burning… for 150 years! Sometimes, nature rears up and send us a little reminder of who is in charge. A tornado which goes out of its way to miss a school but rips up a
strip mall; a fire kindled underground and driven by hurricane-force winds; a virus. Sure, we do things that make nature angry, and that’s part of the equation. Maybe, what? We should get back in the habit of pouring out libations before our evening meal? We imagine, because to our knowledge there is nothing higher, that we sit atop the existential earth pyramid. We imagine, in our hubris, that we control it all, that we are masters of our domain. We are wrong. Every once in a while, we get a little reminder that best we can do is mitigate danger, but that, in the grand scheme of things… we are but dust and vapor. Have a great week, friends!
Michael Alcorn is a former teacher and current writer who lives in Arvada with his wife and three children. His new novel, “Valkyrie’s Kiss,” a finalist in the ScreenCraft Book Competition, is available now at mjalcorn@comcast. net. His opinions are not necessarily those of Colorado Community Media.
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Arvada press A legal newspaper of general circulation in Jefferson County, Colorado, the Arvada Press is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 14143 Denver West Pkwy., Suite 100, Golden 80401. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: Arvada Press, 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225, Englewood, CO 80110
Arvada Press 13
January 27, 2022
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Response to letter about polarization I want to respond to a Letter to the Editor published Jan. 13. I agree wholeheartedly with Paul Brunson of Arvada regarding how the media keeps “polarization” going! I get so discouraged when I want to see positive steps our country is taking and then the focus is only on “approval ratings,” or discourse between the two parties. Negative news sells, so the more “garbage” that can be spewed, the better. Our country desperately needs to unite and solve issues! Voters’ rights is so important, yet we have allowed politicians to create more havoc and hatred by limiting these inalienable rights! The people NEED to speak out and get politicians to stop being bought out.
We can heal if given space to unite and actually talk to one another instead of getting republicans to dominate their agendas through fillibusters and just wanting to get progress to fail. It is very sad. The only way for this to happen is if the media stops encouraging negativity and starts dealing with facts. Balancing two sides is ridiculous because one side has already discounted the media and chooses not to watch. Appeasing stupidity is never a good thing to do. Finally, I want to see those responsible for the horrible assault on our Capital on Jan. 6 to be held to justice. P.S. I consider myself a strong Christian, so let us now assume the republicans have the market on this! Pam Deck, Arvada
Dementia training needed When my husband, John, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, our family was devastated. There was so much for us to learn. When it was time to look for help with his care, we wanted to know the staff was well-prepared to provide for his needs. The most important factor in quality dementia care is the staff. When choosing a care community, I assumed that the staff was knowledgeable in all aspects of dementia care. Sadly, there were times when I observed that lack of training impacted my husband’s (or another resident’s) care. I was surprised to learn that Colorado does not require staff at nursing homes, assisted living residences or adult day centers to have a specific number of hours of training in dementia. While some facilities do make dementia training
a priority, I believe all providers of these services should require it. Please join me in thanking Senator Kolker, Senator Ginal and Representative Young for supporting the Alzheimer’s Association’s proposal to require a minimum of four hours of initial training and two hours of additional training every two years after that for direct care staff at every nursing home, assisted living and adult day centers across the state. I urge Speaker Garnett, Senators Smallwood, Fields and Buckner, and Representatives Lontine, Ortiz and Titone to also support this proposal. Without proper training, we cannot ensure appropriate care for the thousands of Coloradans living with Alzheimer’s in assisted living facilities.
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ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Colorado Community Media welcomes letters to the editor. Please keep in mind the following rules: • Email your letter to kfiore@coloradocommunitymedia.com. Do not send via postal mail. Put the words “letter to the editor” in the email subject line. • Letters must be no longer than
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Fix medical billing practices to fix healthcare
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stemming from the surgery, I was saddled with a bill of $172,000. Unfortunately, my story is all too common in Colorado. Medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcies in the United States, and in Colorado, medical debt affects people of color more than their White counterparts. In fact, 22 percent of Coloradans of color, twice the amount of White Coloradans, are facing debt-in-collection. Furthermore, 32.9 percent of African Americans and 21.7 percent of Hispanics have reported problems paying their medical bills. What’s worse is that desperate Coloradans reported various ways to absolve their medical debt, which included taking out loans and going SEE GARCIA, P15
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14 Arvada Press
LOCAL
LIFE
January 27, 2022
Where to go Here’s a list of venues currently offering Afternoon Tea in the metro area. The Brown Palace 321 17th St., Denver Visit www.brown palace.com/dining/restaurants/ afternoon-tea or call 303-297-3111 to reserve D Bar Denver 494 E. 19th Ave. Call 303- 861-4710 for reservations Capital Tea 1450 S. Broadway St., Denver Reserve your English Tea Time spot by calling 303-777-2255 English Tealeaves 18551 Mainstreet, Parker Tea Parties can be booked to your schedule, for parties of two to 24. Call 720-851-6099
Afternoon Tea at the Brown Palace Hotel.
