Arvada Press March 28, 2024

Ink, paper and printing take over the Arvada Center for Print Jam

BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

March means Mo’Print, a celebration of printmaking in the state of Colorado. e crux of the celebration is Print Jam, o cially named 528.0 Regional Juried Printmaking Exhibition, held at the Arvada Center.

Co-founder and organizer Emily Moyer explained that the 528.0 part of the name has two separate meanings. One is for Denver’s “Mile High” altitude and the other de nes the region that the exhibition covers.

“It’s open to artists that are within 528 miles,” Moyer said. “It’s a region that often gets ignored.”

Moyer explained that the region is known for its open spaces and outdoor attractions, but not the print art.

“ ere’s an incredible amount of really wonderful printmaking happening here,” Moyer said. “And so, the show is really intended to highlight this region.”

e event lled the history museum and main gallery with print art displays and demonstrations of several di erent types of printmaking.

ere were 83 pieces of art on the walls and two oversized displays that lled two of the rooms of the main gallery.

WHY ME?

At Ed Tomlinson Real Estate Services, I go beyond traditional home selling; I give a comprehensive suite of services to cater to a wide range of needs. This includes managing rentals, assisting with property tax protests, and providing resources for seniors and caregivers. My holistic approach is what truly distinguishes me in the real estate industry.

Kim Rivera, from the Art Student’s League of Denver, demonstrates linoleum prints while talking to the crowd about her unique process.

PHOTO BY JO DAVIS

SEE PRINT JAM, P4

Je co residents living in poverty draw attention of public health director

BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Many residents in the county have experienced food insecurity, or limited or uncertain access to adequate food.

at’s according to Dr. Sarah Story, executive director for Je erson County Public Health. Food insecurity is a complex problem, she said.

“It could be they skipped a meal because they didn’t have enough money at the end of the month,” Story said.

Story is bringing attention to the issue for National Nutrition Month in March. She and the health department are studying the many ways that food insecurity presents in local households.

“One thing we’re really focused on is, ‘How are households responding to increasing costs,?’” she said. “Some are skipping meals. Some are going to keep pace and some are

supplementing from food pantries.”

Story says the information gathered from studying food insecurity in the county can be used to help prevent associated issues, like homelessness. For example, when people cut back on their utility bills, Story said that is a warning of potential household crises.

“We know more and more that utilities are one of the things that people are cutting back on rst,” Story said. “And that means we might have a warning for food insecurity before it sets in, before people are going hungry.”

She said unpaid utility bills can cascade into a range of problems.

“If we can get ahead of folks who are about to lose their home, about to not be able to eat, we can actually prevent it,” she said. “Why do we keep going around trying to treat our way out of hunger and treat our way out of homelessness instead of trying to catch people before they

A surprisingly large number of families in Je erson County are at risk for struggling.

Most of those who are struggling are living in poverty. at’s by the federal measure of poverty. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, individuals making less than $15,060 are considered poor and families of four making less than $31,200 are considered poor.

“ at’s a lot of people living under the federal poverty line,” Story said. “ at is near destitute from an actual economic de nition.”

She added that a majority of those living in poverty are working full time.“So, this idea that people in poverty aren’t working is false,” she said.

Many working families are not falling under that de nition of impoverished but are still experiencing food insecurity.

“ ey are getting a fourth job, a fth job, a side hustle,” Story said. “ ey never see their families.”

Story said that food programs are critical to the community.

“Initiatives like community gardens and food pantries, as well as public health programs like the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, play a vital role in supporting nutrition and food access regardless of income or background,” Story said.

WIC provides more than food. It also lends support for breastfeeding and education to help families nd

a ordable healthy and nutritious food options, she said.

“WIC is still the most popular bipartisan nutrition program, and we do not have nearly enough people who are eligible for it signing up,” Story said. “To people out there, this program could be the di erence between being hungry and not being hungry. It’s a little bit of food, but that’s helpful for families on the margin.”

According to the Je erson County Public Health’s WIC information webpage, pregnant and breastfeeding women and families with children under age 5 are eligible for the program. To qualify for WIC, a family of four must make less than $55,500 a year, according to Story who said many local families qualify.

For National Nutrition Month, a list of programs and other resources:

Women, Infants & Children (WIC)  Double Up Food Bucks in Je co:  Golden Farmers Market  GoFarm Frontline Farming Denver Metro Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares and farms 211 Colorado Southwest Food Coalition Denver Urban Gardens

“ ere is no stigma,” Story said. “ ere is no shame. I’ve been there. Many of my coworkers have been there, needing that support. at is something I think needs to be de-stigmatized and normalized. Participating in programs like WIC and not feeling like you’ve failed because you are there.”

The Golden Farmer Market is one of the JCPH partners helping to combat food insecurity in Je erson County. COURTESY PHOTO

Here Are My Thoughts About the Media Coverage of the Recent NAR Settlement

It has been interesting to observe how the mainstream media has covered the recent $418-million settlement involving the National Association of Realtors (NAR). In addition to the monetary settlement (which can be paid out over a 4-year period), NAR agreed to end its rule requiring the inclusion in MLS listings of the compensation being offered to brokers representing buyers.

It should be obvious by now that there is little understanding by the media and the public of why that rule exists and how it benefits sellers to incentivize other brokers to show and sell their homes.

the reduction in agent earnings and the gain in social benefit if the “standard” 6%/3% system were modified. Not factored in at all was the time spent by listing or showing agents on clients who never sell or never buy.

or they see me driving my Tesla and other agents driving their BMWs and Mercedes. But we are the exception.

It’s not a unique concept. Cruise lines and resorts, among others, offer incentives to travel agents to get them to promote their cruises and resorts, etc. Car dealers pay auto brokers who produce a buyer who otherwise wouldn’t visit their showrooms. (That’s how I bought my 2012 Chevy Volt back when I needed help finding that brand new model. I couldn't have found the one dealer who had a Volt in transit to Aurora without my broker’s help. The dealer paid him.)

Similarly, offering a commission to other members of the MLS is how listing agents maximize the exposure of their sellers’ homes to the buying public. That exposure is enhanced by the fact that every consumer-facing website, like Zillow, downloads listings from the MLS.

The public and the media have long quoted 6% as the “standard” real estate commission — as have discount brokerages offering super-low listing commissions, but with small print saying “plus co-op commission to buyer’s agent.”

That error continues and is compounded now with the media stating that 3% is the “standard” co-op commission paid by sellers to the agents representing buyers.

Worse, some media have been reporting that NAR mandates the supposed 6% commission, which is not at all true. Neither is it true that a 3% co-op commission was ever mandated, merely that some offer (as low as $1 or zero) had to be included in every MLS listing.

A reader sent me an analysis ordered by one of the Federal Reserve branches, which really got me laughing. An excerpt from that analysis is reproduced at right. The purpose of the study was to calculate

Expect End-of-Quarter Tesla Deals

My July 20, 2023, “Real Estate Today” column carried the headline, “Unlike Most Professionals, Real Estate Agents Work for Free Most of the Time.” In it I made the following observation: “As it is, the average member of the National Association of Realtors earns less than $50,000 in gross commission income per year — before accounting for car, phone, MLS fees, Realtor dues, computer hardware & software, E&O insurance, and more.”

Business doesn’t come to most agents without working at it. They have to make themselves known, publish community newsletters in their “geographic farm,” hold open houses that may generate no sale or new clients, etc. Myself, instead of prospecting, I spend an equivalent amount of time writing this column, which I then pay to have published in 23 weekly newspapers plus the Denver Post

As my favorite quote at the bottom of each ad says, I “concentrate on giving and let the getting take care of itself.” Our free moving truck is also about giving. Every successful real estate agent finds ways to give to their communities.

