Arvada Press April 18, 2024

The two-hour seminar will include: The 38 Ways Book. Two six-week best-selling books. Real Estate for Pennies: Investing in Property Tax Liens for Profit and Property and OVERTAXED! Your Guide To Honest Property Tax Reductions By Understanding and Protesting Your Assessment. Also includes: 185 Do It Yourself, Home Inspection Tips. 29 Easy Ways To Improve Your Property Value and Street Appeal. Plus, Easy Ways To Make Your Home Interior More Comfortable and Valuable. Probable price $65 for everything. You will be smarter than any agent.

Former Pomona football player dedicates college play to his late mother

BY GARY VAN CLEAVE SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Stephanie Devries was more than a mom to her children Anthony and Lizzie and their dad, Chad.

In her memory, Anthony now plays for her. Since his mom — who died two years ago in June — was always the light of his life, the former Pomona football standout has tried to carry on her legacy, spreading her light through his football career.

“My mom was unlike any other,” Anthony, a redshirt junior o ensive lineman for McPherson College in Kansas, said. “Obviously, there are many mothers that are willing to do anything for their kids/family, but that’s what my mom’s entire life was. She made her life about my sister, Dad and I. ere was nothing that she did for herself almost ever, everything she did was for somebody else. e most sel ess person I will ever meet was my mother.”

e love Anthony and Lizzie had for the matriarch of their family could be seen and felt from as far away as South Dakota — where the famous American Moms’ faces are spiritually etched in stone with Mount Rushmore’s greats.

“She was present,” the 6-foot-2, 290-pounder said. “She was always doing something to put a smile on my face, she never let me or my sister feel like we were alone in anything. My dad does the same thing. Any day of the week, regardless of how she felt, she was always there to help make my day better. e bond my mom and I had was special and I still feel her around today.”

A son’s promise to his mom

“She had battled breast cancer for about two years, this being the second time she’d gone through it,” Anthony said. “She had never let anyone know how truly bad it was until she was on her deathbed. Some of her

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closest friends didn’t even know she had passed six months after she did. She really tried to ght on her own, although we wouldn’t allow her to actually do it. It was a very hard time for my family as she was really the rock for all three of us.”

Anthony said his mom hadn’t been great for a few months when the family was in Oklahoma City for a weekend softball tournament.

“She just went downhill so quickly, you wouldn’t have been able to see it coming,” Anthony said. “As we were in the hospital with her for the week she was there, all I could tell her was how much I loved and appreciated her. ere’s nobody on this earth that could replace what she meant to me, she truly was my best friend.

“I let her know that everything I do from there on out I’d do with her in my mind. Her wish to me was for me to nish all the way through school and to take care of the family that I was soon to build, and I promised her that I’d do so.”

Anthony spent as much time in the hospital with her as possible in those nal days of her life.

“Her last couple days she was unable to talk due to her illness, but I would just let her know I loved her,” he said. “I knew she could hear me because every time I’d tell her she’d squeeze my hand.”

She died on June 15, 2022.

“I just remember being numb for so long, like I was oating and nothing felt real,” Anthony said.

His mom was just 52. Her death came one day before Anthony’s 19th birthday on June 16.

“After she died, I fell into a deep depression, I couldn’t do anything without the image of her on the bed in my head,” Anthony said. “I was also the rock for all of my family during this time so I didn’t allow myself to be soft around them, I was there for everybody. It was like my mom had taken over my body for a while because I was taking care of everybody emotionally.”

He continued.

“I wasn’t truly myself again until recently, probably about ve or six months ago when I really started to seek God in my life.”

‘Honor my mom through football’

As football practice started up in August 2022, Anthony decided he was playing the game he so loved in his mom’s honor.

“ at following fall, I began to pray to her and God before games,” he said.

“I also wrote her name on the backs of every new pair of cleats I bought. She is still a huge part of my life even though she can’t be here physically.”

Anthony elaborated.

Anthony Devries, a former Pomona High School football player, now plays at McPherson College in Kansas. The o ensive lineman dedicates his play to his mother who died in 2022. COURTESY PHOTO

How Does the Idea of ‘For-Sale-By-Owner’ Change Under the NAR Settlement?

The number of sellers opting to sell without a listing agent was surprisingly low even before the NAR settlement, which will have the effect of cutting in half the commission charged by listing agents thanks to the removal of a co-op commission for buyers’ agents, .

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has reported that only 7% of homes sold during 2023 were sold without the services of a listing agent. Another 4% of sellers began without an agent but ultimately changed their minds and decided to hire a listing agent.

mission cannot include the offer of compensation to a buyer’s agent, so listing commissions will henceforth be 2.5% to 2.8%, seriously reducing the appeal of trying to sell one’s house without professional assistance.