Metro tea time puts Colorado spin on an English classic BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A
fternoon Tea was introduced in 1840 by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, to get her through the long period between lunch and dinner, not served in her abode until 8 p.m., according to Historic-UK.com. That being the case, you might have surmised that Afternoon Tea consists of more than just a hot beverage. It always comes with scrummy nosh as well. You may find scones with clotted cream and freshly made jams, a tasty selection of sweet and savory pastries and finger sandwiches. And of course, there’s British-style biscuits to set you right. You don’t have to be in England to enjoy Afternoon Tea. There are several places in the Queen City of the Plains (and surrounding areas) where you can have the experience. Kathy Curry, visiting from Georgia with her two young daughters, said one of the things they looked most forward to this year was Afternoon Tea at the Brown.
“It’s magical,” Curry said. “It makes the girls feel like they’re princesses. And I love it too.” Morgan Bobo handles press requests for the Brown. She said Afternoon Tea has been served at the Brown Palace since 1986. “It’s presently hosted in the historic and stunning Atrium Lobby. Guests can enjoy a variety of teas topped with Devonshire cream shipped directly from England while listening to the soft sounds of the grand piano float through the lobby and natural light streaming through the stained-glass ceiling,” she said. “The rich history isn’t the only thing that makes the experience unique, as all of the honey utilized for tea service comes directly from the property’s rooftop bee colonies and can be purchased on property to take home.” The Brown Palace does have perhaps the most storied Afternoon Tea in the metro area. But recent years have seen plenty of competition spring up from Castle Rock to Louisville and all spots in-between, keeping this decidedly British tradition alive and well in Colorado. “It’s about the experience,” said Michael Herrera, proud Denver dad. “My daughter loved being able to get dressed up to go to Tea.” Elaine Bryant and her husband, Joel, a trained chef, are the owners of The Lumber Baron, a historic Bed
and Breakfast in the Potter Highlands neighborhood. Bryant says they started offering Afternoon Tea about six months after opening the Inn because it seemed like such a natural fit. The Victorian mansion is the perfect setting for their traditional English tea service featuring a variety of fancy finger sandwiches, scones, crumpets and fresh cookies. Bryant says she honed the customer service skills it takes to run a B&B serving up a different hot beverage — coffee — for Starbucks, where she worked for 13 years before becoming an Inn Keeper. Speaking of kids, Bryant said they’re more than welcome and get the same white tablecloth and antique china treatment as anyone else. “We love having children come to the High Tea,” she said. “And they love coming, The little girls, especially. They just know that it’s something special.” If you haven’t taken Afternoon Tea before, here’s a primer: Tea comes by the pot, with different loose-leaf varieties to choose from, while the treats are always served family style, but on much fancier platters than your average chicken nachos. Price covers both tea and food per person. So, no need to fuss. Just make a reservation, show up and as they say across the pond, “Bob’s your uncle.”