Yes, on occasion I will get an easy payday — a buyer comes to me with a specific home to buy, I write the offer and close the transaction. Bingo! But that only makes up for the great amount of work done serving other buyers and other sellers plus those members of the public who ask for advice or a home valuation and never give me the opportunity to earn a pay check. I don’t resent that at all — it’s part of giving, knowing I will be compensated in other ways. It actually makes me happy. (Call me anytime!)

Too many people enter our profession under the same illusion that I have described above, namely that real estate is an easy path to great wealth. They watch TV shows about million-dollar listings,

The “conventional wisdom” is that real estate is a high-paying career. Keep in mind that NAR membership is optional, so agents willing to pay roughly $500 per year in Realtor dues can be considered the ones who take the business seriously. Yet many NAR members hold second jobs or are supported by their spouses because they can’t make ends meet solely from their real estate income.

The following excerpt from the 2022 survey of NAR members should explain why that’s true, given their low gross income (before deducting expenses):

Realtors with 16 years or more experience had a median gross income of $80,700 — down from $85,000 in 2021 — compared to Realtors with 2 years or less experience that had a median gross income of $9,600 — an increase from $8,800 in 2021.

The largest expense category for most Realtors was vehicle expenses, which [averaged] $1,710.

It’s fair to say that the 80/20 rule applies as much to real estate agents as it does to other professions, although I think it’s closer to 90/10. Namely, 10% of us earn 90% of the money. Golden Real Estate’s broker associates and I are in that 10% because we work hard and smart and give back to our community

Too often, new agents spend a year

spinning their wheels, making cold calls and spending $10,000 or more on tools of the trade only to end the year with one or no transaction, so most of them give up, having lost that investment and wasted a year of their professional life. It’s really sad to observe.

It takes time to get established in the real estate profession. My broker associates and I long ago passed that tipping point and renew our licenses when they expire, unlike most first-year agents.

Agents who work with buyers are upset about the part of the settlement which removes buyer agent compensation from MLS listings starting in July (assuming the court approves the settlement). But a Wall Street Journal article posted on March 20th describes how buyers are getting off the fence before rules requiring them to pay their own agent take effect. That makes sense to me; if that’s true, it also make sense that now is a good time for potential sellers to get off the fence and list their homes for sale.

How Will This Affect Buyers & Sellers?

Not having co-op commissions on the MLS will require agents to talk to each other before submitting offers to find out what compensation, if any, is being offered to the buyer’s agent. I discuss that and some other effects of the NAR settlement in the posting of this article at http://RealEstateToday.substack.com, where you can also ask me questions.

Boulder Home Backing to Pond Is Back on Market

On March 31st a few years ago I got $15,000 off the price of my Tesla because of a push to increase quarterly sales. With EV sales slumping, I expect that will be the case this week. Even without a last-minute sale, you can buy a Model Y (my favorite) right now for under $37,000, because the $7,500 federal incentive is taken off the price at time of purchase. Colorado will give you another $5,000 credit at tax time. Use my referral link, http://ts.la/james6985 to earn some awards on software and connectivity. $1,250,000

This fantastic 3-bedroom, 2-bath, 2,350sq.-ft. home at 820 Racquet Lane is at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in east Boulder’s Meadow Glen neighborhood, backing to a community pond and Boulder’s outstanding biking trail network. Foothills Parkway, Baseline Road and US highway 36 are nearby. Inside are hardwood floors throughout, a beautiful staircase with custom wrought iron railings, and lots of sunlight thanks to the open floor plan. There are two bedrooms with walk-in closets on the main level while the primary bedroom is located on the 2nd floor with a huge walk-in closet and ensuite bathroom. The kitchen features custom cherry cabinets, granite counters and a topnotch Viking refrigerator and Viking range. There are two living rooms (main floor and upper floor) and a dedicated home office. Outside is a large and private fenced patio. The 2-car garage also has a spacious attic for extra storage. Get more details and take a narrated video tour at www.GRElistings.com, then call listing agent Chuck Brown at 303-885-7855 to request a private showing.

Jim Smith

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

GREG KRAFT, 720-353-1922

AUSTIN POTTORFF, 970-281-9071

KATHY JONKE, 303-990-7428

“Concentrate on giving and the getting will take care of itself.” —Anonymous

PRINT JAM

Moyer said that Print Jam/528.0 Exhibition has come a long way since it started in 2014 as a separate event run alongside Mo’Print.   “528.0 used to run, every other year, opposite Mo’Print,” Moyer said. “ en, the Invisible Museum was the one that was actually like running that show.”

e Invisible Museum is the nonpro t organization that Mo’Print used to be under, according to Moyer. She said Mo’Print and Invisible Museum still work closely together, but Mo’Print now puts on the 528.0/ Print Jam show.

e reason is simple. Mo’Print is now self-su cient and has its own nonpro t status.

“We’re at a point where we were supporting ourselves, and so we

were really, really no longer under what Invisible Museum was doing,” Moyer said. “ ey gifted 528.0 to us when we broke o because it made sense for 528.0 to stick with Mo’Print and printmaking.”

Print Jam is now a key fundraiser and public event for Mo’Print.

“It’s our show that we do,” Moyer said. “It’s supposed to function as a fundraiser.”

e funds come from fees and the sale of black and white prints from featured 528.0 artists.

Aaron Cohrs, cofounder of Indy Ink in Denver, the event was a celebration and also a way to stay connected to the print community.

“Having people here with an interest in printmaking is really cool and all the di erent types of printmaking that are represented here,” Cohrs said.

He also marveled at the range in the types of printing styles represented.

“Some of the presses they have here, not a lot of people actually know how to do that kind of printing,” Cohrs said. “ e old equipment’s hard to nd. You got to source it or make it yourself and x it and that’s pretty cool, too.”

Cohrs demonstrated commercial silk screening at his booth. He gave away free tote bags and tees with a free preset design that Cohrs applied right there in the main gallery. Other print businesses include Burning Dog Graphics, with a demo by Dale Tanis. Tanis printed and gave away cards that he printed there in the main gallery.

Print Jam and 528.0 Regional Juried Printmaking Exhibition is an event that happens every other year in the month of March. It’s only one of several events o ered under Mo’Print March in Colorado. For more information, go to MoPrint.org.

Aaron Cohrs, co-founder of Indy Inks in Denver, demonstrated screenprinting on t-shirts and totes bags during Print Jam at the Arvada Center.

PHOTO BY JO DAVIS

Arvada City Council settles on Arvada Aquatics Center as name for new pool

Name approved with 5-1 vote, with former swimmer Marriott as lone dissenting vote

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Arvada’s new state-of-the-art pool facility has a name: the Arvada Aquatic Center.

e natatorium, which is expected to be completed by fall 2024, will replace the now-outdated Meyers Pool. e city recentlyopened a poll

to residents asking for feedback on 14 suggestions for names, which garnered over 2,700 responses, according to city council documents.

Neither of the top polling choices — Ken Kelley Aquatics Center, which garnered the most votes with 1,864, nor Meyers Aquatics Center, which received 1,506 votes — were among the four nalists city council was asked to pick between.

Arvada Aquatics Center was the third most popular name according to the poll, nishing with 693 votes, and approved by the council in a 5-1 vote on March 18.

e nalists for the name were Arvada Aquatics Center, Je erson Aquatics at Meyers, Meyers Aquatics Center

and Arvada Je erson Aquatics Center.

