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Week of February 24, 2022
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 11 | SPORTS: PAGE 16
VOLUME 17 | ISSUE 36
Joshua Jered ‘Concert for Our Neighbors’ brings in over $25,000 for Marshall Fire victims Rodriguez taken into custody by authorities Rodriguez faced warrant due to multiple felony cybercrime charges BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Hazel Miller performs onstage with Dive Bar Diva at the Arvada Elks Lodge.
PHOTOS BY RYLEE DUNN
Over 300 attend community fundraisers at Arvada Elks Lodge BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A group of musicians from the Arvada community came together to show support for Marshall Fire Victims by hosting the “Concert for Our Neighbors” on Feb. 20 at the Arvada Elks Lodge. Over 300 attendees came to the fundraiser, which brought in over $25,000 for victims of the fire. The benefit was chiefly put together by community members Hazel Miller, Warren Rubin and Debbie Hansen over the course of just five weeks. The trio brought in Brighton-based nonprofit Let Your Light Shine to handle the dispersal of donations to families affected by the fire. Soda Blue, Dive Bar Diva, Twenty Hands High and the Hazel Miller Band all perSEE CONCERT, P6
Concert organizer Debbie Hansen, left, introduces Sophie Stern, a sophomore at the University of Northern Colorado who designed a decal to raise awareness for fire victims.
A tumultuous week for Congressional District 8 Candidate Joshua Jered Rodriguez, whose FEC paperwork indicates he’s running for the Democratic seat, has concluded with his booking in the Jefferson County Jail. Arvada Police Department Public Information Officer Dave Snelling Confirmed that Rodriguez was booked before 7 a.m. on Feb. 17. Snelling said he was still looking into the circumstances of Rodriguez’s arrest. Public records show that Rodriguez was apprehended by the Jefferson County Sherriff’s Office. Rodriguez, who has previously run for mayor in Arvada, faced an arrest warrant stemming from multiple felony charges, including identity theft and forgery. On Feb. 15, it was reported that Rodriguez, 37, launched a campaign website with a donations page and signed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Feb. 4 listing an Arvada address that Jefferson County property records show was sold to a different owner in 2021. Rodriguez was charged with nine counts of identity theft, one count of forgery and one count of cybercrime (attempt) in October of 2020 and two counts of attempting to influence a public servant in December of 2020 after he attempted to set up multiple fraudulent GoFundMe pages in the name of Julia Vitanyi, the moderator of the popular Arvada Neighbors Facebook group. Rodriguez did not attend his scheduled court appearance on SEE RODRIGUEZ, P5