Swiss Floral and Gift Cottage 9890 West 44th Ave., Wheat Ridge Call 303-424-7421 to reserve The Huckleberry 700 Main Street, Louisville Call 303-666-8020 for reservations Visit www.thehuckleberry.com/afternoon-tea for more information
The Lumber Baron 2555 West 37th Ave., Denver 303-477-8205 to reserve
Arvada Press 15
January 27, 2022
Orchestra plans event for families, children Inspiring the new generation of classical fans
M
ost people remember their first concert experience — it usually represents their tastes at the time or the direction their musical palette will grow. So, starting with classical music is a great way to get children interested in the genre early. That’s one of the aims behind the Lakewood Symphony Orchestra’s annual children’s and family concert, which will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5 at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway. According to conductor Matthew Switzer, the LSO’s children-centric concert has been around for more than 20 years and has remained a popular entry in its season. This year’s performance will be of the immortal “Peter and the Wolf.” It will also feature a young guest conductor conducting the orchestra in John Williams’ “Imperial March.” We spoke to Switzer about the tradition, selecting music for all ages and more: Interview edited for clarity and brevity. Why is it important that the symphony offers a child-centric concert like this? This concert is offered to introduce classical music to young people in a comfortable environment with their parents. The concert continues to feature new and exciting ways for the audience
GARCIA FROM PAGE 13
into credit card debt. A whopping 32.7 percent of Coloradans reported that they were unable to pay for basic necessities like food, heat and rent due to the financial burden that they were straddled with after receiving medical care. I also live with chronic illnesses, all of which stem from hemophilia. Hemophilia is a rare disorder in which blood can’t clot properly due to a lack of clot-producing proteins. There are only a few ways to treat hemophilia, one of which includes receiving transfusions. Each infusion that I receive costs $40,000, and I need these infusions in addition to other medications every few months to manage my chronic illnesses. I work multiple jobs in order to
to discover what makes “music.” Sometimes, the audience writes a composition, sometimes they create a story to music and occasionally they find out crazy things about how instruments are made. Of course, we Clarke Reader always offer a narrated story with music to finish off the concert. Tell me about this year’s concert. There will be demonstrations of the various families of instruments in the orchestra with individual looks of how different instruments produce sound. Of course, we will have to build at least one supersized instrument on stage. After that is concluded, the orchestra will perform “Peter and the Wolf” with guest narrator, Joel Hillan. “Peter and the Wolf” is a famous work by Sergei Prokofiev that uses many of the instruments in the orchestra to portray the various characters in the story. This is a great way to reintroduce our family concerts after last year when we were unable to present one. As the conductor, what makes a show for children special/ unique? Family shows must be more than just playing and talking about the works being performed. They need to be inventive, engaging, and hopefully, if every person leaves wondering a bit more about music and how
interesting it can be, we will have accomplished our goal. Tickets and information can be found at lakewoodsymphony.org. Editor’s note: The author is a board member of the Lakewood Symphony Orchestra.
cover my out-of-pocket medical costs, which often leads to my work hours being as high as 70-80 hours per week. And I know that I’m only one of several millions of Americans that are suffering from the high cost of medical care. A recent survey showed that 73 percent of Colorado voters said that the amount they pay for healthcare seems to be going up each year. Furthermore, 61 percent of those voters said that they had at one time or another struggled to pay a medical bill even though they had insurance and 25 percent of those surveyed said that they actively have unpaid or past-due medical bills that they are having trouble paying off. A survey also showed that the majority of Coloradans agree that insurance deductibles should be low enough so that they don’t get in the way of the healthcare that
patients need. Despite the fact that Americans want affordable healthcare, insurance companies are set on lining their pockets. Accumulator adjustment programs are extremely prevalent in the American healthcare system; due to their prevalence, insurers save money by refusing to allow prescription drug coupons to count towards a person’s deductible. That leaves millions of Americans with unexpected out-of-pocket costs when it comes to filling their prescription drugs. And if any of these Americans are like me, that could be deadly. When cost-sharing assistance provided on medications are not applied to insurance deductibles, the prevalence of highdeductible plans means that many patients like me could be asked to shoulder many thousands of dollars more and too many of us cannot afford to do so, even if our
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Dazzle honors J Dilla’s legacy Detroit’s J Dilla (James Dewitt Yancey) is one of the most important figures in hip-hop history. His work as both producer and rapper has influenced so many luminaries, including Madlib, Ye and Erykah Badu. Since his death in 2006, musicians in hip-hop and beyond have amplified and honored his work in a variety of ways and venues. Dazzle Denver, 1512 Curtis St., is hosting “The King of Beats: J. Dilla Tribute by Manycolors” at 9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5. Manycolors is a local jazz group on the Color Red label and the performance has been endorsed by J Dilla’s mother, Maureen Yancey-Smith (Madukes), who is the founder of The James Dewitt Yancey Foundation. According to provided information, the foundation’s goals are to enhance and develop urban programs in innercities and academia. Get tickets at dazzledenver.com/ upcoming-events/#/events. Whiskey the winter chill away The cold of winter is the perfect time to really get into (or appreciate) whiskey. The drink’s scene is constantly growing and deepening, and to stay up to date on what’s happening, The Winter Whiskey Tasting Festival offers tasters (both new and connoisseurs) the chance
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to do some serious sampling. The festival is from 2:30 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 29, at the Blake Street Tavern, 2301 Blake St. in Denver. Some of the makers include Barrell Craft Spirits, Mythology Distillery and The Long Drink Company. Visitors can select from a bevy of experience options, including ultra-high-end brands and more. There will also be food options, gift specials and more. Secure your attendance at eventbrite.com.
Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Samia at the Bluebird Theatre If you decide to live by the maxim that one should be judged by the company they keep, then Samia Najimy Finnerty, professionally known as Samia, should be judged extremely well. She’s released just one proper album and has already been co-signed by indie favorites like Bartees Strange and Palehound. In 2021 she released an EP called “Scout” that gives tantalizing glimpses of where she might go next. At 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 3, Samia will be stopping by the Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver. This is an opportunity to see an up-and-coming talent on an intimate stage before they really get really big - could be a great addition to your “I saw them before they got big” list. Get tickets at bluebirdtheater.net/ events/detail/413689. Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail. com.
lives depend upon it. It is far past the time to reform healthcare. We’re at a serious crossroads in our country’s history and we can make lasting healthcare reform that will lead to more compassion for all Americans suffering from chronic diseases or health crises. Our elected officials, beginning with Senator Bennet, need to come together to do what’s best for the American people and pass common-sense legislation that combats toxic billing practices in the reconciliation process. Kris lives in Colorado with his wife and kids. Kris is active in pushing for change in his state and nationally, advocating for change in areas like paid family leave, LGBTQ rights, transgender and transition health care, and mental health and suicide. He is a board member of 9to5 Colorado. ON AVERAGE, AARP MEMBERS ENJOY
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16 Arvada Press
LOCAL
SPORTS
January 27, 2022
Arvada West captures league win over Lakewood BY DENNIS PLEUSS JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
LAKEWOOD — It doesn’t matter how girls basketball teams capture conference wins in the Class 5A Jeffco League. The key is getting those wins no matter how it looks. Arvada West edged Lakewood in both teams’ league opener Jan. 21. The Wildcats didn’t score in the opening four minutes of the third or fourth quarters, but managed to take a 42-38 road victory. “I told the girls it was going to be a barnburner and it didn’t disappoint,” A-West coach Brady Meeks said. “We kind of thought the first team to 40 points would win. Chris (Lakewood coach Chris Poisson) and I joked before the game the final might be 36-35. So we were pretty close.” It looked like A-West (12-3, 1-0 in 5A Jeffco) would be saying goodbye to its 6-game winning streak. Lakewood (8-5, 0-1) held a 29-20 lead midway through the third quarter. The Wildcats clawed back thanks to Jasmyn Williams, Saylor Swanson and Brooke Meeks each sinking a 3-pointer over the span of 90 seconds late in the third quarter. A steal and layup by Swanson in the closing seconds actually gave A-West a 33-31 lead heading into the final quarter. “I’m really proud of their grit and fight,” Coach Meeks said of the Wildcats climbing out of the 9-point deficit midway through the third quarter. “In previous seasons this team would have folded. Credit to the kids. They were fantastic.” The coach’s daughter — Brooke Meeks — finished with a team-high 11 points. Williams finished with 9 points and Swanson, a freshman, came off the bench with 7 points. “Shots started to fall for a couple of us,” Brooke said. “It was nice to hit a few shots. We had to stay positive.” It seemed like there was a lid on both baskets in the fourth quarter. Both teams nearly went scoreless halfway through the final quarter. Brooke actually make the only two field goals in the fourth quarter for the Wildcats. The junior guard poured in her third 3-pointer of the night to put A-West up 36-33, but Lakewood junior Zoe Zartman answered with a 3-pointer of her own to ties things back up. Lakewood freshman DJ Parrish led all scorers with 13 points. Senior Anna Salmore had 11 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Brooke had another big field goal to give the lead back to the Wildcats. AWest made 4-of-7 free throws in the final minute to seal the victory. Senior Amanda Neff struggled offensively for most of the game, but was 3-for-4 in from the line in the final minute. “Amanda and Ellie (Pugliese) hit some big free throws late,” Coach Meeks said. “She (Neff) was a little off tonight, but I wasn’t going to pull her out. She is a captain and important in so many ways. And, she is an 80 percent free-throw shooter. That is
Arvada West junior Brooke Meeks, left, drives on Lakewood junior Zoe Zartman during the Class 5A Jeffco League opener Jan. 21 at Lakewood High School. The Wildcats rallied from a 9-point deficit in the third quarter to take a 42-38 victory.