Councilmember John Marriott — a former swimmer and lifelong Arvadan — advocated for calling the pool the Kelley Meyers Aquatic Center, which he said would honor the city’s aquatics history and lend itself to a catchy acronym; K-MAC. Marriott was the lone “No” vote.

“As a kid growing up in Arvada in the 1960s and 70s, I swam in the swim program… for those who weren’t here, it’s hard to imagine what it was like,” Marriott said. “We had multiple national champions… that program was really led by Ken Kelley.”

“I understand the di culties with naming things for people, but I also think that the contribution that Ken

Kelley made to Arvada swimming that it really transcends that,” Marriott continued. “I also believe George Meyers played a part in that and it wasn’t an accident his name was put on the pool.”

George Meyers was a former assistant principal at Arvada High School who was heavily involved in the local swimming community. His son recently attended a city council meeting to ask that the family name stay on the city’s pool.

Mayor Pro Tem Randy Moorman made the motion for the pool to be called the Arvada Aquatics Center, which passed 5-1.

SEE NEW POOL, P7

Arvada gets green for St. Patrick’s Day

Olde Town shows festive side for annual celebration featuring live music, vendors — and of course, beer

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e streets of Olde Town Arvada were awash with green over the weekend, as the historic district celebrated its annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival.

roughout the day on March 16,

trucks and leprechaun-inspired libations. e festival also included a

kid’s zone for the youngsters.

e Olde Town Arvada Business Improvement District set up three pop-up bars in the historic district for the event, with one run by the Arvada Je erson Kiwanis Club.

Folks paraded down the closed streets behind bagpipers in a ramshackle procession. Many attendees showed their spirit with wacky costumes and out ts.

Musical acts Big Paddy, Skean Dubh, Juice O’ e Barley and the McDevients played sets throughout the day, as did a band from School of Rock Broom eld. Centennial State Pipes and Drums provided the bagpipes for the occasion.

The Denver Beer Co. booth was busy during St. Patrick’s Day. PHOTO BY VICTOR PAUL

Arvada crime briefs: Alleged drunk driver crashes truck, Army Navy Surplus store robbed

Suspect in robbery arrested without incident

BY BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

What started as a tra c stop for an expired temporary registration tag went awry when the driver sped his truck away from o cers and it ipped onto its side, injuring two passengers.

Just after 1 p.m. on March 17, Arvada police o cers noticed a gray Dodge Ram truck driving northbound on Wadsworth Boulevard near 68th Avenue and tried to initiate a tra c stop. e driver of the truck failed to yield to them and continued onward, weaving in and out of trafc.

NEW POOL

City Manager Lorie Gillis said there would likely be opportunities to name rooms or di erent parts of the facil-

At that point, the o cers lost sight of the truck.

A few minutes later, an o cer arrived at the corner of Wadsworth and 72nd Avenue, to nd the truck had crashed and was resting on its side. A heavily damaged Kia was also stopped at the intersection.

Paramedics arrived at the scene shortly after and transported two passengers in the truck to a local hospital for treatment.

e driver of the pickup was charged with vehicular eluding causing injury, DUI, reckless driving, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and expired registration.

Robbery at Army Navy Surplus

On March 16 at 4:40 p.m., Arvada Police Department o cers received a report that a robbery had taken place at the

ity for important gures in the city’s swimming history.

“We have direction from council to consider what it might look like as a sponsorship whether it’s to a room or a memorial type naming, so the team is proceeding with that process,” Gillis said. “ at will likely take us through

Army Navy Surplus store in Olde Town. e reporting party stated that the suspect assaulted an employee in the process of committing the robbery.

After receiving suspect information, the o cer began looking for the suspect, locating him a little while later in a nearby area.

e suspect, arrested without incident, was identi ed as Loren ompson, 21. ompson was jailed and faces robbery and drug paraphernalia charges.

Crime stats

For the week of March 11 to 17, police reported 1,729 calls for service. In that timespan, there were three reports of shots red, 51 welfare check reports, 27 ordinance violations and 155 tra c stops. Of those tra c stops, 118 drivers were cited.

the opening, but we have your direction to do that.”

Features of the pool include the 50-meter Myrtha pool with competitive diving platforms, spectator seating, ADA accessible changing rooms, expanding parking and advanced ltration to conserve water.

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Arvada-based Hope House gets $1 million donation from philanthropist

Nonprofit for teen moms

one of 361 charities chosen by MacKenzie Scott, who donated $640 million

BY BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

One of the world’s leading philanthropists, MacKenzie Scott, has chosen Hope House Colorado as one of 361 nonpro ts she will be supporting this year through her Yield Giving foundation.

Hope House — an Arvada-based nonpro t that helps teen moms achieve self-su ciency — will receive $1 million from the philan-

thropist, who is widely known as the ex-wife of Amazon founder Je Bezos. After their divorce, Scott pledged to donate half of her considerable fortune to charity.

e application process called for Hope House to submit a video about the organization, which prompted program graduate Katie Joy to share her story about how Hope House’s programs helped her complete her education, purchase a vehicle, land a salaried job, secure safe housing and enroll her child in full-time child care.

“Every teen mom needs a Hope House,” Joy said.

e nonpro t said the donation will allow them to expand the organization’s a liate network nationwide. In 2020, Hope House Colorado opened Hope House Northern

Colorado in Greeley, followed by Hope House Cañon City in 2022.

ere is also a Hope House in Orange County, Calif.

Hope House’s website states a desire to “see Hope Houses all over the country and around the world.”

“We are absolutely stunned and honored to have received this catalytic grant award from MacKenzie Scott,” Hope House Colorado Founder and Executive Director Lisa Steven said. “ is will have an incredible impact on our ability to grow our a liate network across the country, ultimately allowing us to empower more teen moms to self-su ciency quickly.”

Hope House Communications Manager Dana Streufert said the nonpro t hopes to have 10 afliates within the next three years

and 30 a liates within the next 10 years.

“We may be able to and hope to scale even more quickly with this gift,” Streufert said. “Each of our afliates is its own 501(c)(3) with their own board and they do their own fundraising. We currently have one dedicated position to this expansion e ort, our director of partnerships, and we hope to build out the sta ng and structure to scale more quickly.”

Hope House was chosen out of over 6,000 applicants for the award. e award was initially planned to be given out to just 250 organizations, but the donor team decided to expand the award and number of recipients after receiving the rst round of applications, according to Hope House.

“My

Just when you thought trust in government couldn’t get any lower

Irony is the juxtaposition of one conceptual proposition with a directly contrary reality, like a “vegetarian butcher” or something that’s “seriously funny.” Or the swift enactment — during Sunshine Week — of a new state law that lets members of the Colorado General Assembly discuss and formulate public policy outside of public view.

You heard that right. Legislators and Gov. Jared Polis chose the very week in which journalists and transparency advocates annually celebrate federal and state open-government laws to essentially exempt the state legislature from much of the Colorado Open Meetings Law, rst initiated by the voters in 1972.

e open meetings law declares it is “the policy of this state that the formation of public policy is public business and may not be conducted in secret.”

Our state’s appellate court judges have recognized the underlying intent of the statute is to ensure that the public is not “deprived of the discussions, the motivations, the policy arguments and other considerations which led to the discretion exercised by [a public body].”

e law is meant to provide “the public access to a broad range of

GUEST COLUMN

Steve Zansberg

Did you know that the most popular month to propose, not only in the U.S. but worldwide, is December according to theknot.com (2019) followed by February and August? What is the most popular month to get married? October, followed by September in second place, according to theknot.com (2023).

Now that December is over, these newly engaged couples are beginning to think of everything that needs to be done in order to plan a wedding: the location, the guest list, the reception, the invitations, the wedding dress and the honey-

Je Roberts

meetings at which public business is considered; to give citizens an expanded opportunity to become fully informed on issues of public importance, and to allow citizens to participate in the legislative decision-making process that a ects their personal interests.”

We acknowledge that some provisions in the 52-year-old law required updates as they pertained to the business of the state legislature. It’s not easy to comply with a mandate that meetings concerning public business between two members of a legislative chamber must be open to the public, with minutes “taken and promptly recorded.” But Senate Bill 24-157 was rushed, and some organizations including the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition were excluded from the sponsors’ stakeholder process. Our suggested amendments after the bill’s introduction were ignored.

e bill, signed into law by the governor just a day after nal passage, goes too far and will undermine public con dence in the legislature’s actions.

e new law encourages and

legalizes legislators engaging in an endless series of sub-quorum discussions of pending bills and amendments, via emails, text messages, phone calls or in-person meetings, without providing notice to the public or the keeping of any minutes of such policy-making conversations. In other words, the public will be left in the dark about “the motivations, policy arguments and other considerations” around legislation that a ects them directly.

Don’t worry, elected o cials tell us, because the emails, text messages, etc. exchanged between lawmakers are accessible, after the fact, “pursuant to the Colorado Open Records Act.” at’s what the newly passed law says. But here’s the catch: CORA declares that all communications by, or “assembled for” any state legislator that “relates to” the drafting of bills or amendments are not public records at all. So, there’s no need for legislators to hold onto, much less to make public, those electronic written communications, because they are not public records.

It is safe to assume that more than 90% of all future discussions of potential bills, amendments, appointments, resolutions, rules, etc.

in both chambers of our state legislature will occur outside of public view. Not only will such policies be far more likely to be the product of backroom wheeling and dealing, but even ordinary non-tainted policies will rightfully be subject to suspicion and skepticism by the general public.

Forty-one years ago, Colorado’s Supreme Court held that legislative caucus meetings must abide by the open meetings law, stating that the act was “designed precisely to prevent the abuse of secret or star chamber sessions of public bodies.” By exempting the General Assembly from a transparency law applicable to every other public body in the state, legislators have greatly reduced the level of public trust in that institution and cast a veil of secrecy over whatever legislation is  produced.

Ironic for sure that this happened during Sunshine Week. And a sad day, of any week, for the people of this state.

Steve Zansberg is president of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition. Je Roberts is executive director of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition.

Reasons to have a premarital agreement

moon. But don’t forget the prenuptial agreement. It may not be the most sexy or glamorous topic to discuss, but it could be the most important conversation throughout the entire wedding planning process.

In Colorado, premarital agreements as well as marital agreements are controlled by the Uniform Premarital and Marital Agreements

Act e ective July 1, 2014, which sets forth the formation requirements, when the agreement is e ective, what are unenforceable terms, the right of each party to be represented by an attorney and who pays for the attorney, and the determination of adequate nancial disclosure. A premarital agreement is not necessary in all situations; however, if any of the following scenarios apply, you probably need a premarital agreement:

• Either party has children from a previous relationship

• A party owns a business or is involved in a family-run business

• Either party has signi cant assets that they want to protect

• One party is concerned about the other party’s debt

• A party is giving up a lucrative career to get married

I don’t view premarital agreements as negative or that having one leads to divorce, rather I view a premarital agreement as a positive in which the parties discuss today while they are in love, not angry or driven by emotion to jointly make the rules that will control tomorrow if the marriage does come to an end.

GUEST COLUMN

Spring into a healthy headspace

Each spring, I get the itch to give my home a serious deep cleaning, declutter the unnecessary items accumulated throughout the school year, and organize everything. Turns out, decluttering your brain is just as important as organizing your home.

Here are some of our favorite tips for a healthier headspace this spring.

1. Start journaling

Keep a journal of your thoughts, worries, fears and upsets. Research shows this is highly e ective in allowing them to release from your mind.

2. Drop a bad habit

Pick an area in your life that has an impact on your mental health. For many of us, this might be diet or exercise. Make an e ort to drop the habit and replace it with a healthier option. Instead of lazy Sundays (which are totally great in our book), maybe switch to lazy Sunday afternoons after a Sunday run. Or instead of hopping on your phone to scroll rst thing in the morning, open your journal or meditate.

3. Tackle projects you’ve been putting o

We all have a mental (and physical) list of projects we need to tackle. Kick o your “mental health spring

DUNCAN

e conversation may be uncomfortable or may be a delicate situation indicating lack of trust. However, the conversation should be addressed earlier rather than later. Each party needs ample time to discuss the subject at length, review the other party’s nancial disclosures, and obtain legal counsel in order to reach an understanding together. It is never a good idea to take a lastminute approach in the preparation of a premarital agreement because that could give the appearance of one party trying to coerce the other to sign the agreement without adequate time thereby making the agreement null and void.

VALLEJOS

LIFE BALANCED

Having a premarital agreement can be a powerful tool not only in

Lena Rebecca Vallejos

May 25, 1939 - February 29, 2024

cleaning” by writing down all of the things that you’ve been putting o – like scheduling the gutter cleaning and window washer you have had on your list for two seasons, or nally going to the dermatologist. A shameless plug: send that list to TULA and let us take care of those projects for you. We promise it feels just as satisfying to cross them o your list when someone else does them for you.

4. Focus on positive relationships

We all have people in our lives that we love, but with whom we don’t have the healthiest or most enjoyable relationships. Instead of spending time prioritizing those people, consider dedicating your time to positive friendships and relationships.

5. Digital detox

I have heard this a few times and in a few di erent ways, but the way it really stuck for me was when I heard someone say, “hey, think of it this way

SEE BALANCED, P19

the divorce process if it comes to that but it can be a powerful tool in the estate planning strategy of each spouse. Having a formal agreement will allow each party to maintain control over their assets and can serve as protection against state law that may otherwise dictate the estate distribution upon your passing. A premarital agreement can provide both parties peace of mind. Contact Duncan Legal to schedule a consultation to discuss planning for your marital future.

Carolyn Moller Duncan’s Duncan Legal, PC is located in Centennial with a practice emphasis on estate plaanning, probate and trust administration. Carolyn has over 22 years of experience practicing law in Colorado. Carolyn is a member of the Colorado Bar, Trust & Estate Section, Family Law Section and Denver County Bar Association. FROM

Lena Rebecca Vallejos was born May 25th,1939 in Greeley, Colorado to parents Joe A. and Helen Vallejos. She lived in Colorado for most of her life, attending school and eventually gaining employment with Chevron doing executive work.

strength of her faith.

Lena is survived by numerous loving nieces and nephews, and is preceded in death by her father, Joe Adolf Vallejos, mother, Helen Vallejos, brother, Phillip Vallejos, and her sisters, Mary Lou Vallejos, Sadie Halpain, and Eva Robinson.

Lena was a skilled artist and she enjoyed sewing, crafting, and any activity that involved creating something new, but her absolute favorite thing was spending time with her family and friends. “Footprints” was Lena’s favorite poem, and it is a testament to the life she lived and the

Any mailed condolences/contributions may be addressed to the family of Lena Rebecca Vallejos in the care of Rowanoak Mortuary & Crematory at 231 S. Sherman Street, Fort Morgan, CO, 80701, or left online on the obituary page of rowanoakmortuary.com.