who I want on the line.” Lakewood was playing shorthanded for the majority of the game when senior point guard Logan Watson suffered an ankle injury and wasn’t able to return. “It hurt us a lot,” Lakewood coach Chris Poisson said of Watson suffering the ankle injury early in the second quarter. “Logan is our engine. Without her we are all playing different roles.” Poisson hopes to have Watson back soon, but admitted she will likely miss a few games next week. “Injuries you can’t control. You just deal with them,” Poisson said. “Adversity is opportunity in disguise. Can we become better players and a better team? Then Logan comes back and we’ll be even better. That is how we’ll look at it.” Coach Meeks gave a lot of credit to Poisson after the game. “Chris is the best coach I’ve ever gone against. That’s not disrespect to a lot of great coaches,” Coach Meeks said of Poisson, who has built Lakewood into a perennial top-10 program in 5A over the last decade. A-West now prepares for its biggest rival — Ralston Valley (9-4, 0-0). The Wildcats host the Mustangs in a boys/girls varsity doubleheader on Wednesday, Jan. 26, with the boys tipping off at 5:30 p.m. and the girls game to follow. “RV is a very big rival for us,” Brooke said. “We have always been the underdog against them. This year we are just going to go out and play our game. Hopefully we can come out with a win or at least say
Lakewood senior Haven Kutch, left, tries to keep the ball out of the reach of Arvada West senior Sydney Trinder during the first half Jan. 21 at Lakewood High School. AWest took a 42-38 victory in the Class 5A Jeffco League opener for both teams. PHOTOS BY DENNIS PLEUSS/JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
we tried our hardest.” Ralston Valley had a big nonleague test Jan. 22 against one of the top teams in 4A. The Mustangs traveled to Mullen. Ralston Valley lost 49-38. “Everyone kind of knows it’s Valor’s league to lose,” Coach Meeks said. “I think the rest of us are kind of clawing at each other. Ralston
Valley is extremely talented. Jeff Gomer (Ralston Valley coach) does a great job. It’s going to be tough for us. We have to play better than we did tonight.” Dennis Pleuss is the Sports Information Director for Jeffco Public Schools. For more Jeffco coverage, go to CHSAANow.com.
Arvada Press 17
January 27, 2022
Chatfield Invitational
C R O S SWO R D P U Z Z L E
Pomona’s Greg Maes, left, pulls off a reversal against Denver South’s Keaton Schoonover during a match at the Chatfield Invitational on Jan. 22 at Chatfield High PHOTO BY DENNIS PLEUSS/JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS School.
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January 27, 2022
COLORADO COMMUNIT Y MEDIA
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Arvada Press 19
January 27, 2022
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‘Personal choices’ behind surge in traffic deaths Officials study statewide increase, with total for 2021 likely to top 700 BY PAOLO ZIALCITA CPR NEWS
Preliminary data from the Colorado Department of Transportation shows 672 people died on Colorado roads in 2021, the state’s most since 2002. That number is expected to exceed 700 once final tallies come in, according to Colorado State Patrol chief Matthew Packard. During a Jan. 19 press conference announcing
the record, Packard urged people to take personal responsibility for reducing traffic deaths. He said too many people get behind the wheel while impaired, or are distracted when on the road. “It’s appalling to me to think that that many people senselessly lose their lives in something that we do every day,” Packard said. Overall, the state has seen a 50 percent increase in traffic deaths since 2011, and deaths on Colorado roadways increased by 8 percent last year compared to 2020. The early count shows 432 crashes involved people in cars and trucks, while 145 were motorcycle or bicycle riders. In addition, 87 pedestrians were killed by incoming traffic.
Colorado Springs and greater El Paso County had the most road fatalities in the state last year, with 77. Denver reported 65 fatal crashes during the same period. Police officials from around the state said they plan to expand enforcement in areas with a disproportionate share of fatalities. But they argued during Tuesday’s briefing that a systemic crackdown on traffic safety is not the solution. “The causations we’ve talked about today that cause accidents, those are personal choices,” Colorado Springs Police Department chief Vincent Niski said. “It’s not infrastructure, a lot of it’s not infrastructure. A lot of it’s not about public transit. It is about a personal choice
to run a red light.” CDOT director of maintenance and operations John Lorme acknowledged asking Coloradans to be more careful does not guarantee change, but he reminded people worried about road safety that improving other transportation options would make residents less dependent on driving. “CDOT knows that we can’t grow out of this problem,” he said. “One of the ways that we can [improve] is to increase transit availability to everybody within the state.” This story is from CPR News, a nonprofit news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.
State considers bill on whether to let local public workers unionize Prospective bill could grant thousands more public employees a seat at the negotiating table BY THY VO COLORADO SUN
A bill that would grant more public employees in Colorado the right to
unionize is shaping up to be the next big labor fight at the state Capitol. The proposal, sponsored by House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar, a Pueblo Democrat, would allow people working for cities, counties, schools, public hospitals and other local government entities the right to collectively bargain. It would be a major expansion of labor rights for those workers, who can currently form unions but don’t have negotiating power over their work conditions, unless they are recognized by voters or the organization they
work for. “We want to make sure it doesn’t matter where you live, you have the right to bargain,” Esgar said. Although the measure has not been introduced and many details are still in flux, labor groups say it’s the last major piece in their long effort to expand collective bargaining for workers in Colorado. In 2020, Democratic lawmakers passed a measure allowing the union for nearly 28,000 state workers to collectively bargain. Labor advocates had another win last year when they passed a contentious
law granting agricultural workers minimum wage, collective bargaining and other protections. “This is the unfinished business of making sure all Coloradans have the freedom to join a union,” said Dennis Dougherty, executive director of the Colorado AFL-CIO. This year’s effort has garnered early opposition from conservatives and public sector groups, including the Colorado Municipal League, a powerful advocacy organization SEE UNIONIZE, P23
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UNIONIZE FROM PAGE 22
representing cities and towns that argues the measure would unconstitutionally infringe on local control. “Local governments and their voters are fully equipped to be able to have the conversation locally and determine what’s appropriate,” said Kevin Bommer, the group’s executive director. The conservative dark money nonprofit Advance Colorado Action says it will spend six figures on a direct mail and digital ad campaign against the measure, Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic lawmakers. And Advance Colorado Institute, an affiliated nonprofit, says it will sue to overturn the proposal if it becomes law. State Sen. Bob Gardner, a Colorado Springs Republican, argues that without limits on strikes, the measure would give public employees far too much power. “It’s an extraordinary, unimaginable piece of leverage being handed to public employees,” Gardner said. There’s another big hurdle for proponents of the bill: getting the governor’s approval. Polis doesn’t support the bill “in its current form,” spokesman Conor Cahill said, though he did not cite any specific part of the bill. “The governor was proud to sign legislation that provides the state workforce collective bargaining while striking a balance between collective bargaining and elected representation,” Cahill said in a statement. “The door is open to a much narrower legislation to expand collective bargaining and the governor hopes the advocates engage local governments more earlier in this process.” A major expansion of the right to unionize The coronavirus pandemic highlighted how essential public workers are to society, said Esgar. And while there are already laws that give most private sector workers the right to organize and force their employers to the bargaining table, Coloradans working for local government, schools and public hospitals and universities don’t have that ability. “Many everyday public heroes who take care of our kids, clear off roads and respond to emergencies, they don’t have collective bargaining rights,” Esgar said. “(This bill) gives
Lawmakers are seen at the Capitol’s House floor on Jan. 12, 2022 in Denver at the start PHOTO BY OLIVIA SUN of Colorado’s General Assembly’s 2022 session.