Megan Trask and Cody Galloway

SPRING CLEANING YOUR HOME, HEALTH AND HEART

Local

experts explain physical, mental and emotional benefits of cleaning as springtime arrives

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

to eliminate any remnants of leavened bread, or chametz, to prepare for Passover. Ancient Catholic tradition dedicates the three days after Palm Sunday to a comprehensive home cleaning in preparation for Easter.

Deep cleaning the house is a tradition leading up to the Lunar New Year, sometimes known as the Spring Festival in China, to sweep out disease and bad luck before the new year.

And, in the weeks leading up to the Persian or Iranian New Year, Nowruz — which falls on the spring equinox — families practice a deep-cleaning tradition called kh ne-tak n . Translated to English, the practice is called “shaking the house” and involves more than just physical bene ts.

“Just as one cleans one’s place of residence from dirt and debris, one should also clean the inner self from all impurities to prepare for a better life in the New Year,” journalist Leila Imeni wrote in Iran Daily.

In the eyes of health and cleaning experts, spring can be a great time to cleanse and declutter your spaces — both physical and mental — and set yourself up for a great season ahead.

Clean space, happy mind

Local cleaning service provider Lindsay Buck said her team sees an increase in demand in the springtime. She owns Bucket & Shine, which provides one-time and recurring cleaning services to homes in the northwest Denver metro area.

“We de nitely see an uptick in the one-time deep cleanings” in the spring, she said.

Buck said she thinks people want their houses clean after they’ve been “cooped up” inside them all winter. She said having a clean home can also improve mental health, which people might desire as the new season begins.

“A clean space equals a happy mind,” she said. “When you walk into a room that’s all cluttered … it makes you feel a little bit overwhelmed, closedin, anxious.”

A writer from the 19th century, Susan Fenimore Cooper, agreed about this freshening bene t of “the great spring house cleaning.”

In her 1850 novel “Rural Hours,” she described the spring cleaning process, which some researchers say was common in those days to rid homes of dust and grime from a long winter. Wood and coal-burning stoves were common, which left layers of lth to be cleaned come spring.

“Topsy-turvy is the order of the day,” Cooper wrote, describing curtains and carpets hanging out of doors, beds in the hallway, chairs upside down and the ceiling “in possession of the whitewash brush.”

But despite calling house cleaning one of “the necessary evils of life,” Cooper highlighted its mental reward.

With ties to several cultural and religious traditions, spring cleaning provides an opportunity for people to cleanse and declutter.

In Jewish custom, families clean their homes

As the sun comes out and plants begin to bloom, springtime brings symbols of rebirth and a fresh start. For many, this means opening the windows and getting to work dusting, scrubbing, wiping and vacuuming their homes.

“It must be confessed, however, that after the great turmoil is over — when the week, or fortnight, or three weeks of scrubbing, scouring, drenching are passed, there is a moment of delightful repose in a family,” she wrote. “ ere is a refreshing consciousness that all is sweet and clean from garret to cellar; there is a purity in the neighborhood.”

Several cleaning products sold at Refillary.

COURTESY OF REFILLARY

SPRING CLEANING

Cooper’s experience is backed by experts, like Dr. Jaya Kumar, the chief medical o cer at Swedish Medical Center, who says cleaning can have a positive impact on one’s mental health.

Kumar said some studies have shown that having a clean space can help reduce anxiety and stress, improve concentration and make people sleep better.

“For some people, the act of cleaning helps them destress,” she added. “It’s like a focused work — when doing something, it helps them destress and let go of other thoughts.”

Health and cleanliness

Kumar said cleaning also provides physical health bene ts, especially in the spring.

“Our take on cleaning is that it shouldn’t be bad for you, or for your house or for the planet,” she said. “All of our household cleansers and our laundry detergents, dish soaps and everything else you need to keep a tidy home fall into that.

ey don’t have nasty ingredients, they’re not going to cause you cancer, they’re not going to kill the sh.”

Grolbert sells many cleaners, including singleingredient cleaners like vinegar, baking soda and citric acid, in customizable quantities so people can re ll containers to reduce the use of plastic. She also sells reusable cleaning tools to replace single-use sponges and paper towels.

Cleaning the mind and heart

Beyond physical cleaning, some say springtime o ers an opportunity for re ection and self-care.

“You’ve accumulated dust, mold, mildew and dander all over your house because you haven’t ventilated much — everything is closed during winter,” she said. “All of that kind of piles up and causes allergies, asthma and respiratory problems, and that process of cleaning would help

Having a lot of clutter in the house can also create opportunities for accidents, Kumar said, so picking up and organizing one’s home can keep

“We, at the hospital, really see a lot of elderly falls,” she said. “I can’t tell you enough how important it is to have your house decluttered when you have elderly (individuals) around.”

Kumar said the trauma center at Swedish Medical Center receives many older patients su ering hip fractures from trip-induced falls. Reducing clutter also reduces opportunities for kids to ingest or choke on objects, she said.

Beyond eliminating dust and clutter, Kumar said cleaning is important to maintain a germfree environment.

JaLisa Williams, a social worker, clinician and Metro State University of Denver professor, said a lot of people notice that their homes get messier when there is a lot on their minds. is shows how our internal experience can be replicated in our external environments, she said.

e spring re ects the start of the new year in many cultures, Williams said, including communities that follow the astrological calendar. As the new year begins, it’s a good time to re ect on and cleanse mental and emotional spaces, she said.

“We’re going into this new year, but you still have a lot of old mental and emotional baggage,” she said. “So, how do you actually create a full balance, so you can come in actually clean and ready to enter the new year and to be lled with other things?”

Williams recommends rest as one way to “clean” the internal space.

“If our brains are always going, our bodies are always trying to go, we are unable to actually tap into what is happening in our internal space,” she said.

Mindfulness practices like yoga, meditation tai chi and walking are also great ways to empty the mind and cultivate inner peace to approach change and hardship, she said.

“Just having those high-touch surface areas clean by wiping away (germs) will be helpful,” she said, especially with the u, RSV and COVID going around.

e cleaning process also requires movement, which can be good exercise and boost endorphins, Kumar said.

“If you are doing rigorous cleaning, like mopping, vacuuming — even if you do it for 30 minutes, you’ve burnt around 100 calories,” she said.

When cleaning, Kumar said it is important to be careful about what products a person uses. Some cleaning agents can cause nose and throat irritation or respiratory problems, she said.

People can check the safety of products on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Safer Choice” website, she said. Also, it’s important to ventilate while cleaning.

Some shops, like Re llary in Parker, center their business around providing clean products that are non-carcinogenic and not bad for the planet. Adrienne Grolbert started the low-waste, re ll company in 2022, where she sells household and cosmetic cleaners.

“I think self-care has been a hot topic concept for the last few years, and I think (we’ve) wrapped it up into facials and vacation,” she said. “But in reality, that self-care is very deep work. When we are thinking about how can we integrate mindfulness, it’s because we’re trying to create this sense of peace or empowerment, so then we can actually navigate the things that are pressuring us.”

Cultivating a community you care about — and leaning on it — is another way to clean your inner self, Williams said.

“Are these people bringing out the best in me?

Am I bringing out the best in them?” she said.

In some cases, cultivating a “clean” community for a person could mean having hard conversations, letting relationships go or showing appreciation, Williams added.

For those who choose to clean their homes this spring, Williams said to take it space by space, room by room, be gentle with yourself and lean on community members for support if needed.

A bathtub in a home, before (left) and after (right) being cleaned by sta from Bucket & Shine.

COURTESY OF BUCKET & SHINE

Refillary o ers household cleaners and other products for customers to refill their own containers.