us a huge opportunity to level that playing field and create equity and fairness for working families across the state.” A number of local public workers have tried unsuccessfully in recent years to unionize under current law. Last year, nurses and other workers at UCHealth and Denver Health tried to form a union, but their efforts weren’t recognized by their employers. In Colorado Springs, voters turned down a 2019 ballot measure that would have amended the city’s charter to allow local firefighters to form a union. In Denver, which allows collective bargaining by rank-and-file police and fire employees, efforts over the last two decades to bring a charter amendment granting bargaining rights to other city employees have failed. Among Colorado’s 272 cities, just 16 currently allow some or all of their workers to unionize. The forthcoming bill could grant more than 250,000 more public workers the right to collective bargaining, said Dougherty, the AFL-CIO president. “You can have near-unanimous support for a union, go to a board and they can say, ‘We’re not interested,’” Dougherty said. “This should be a fundamental right.” The proposal is the AFL-CIO’s No. 1 focus this session, Dougherty said. It also comes after the union told Democratic lawmakers that it would suspend fundraising for Democratic legislative groups until May 2022 because their interests have been “excluded.” The AFL-CIO is not basing its funding decisions on support for the bill, he said. But recent discussions with Democrats about working relation-
ships have been productive and are “headed in a positive direction.” Many details are still unclear This isn’t the first year lawmakers have mulled whether to expand the number of public employees who can unionize. Last year, a draft of a similar proposal allowing county and municipal workers to more easily collectively bargain was circulating ahead of the legislative session. But a bill was never introduced. Esgar hopes to introduce her measure this year at the end of January. But many policy details are still uncertain, said Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg, a Boulder Democrat who is working on the legislation, too. “There’s still a lot of conversation on what it is,” Fenberg said of the prospective measure. “Who it applies to, what exactly it is — it’s a little too soon to say. I think the caucuses generally want to do what they can to move collective bargaining rights forward for all employees, not just state workers.” Many interest groups wait until a measure is introduced before taking any official positions. But the Colorado Municipal League said it’s likely to oppose the measure no matter what exemptions or carve-outs end up in the final text. “It has little to do with whether or not there should be collective bargaining,” Bommer said, adding that the league has opposed past attempts by the legislature to ban public-sector collective bargaining on the same principle. “Employment matters at the local level should be a matter of home rule and local control.” The group argues the soon-to-be measure would infringe on the con-
stitutional right of cities that operate under “home rule” charters, which is nearly 100 Colorado cities and towns. The home-rule status gives the municipalities the right to self-govern in policy issues of “local concern.” But if Democrats do decide to pursue the legislation, CML and Gardner said there should be limits placed on the ability of the affected workers to strike. The 2020 law allowing the state workers’ union to collectively bargain prohibits them from striking. Gardner said he would advocate for the same prohibition under the new proposal to avoid employee groups “holding the state hostage” by disrupting government services. “They would have extraordinary power, coupled with this right of concerted action … to just walk off the job of providing state services,” Gardner said. According to the AFL-CIO, the latest draft of the prospective bill includes requirements that public safety workers – people working for law enforcement and fire departments – use arbitration to settle an impasse and prohibits them from striking. The draft bill wouldn’t otherwise limit strike activity. “I wouldn’t say we’ve landed anywhere,” Fenberg said, but “everybody recognizes there are certain professions and certain lines of work that have to be there for public safety purposes.” Proponents also dispute CML’s argument that requiring cities and towns to recognize employee unions would infringe on home rule, arguing the requirement would be similar to state laws governing anti-discrimination and worker’s compensation that apply to all municipalities. Bommer also raised concerns that the proposal would affect existing bargaining agreements brokered by local governments or passed by their voters, and about language in earlier drafts that lay out specific requirements for the bargaining process. Workers would still need to win the support of their coworkers to form a union and go through a negotiating process with their public employer, Esgar said. This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.
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TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and, particularly, to the eligible electors of the Haskins Station Metropolitan District, City of Arvada, Jefferson County, Colorado (the “District”). NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an election will be held on May 3, 2022, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. At that time, three (3) directors will be elected to serve until May 2025. Eligible electors of the District interested in serving on the board of directors may obtain a Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form from the Designated Election Official (“DEO”) at https://whitebearankele.
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Monday, February 28, 2022.
The deadline to submit a Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form is the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on Friday, February 25, 2022. If the DEO determines a Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form is not sufficient, the form may be amended prior to 5:00 p.m. on February 25, 2022. Earlier submittal is encouraged as the deadline will not permit curing of an insufficient form after this date and time. An Affidavit of Intent to be a Write-In Candidate must be submitted to the office of the DEO by the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that information on obtaining an absentee ballot may be obtained from the DEO, and applications for an absentee ballot must be filed with the DEO no later than the close of business on April 26, 2022. You may contact the DEO’s office at (303) 858-1800. HASKINS STATION METROPOLITAN DISTRICT
Legal Notice No. 413122 First Publication: January 27, 2022 Last Publication: January 27, 2022 Publisher: Jeffco Transcript and the Arvada Press
###
By: Designated Election Official
Arvada Legals 1.27.22 * 1
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