COURTESY OF REFILLARY

A sparkling kitchen after Bucket & Shine employees finished cleaning it. COURTESY OF BUCKET & SHINE

Je co coroner closes 24-year-old case, cats need homes, CASA needs volunteers and more

BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Je erson County coroner solves old case with national help

e Je erson County Coroner’s

O ce announced the closure of a John Doe case that goes back to the year 2000. e case was solved with the help of Othram, a Texas rm that helps with testing and identi cation work.

e remains of the man were

found by workers building the Galbraith hiking trail north of Golden in July 2000. Analysis by the coroner’s o ce determined that the man may have died at the location in 1999, possibly in the fall or early winter. e coroner’s o ce studied the remains to get an approximate height, weight and other identifying elements.

e coroner’s o cer tried a few di erent methods to help identify John Doe. is includes submitting the case to the National Missing

and Unidenti ed Persons System in 2014. An artist’s rendering was created in 2016. ey submitted the evidence to Othram in 2023. e lab was successful in building a genealogical pro le for the man. is created new leads for the Je co Sheri ’s O ce to eventually nd his family.

e coroner’s o ce is withholding the deceased’s identity by request from the family. To read the details of the case and how it was solved, go to DNASolves.com.

was a di cult decision to make, but unfortunately, due to various reasons, we have decided to close the store,” Kay said.

Just Cats has been in operation for 10 years, eight years at the Denver store location. A farewell party is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Denver store, 7150 Leetsdale Drive, Denver, CO

“We currently have several kitties looking for homes between now and March 29 on our website. Please help us in nding their forever homes.”

Just Cats needs to find homes for soonto-be displaced felines

e Denver cat supply store Just Cats announced it is closing its doors on Friday, March 29. Owner Nicole Kay is hoping that pet-friendly people can help. She needs to nd homes for the cats in the Just CatsCat Cottage Center.

“After six amazing years at Just Cats, we are deeply saddened to announce the closure of our store. It

e Just Cats online store is still open for business. For more information, go to JustCatsStore.com or call 720-235-2724.

CASA of Je erson and Gilpin Counties needs volunteers

e court-appointed special advocates (CASA) of Je erson and Gilpin Counties need volunteers.

Fri 4/05

The HuCKLE BEARErS @ 7pm Monkey Barrel, 4401 Tejon St, Denver

Featured

High Fade @ 7:30pm

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

Sat 4/06

Featured Featured Featured

LYNY

@ 8:30pm

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

Marty O'Reilly @ 8pm Swallow Hill, 71 E Yale Ave, Den‐ver

COPYCATT

@ 8:30pm

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

MICAH @ 9pm Ophelia's Electric Soapbox, 1215 20th St, Denver

Sun 4/07

Covenhoven: Candlelight Concert @ 7pm Broadway Roxy, 554 S Broadway, Denver

Sleepy Hallow @ 8pm

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

Mon 4/08

Featured

Billy Tibbals @ 6:30pm

Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clark‐son St, Denver

Featured

SAMPHA

@ 7pm

Summit Music Hall, 1902 Blake St, Denver

Tue 4/09

Deeper Dive: Titanic Tour @ 5pm / $20

Apr 9th - Apr 16th

Molly Brown House Museum, 1340 Penn‐sylvania, Denver. asalutz@historicden ver.org

Sitting On Stacy @ 7:30pm Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St, Denver

Gabrielle Sterbenz @ 7pm

Lost Lake Lounge, 3602 E Colfax Ave, Denver

Wed 4/10

The Power of Communal Drumming. “Building Community, Healing Together” @ 12pm

Sculpture Park, 1345 Champa St., Denver

Featured Featured

Black Market Translation: Punketry! @ 7pm

Mutiny Information Cafe, 2 S Broadway, Denver

Spring arrives with fun for all interests

Spring is an interesting season here in Colorado — you’re never entirely sure what you’re going to get. It could be the biggest blizzard of the year, days and days of rain, or nothing but blue skies smiling at me, as the song goes. With that in mind, my recommendations for welcoming spring tend to lean towards the indoors, just to be safe, but it comes with a caveat — any time you have the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful spring day in Colorado, I suggest you take it.

Mike Birbiglia Stops the Ride in Denver ere are a lot of comedians out there capable of making an audience laugh, but it takes someone special to have an audience leave the show deep in thought. ose are the kind of performances Mike Birbiglia specializes in. His shows,

COMING ATTRACTIONS

like “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend” and 2022’s “ e Old Man and the Pool,” are among my favorite comedic achievements, because he connects with our common humanity in a way that is extremely rare.

Birbiglia is coming to the Paramount eatre, 1621 Glenarm Place in Denver, for three performances of his latest show, “Please Stop the Ride.” He’ll take to the stage at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 29, and 6:30 and 9 p.m. on Saturday, March 30. It’s always exciting to see a comic doing new material, so you don’t want to miss this one.

La Ciudad ¡Hola!

Visit www.paramountdenver. com/event-calendar for all the pertinents and tickets.

A pair of ‘Wonderers’ visit DMNS April is Earth Month, so what better way to celebrate that than by learning more about the planet and what makes it such a wonderfully beautiful place? You’ll learn all about the planet at “Connecting Worlds: A Conversation with Beatie Wolfe & Aaron Rose,” held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on ursday, April 4, at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd. in Denver.

Wolfe and Rose are professional “wonderers,” and each has made a mark in the artistic and environmental world. According to the provided information, Wolfe (who has been named by WIRED Magazine as one of “22 people changing the world”) has beamed her music into space and is a UN role model for innovation. Rose is an American lm director, artist, exhibition curator and writer who delights in exploring the breadth of the human experience. Together, they’ve created physical media, lm and immersive installations.

Head over to https://secure1. dmns.org/adult-programs for tickets.

Learn about the writing process with Jacqueline Woodson

as lauded and beloved as Columbus, Ohio’s, Jacqueline Woodson. An author for all ages, who specializes in books for children and young people, she’s won numerous awards, including the National Book Award, the Newbery Honor and MacArthur Fellowship. Some of her most well-known titles include “Brown Girl Dreaming,” “After Tupac and D Foster” and “Red at the Bone.” In her works, she explores everything from race and gender to class and American history.

Je erson County Public Library is hosting an evening with Woodson from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 5 at Je erson Jr./Sr. High School, 2305 Pierce St. in Edgewater. In addition to an author talk, it will also feature a Q&A session and a book signing.

Details and registration are available at https://je colibrary.org/ jacqueline-woodson/.

Escape the Titanic with Molly Brown

Every April the Molly Brown House Museum, 1340 Pennsylvania St. in Denver, goes all out to mark the tragic sinking of the Titanic and Brown’s survival of the ordeal. is year’s events include a discussion of the ship in pop culture and a Titanic Tea, but the most fun will be the Titanic Escape room event, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. on ursday, April 4 and ursday, April 18.

Few contemporary authors are

SEE READER, P21

Clarke Reader

BALANCED

FROM PAGE 13

– what do you do or what does 99% of tech troubleshooters tell you to do when a computer or electronic device isn’t working correctly?” e answer is power cycle of course (which is just a fancy way of saying turn it o and turn it back on). Once in a while, we need to do the same. Get o your phone, your computer, social media, etc. and truly recharge. It can be a few hours, a day, a weekend, or even longer if you can do it. It is magical and you may even forget why you were so attached to your devices in the rst place.

ABOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Colorado Community Media welcomes letters to the editor. Please note the following rules:

• Email your letter to kfiore@coloradocommunitymedia.com. Do not send via

6. Get outside

Open the shades rst thing in the morning. Take your work meetings on a walk. I don’t know about you, but I feel very strongly that all meetings don’t have to be video anymore just because we got accustomed to that after the last few years of backto-back virtual meetings. Walk and talk and spend your lunch break outside. Enjoy those extra hours of sunlight in the evening to do something outside – or simply eat your dinner outside. We started going on TULA walk meetings, and I believe we cover more than we do when in front of our computers. Regardless, one thing is for sure, a little dose of Vitamin D and fresh air, no matter

postal mail. Put the words “letter to the editor” in the email subject line.

• Submit your letter by 5 p.m. on Wednesday in order to have it considered for publication in the following week’s newspaper.

when you can t it in, will do wonders.

7. Shift perspective

Accept that you’re not perfect, and neither is the world around you. Look closer at the moments of progress and joy instead of the ones that bring you anger and frustration.

8. Get back to gratitude

One great way to ignite a bit of a release and promote a healthy mind is to take some time to focus on everything you have to be grateful for. You can do this in a number of ways. I personally use a gratitude journal because I like being prompted to think about things that don’t always

• Letters must be no longer than 400 words.

• Letters should be exclusively submitted to Colorado Community Media and should not be submitted to other outlets or previ-

immediately come to mind. But you can simply dedicate time to make a daily list or incorporate it into your family rituals. is is a common dinner question for us (though admittedly, we de nitely could be more consistent). However you practice gratitude, there is no doubt that if you spend more time thinking about all you have to be thankful for, there is less space to stress over things you don’t have or don’t have control over.

Megan Trask and Cody Galloway are Denver residents and co-founders of TULA Life Balanced. Learn more about their business at tulabalanced.com.

ously posted on websites or social media. Submitted letters become the property of CCM and should not be republished elsewhere.

Spirit coach and volunteer Virginia Lorbeer dies

Coaches, o cials remember beloved local legend

BY STEVE SMITH

SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

A well-known gure in the Colorado high school coaching and volunteer ranks has passed away after an illness. Virginia Lorbeer, who helped spirit become a sanctioned sport in the 1990s, was 82.

Lorbeer coached the rst 5A state championship squad at Montbello High School when the meet was for cheerleading only. e Colorado High School Activities Association said through her e orts, spirit became sanctioned in 1991, the same year that Standley Lake High School won the state poms title. She was the coach for the Gators at the time.

Peers took to social media with words of praise and thanks as news of Lorbeer’s passing on March 15 spread.

One said, “She was a coach who epitomized what it means to be a coach. Not just of her own team, but of everyone she met. She was so thoughtful, encouraging, and steadfast. She met everyone with kindness and that beaming smile.”

She was born May 31, 1941, in Denver, to Earl C. and Alice L. (Schlemeyer) Lorbeer. She earned a bachelor of science degree in education and English from Fort Hays State in Kansas in 1963 and a master of arts in secondary school administration from the University of Colorado in 1973. Lorbeer did post-grad work at the University of Northern Colorado from 1977 to 1979.

Teaching, coaching in her DNA

Lorbeer was a teacher of business education and a sponsor of the school pep club and cheerleaders at Manual High School from 1964 to 1981. She moved over to Montbello High School, where she taught business education and was

the director of student activities for the school. She also spent time as a passenger relations agent for Trans World Airways at the old Stapleton Airport.

cord, Lorbeer’s name adorns a coaching scholarship handed out at the state spirit tournament each year. e scholarship honors a spirit coach “whose dedication to their program and support of school and community sets them apart from others in the sport,” the Record reported in 2022. She was on the board of the Colorado High School Coaches Association, which inducted her into its hall of fame shortly before Lorbeer died. She received the organization’s Don DesCombes Award for distinguished service in 2022. e Colorado High School Activities Association inducted her into its hall of fame in 2000.

Volunteering was part of Lorbeer’s history with CHSAA as well. She volunteered at the state basketball tournament from 1973 until last year. She was in charge of the volunteers who ran the statistics pro-

“She rotated games among the (stat) teams,” said veteran basketball and football o cial Mike Contreraz. “If you worked the semi nals one year, you worked the title game the next year. I enjoyed working for and working with her.”

Rick Hergenreder, a retired veteran basketball o cial in Colorado, worked with Lorbeer at the state high-school basketball tournament – “close to 30 years,” he said.

“She was always very organized and ready to go and one of the last to leave,” Hergenreder said. “I also worked with her at the state track meet. She worked the gate checking

in athletics and always had a smile for all those who came through.”

For her volunteer e orts, CHSAA presented Lorbeer with its Distinguished Service Award in 1995.

“She was very concerned that the individual did the job right,” Contreraz said. He and Lorbeer worked the state tournament for close to 30 years. “She didn’t come down hard. She pointed out the concern and encouraged you not to make the same mistake.”

Not just a figure, but a friend

Outside the world of poms, volunteer work and cheerleading, she was a friend.

“From the rst day I met you, I felt like I had been in your life as long as I can remember,” said Skyview High School girls basketball coach Chris Kemm. “Your support, your genuine being, and genuine love and support. I will miss all the cards and notes you leave behind every event, and your constant support that only a coach knows how to give.”

“She was a very kind, very caring person,” Contreraz said. “She was an easy person to talk to, and it was easy to get to like her. She had a soft voice. You had to strain your ears to hear her.”

Funeral services are pending through Keithley Funeral Homes and Crematory-Brock’s Chapel in Hays.

“You fought so valiantly to be there for everyone, and there is no telling how far your reach went,” Kemm said. “Heaven needed a new coach to coach the coaches. And boy, heaven got the best one.”

“She volunteered at CHSAA for many state championships,” Hergenreder said. “She seemed to have endless energy with everything she did. I will miss seeing her this year at track.”

“She was more concerned that you did everything right for your bene t,” Contreraz said. “If you did it right and worked hard, it was for you. It was the only way you were going to be successful. She had a big heart, and she cared about you. at’s what she wanted.”

Lorbeer COURTESY PHOTO

Apprentice of Peace opens new youth center in Denver

BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e Apprentice of Peace Youth Organization Center recently opened the doors of a brand-new youth center and headquarters at 2245 Curtis St., Suite 200, in Denver. e youth leadership and wellness organization has been serving the Denver Metro area for the last 10 years.

About 100 people attended the recent grand opening of the center in Denver. e celebration included wellness demonstrations, Tai Chi, Zumba, nunchuck demonstrations, live music from Los Mocochetes and several food trucks to feed the crowd.

“We are excited to open the doors of our new youth center, which represents the culmination of 10 years of dedication and support from our community,” said D.L. Pos Ryant, the executive director of AOPYO. “ is space will provide a safe and welcoming environment for young people to learn, grow and thrive, and will also serve as a behavioral health hub for families in Denver and surrounding areas.”

Ryant was joined by co-founder Ronnie Qi and community organizer Andre Carbonell in cutting the ribbon on the new center. According to Ryant, the partnership with the City of Denver will allow the center to extend space and services to the youth in Aurora, Denver, Jeffco and surrounding areas.

“As AOPYO celebrates its 10th year of empowering youth and families, the opening of this center marks a signi cant milestone in the organi-

zation’s mission to engage the community through a holistic approach, centering mental health and youth leadership development,” Ryant said.

es and events;

• Multipurpose rooms for workshops, classes, career resources, arts and cultural events; and

• A dedicated wellness area.

According to the announcement, the center will o er youth and families in the Denver metro area, “access to behavioral and mental health counseling and therapeutic services through a partnership with Center for Trauma Resilience and Paragon Behavioral Health. AOPYO plans to o er enrichment programs, language immersion classes and somatic healing workshops.”

According to the Apprentice of Peace Youth Organization, the goal of the programming is to take a holistic approach to helping the area youth. e leadership classes and mental health services come together with the wellness, career and arts to help the teens today. is includes arming them with the tools and skills needed to engage their peers and their communities.

“We will be looking to further engage with the community in a broader sense through movement classes and language learning, community market exhibitions and educational opportunities to create a vibrant environment where creativity, learning and connection can happen,” Ryant said.

Participants will put themselves in the middle of the disaster — it’s 1:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912 and they’re stuck in the bowels of the ship as it begins sinking. ey must solve puzzles and travel from deck to deck as they attempt to nd a spot on a lifeboat before the ship sinks.

For more information on all the events, visit https://mollybrown.

org/.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Indigo De Souza at the Gothic Theatre North Carolina’s Indigo De Souza makes the kind of indie rock that is di cult to pin down. It can be anthemic and almost poppy at certain moments, but it has a habit of squirming away and twisting into something you didn’t quite expect. It almost always really and truly rips, and will get under your skin and stay there. Her latest album, last year’s “All of is Will End,” explores a

According to the announcement, the new headquarters and youth center will include:

• e “home” base of AOPYO’S youth programs, community class-

more optimistic worldview, one that celebrates community and focusing on the present.

She’s touring behind the record and is coming to the Gothic eatre, 3263 S. Broadway in Englewood, at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2. Opener HUMBIRD will kick o the evening. Get tickets at www.ticketmaster.com.

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

e organization will continue its 10th anniversary celebration at an evening gala event on Friday, May 10 at the Museum of Nature and Science. For more information, visit AOPYO.org.

Meet Marshall Meowthers!

Marshall Meowthers (291683) is a 4-year-old male cat. Shy guy Marshall finds the busy Shelter overwhelming and is eager to settle into a quiet home. He is overdue for lots of TLC and needs time and space to adjust to the changes in his life. Marshall is available

The ribbon cutting at the new Apprentice of Peace Youth Organization Center in Denver. Pictured is co-founder Ronnie Qi (far left), community organizer Andre Carbonell (second from left), and co-founder D.L. Pos Ryant (far right).

PHOTO COURTESY APPRENTICE OF PEACE YOUTH ORGANIZATION

Proclaiming Christ from the Mountains to the Plains www.StJoanArvada.org

12735 W 58th Ave · 80002 · 303-420-1232

Daily Masses: 8:30am, Mon-Sat

Confessions: 8am Tue-Fri; 7:30am & 4:00pm Sat

Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:00pm

Sunday Masses: 7:30, 9:00, 11:30am, 5:30pm

e role entails giving two to four hours a week to help a child and sometimes their siblings as they navigate the rigorous family court system. e volunteers also work with child welfare, schools, healthcare workers and other professionals to help the court make decisions in the best interest of the child.

“ ere are so many abused or neglected children, and we are really making a di erence in their lives. We need your help,” says Leah Varnell, executive director at CASA of Je erson and Gilpin Counties.

According to Varnell, the process of becoming a volunteer has four steps:

Complete the application and interview. All volunteers must be at least 21 years old and pass a background check. Complete 30 hours of training. Meet with your case coordinator- the person who is there to answer any questions. Be matched with a child.

Applications are open now at CASA of Je erson and Gilpin Counties volunteer application

promised tree-trimming or home repair services and then ran o with their money. ese fraudsters are now being held accountable for their crimes. Our o ce remains committed to ensuring that individuals who perpetrate crimes against older Coloradans are held fully responsible for their actions,” Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a press release.

Joseph Tyler pled guilty to theft targeting at-risk victims, a class three felony, and a class ve felony theft. Amelia Tyler cooperated with prosecutors and also pleaded guilty to felony theft. According to the attorney general’s announcement, Amelia Tyler, “served a year in the Je erson County jail and is currently on probation at an intensive residential program for three years. For more information on the case, visit COAG.gov.

A new manufacturing space opens in Arvada

ERI Group announced the opening of a 34,000-square-foot space at 5045 Robb St. in Arvada. is is the third location for the company that is headquartered in Golden and has a design studio in central Denver.

All training will take place at the Je erson County Courthouse at 100 Je erson County Parkway, Golden 80401. For more information, go to CASAJe coGilpin.com.

Tree trimming scam suspects sentenced must pay restitution to victims

A Je erson County District Court wrapped up a case of fraud that targeted the county’s older population. e court sentenced Joseph Tyler to eight years in prison and ordered him to pay $23,000 in restitution. Tyler was accused of running a fraudulent tree-trimming scam with his wife Amelia Tyler from 2020 to 2022.

“ e defendants defrauded dozens of older Coloradans when they

“Our new manufacturing facility represents not just an expansion, but a testament to our dedication to innovation, quality and customer satisfaction,” says Natasha Bond, CEO of ERI Group. “Our mission is to serve medical device companies, entrepreneurs and visionaries who bring life-changing products to market and through our new expanded facility, we can meet the needs of more customers longer into their product journey.”ERI Groups designs medical devices and other medical products. e new space also works to extend the company’s services to small business owners and entrepreneurs. For more information, go to ERIGroup.com.

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Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

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REAL ESTATE & RENTAL

The

The property is an outstanding family home, all on one level, if financing is required the payment can be offset by renting out the Main Unit or ADU -and live in the other -- to offset the monthly payment. The short term rental (STR) market is always thriving in the central Colorado area with so many individuals and families that want to come to Colorado for an adventure and see the myriad of attractions Red Rocks Parks, Garden of the Gods, Buffalo overlook, The Air Force Academy, Estes Park or of course to check out our great skiing, food and and beer. If you decide to take advantage of the STR market we will list the property on Air BNB and or VRBO for no charge and run the rental for 90 days at no charge and hand over to you turnkey.

We offer partial owner financing with a 720 FICO score, or higher, and at least $25K in savings IE Retirement Plan. The home has solar so there will limited power bills and for the young buyer we are offering a 2-1 buydown.

Any buyer who does not take the 2-1 buydown and does give a full price offer, can instead get a custom package for $20,000.00. The upgrades could include and of these: Private garden, class 4 roof, custom front porch, hottub, man cave in the garage or custom tile and paint throughout the home, RV parking or off street parking for the ADU.

Come check out our open houses which are 1) Happy Hour Open Houses Fridays 4-6PM and every Sat and Sunday in March from 10AM to 2PM. 4360 Marshall St, Wheat Ridge CO 80033. alandavis@levelengineering.com

• One month FREE with the signing of a new one-year lease!!

• 1,000 sq. ft office. $2,500 per month.

• Be the 1st to rent one of these great spaces!

Offices are located next to:

Cleary Building Corp: 755 Crossroads Circle, Elizabeth, Colorado

Contact 303-660-0420 or 800-373-5550

Public Notices

Juniors play free with a paid Adult on Mondays through Thursdays anytimeandSundays after 4:00 pm.

ArvadaGolf supports High School Golf by scheduling practice ($2 range buckets) and 9-hole tee times ($3 Green Fee) for ArvadaBoys and Girls Golf Teams.

Youth onCourse JuniorAnnual Pass

$5 9-Hole Green Fee Monday thruThursday after 12:00 pm (sponsored program funded by the Colorado PGA Section.

West Woods (M-Th)Junior Annual pass is $425. LakeArbor(M-Th)Junior Frequentplayer pass is $153 for 15 rounds.

Table3.Junior Golf Course Access

Table4.AnnualPass