The main argument for going FSBO (for-sale-by-owner) has been to avoid paying the typical 5 to 6 percent listing commission. But that commission included the 2.5 to 3 percent commission shared with the agent representing the buyer. Under the NAR settlement (if approved by the courts), the listing com-

CEFF Offers 2 Earth Day Films

The Colorado Environmental Film Festival is celebrating Earth Day with two films: The Engine Inside (about bicycling) tonight, April 18; and Deep Rising (about seabed mining) on April 21. Ticket info is at https://ceff.net/earth-day.

In my real estate classes as a new agent at Coldwell Banker back in 2002, it was drummed into us that “listors last,” so we should focus on working with sellers instead of buyers. The NAR settlement has struck a serious blow to anyone who specializes in working with buyers.

In light of this, NAR is offering its Realtor members a free “Accredited Buyer’s Representative” (ABR) course, and, even though Golden Real Estate specializes in working with sellers, all of us have signed up for this course so we can receive the advice which it will offer when representing buyers in the changed landscape of real estate transactions.

Of course, I will share with you what I learn from that course, which I’m taking on June 17th. Hopefully, the court will have confirmed or rejected the NAR settlement by then, so we’ll know for sure what lies ahead.

As I wrote last week, the inevitable

Renovating? Consider Adding a ‘Back Kitchen’

I can’t take credit for this idea. Last year Pro Builder magazine had an article in its May/June issue about new ideas in kitchen design, and one in particular caught my attention: adding a “back/ messy” kitchen.

Nowadays, especially with open floor plans, the kitchen has become a center of entertaining. Guests gather around the host or hostess as they prepare and deliver various courses of food.

A back kitchen allows for dirty dishes to be out of sight immediately. This keeps the kitchen area clean and attractive — and quiet — throughout the evening. There could even be a second dishwasher in the back kitchen.

The back kitchen could also be where prepared courses are staged for bringing out during the party. Think of it as a “butler’s pantry” that is off the kitchen instead of between the kitchen and the dining room.

Most people nowadays have both a walk-in pantry and what’s being called a “Costco closet” for those bulk purchases so many of us are making these days. A larger pantry big enough to satisfy both needs could be attached to the back kitchen instead of the main kitchen, cleaning and simplifying the main kitchen design. Another feature which makes a lot of sense is to have seating on two sides

(adjoining, not opposite) of the kitchen island instead of just one. This facilitates guests talking to each other, while still including whoever is at work on the business side of the island.

Open floor plans typically show the kitchen open to the family room, but not the formal dining room. How about an Lshaped open floor plan in which the dining room is open to the kitchen on the side, with the family room open to it at a 90degree angle?

Here’s a floor plan from Pro Builder showing this concept, in which ‘A’ is the island with 2-sided seating, ‘B’ is the pantry/Costco closet, ‘C’ is the back kitchen, and ‘D’ is a barn door for closing off the back kitchen/pantry.

effect of the NAR settlement will be that many or even most buyers will call listing agents directly instead of hiring an agent to represent them as a buyer. Only time will tell how that process will shake out.

If I worked solely as a buyer’s agent, I would be very nervous about what the future holds for me.

Buyer agents will still be able to earn a commission by selling new homes. Because the new home market is so competitive, builders are unlikely to reduce the commissions they currently offer to agents. Most builders, I have found, offer a 3% commission to agents who bring them a buyer, although that commission is applied to the base price,

not to the price after adding upgrades of flooring, appliances, counters, etc.

The challenge for real estate agents has always been getting buyers to call them before registering at a builder’s sales office, because most builders will not pay agents who did not register along with their buyer. We tell buyers to visit as many new home communities as they wish but not give their names until they are serious and want us to represent them. Then we can go with them on a return visit where they and we register together. That way, the buyer has the advantage of professional representation, and we are compensated for being their agent.

This column and the ’Back Kitchen’ article appeared in last Thursday’s Denver Post.

Real Estate Activity Has Surged Since Jan. 1st

For most of 2023, the number of closed transactions fell while the number of active listings surged until some of them either expired or were taken off the market for the holidays. Starting in January there was a marked increase in sales, combined with more sellers putting their homes on the market.

The charts at right are from Denver’s MLS and cover the 15-month period from January 2023 through March 2024 for REcolorado listings only, limited to a 20mile radius of downtown Denver.

The second chart shows how sharply the median days a listing was active on the MLS rose through most of last year, peaking at over 30 days in January but plummeting, just like last year, in February and March. Meanwhile, the median sold price, which had been slumping slightly during the last half of 2023, turned sharply upward in January, February and March.

From studying current MLS data, this trend is continuing in April.

Of course, the real estate market varies greatly from city to city and from neighborhood to neighborhood. If you’d like to monitor the market in your city or your specific subdivision, any of our broker associates or I could create what we call a “Neighborhood Alert” for you. You define the area you want to monitor, and we pro-

Active Listings

Closed Listings

(Limited to 20-mile radius of Downtown Denver)

Source: REcolorado

Median Sold Price

Median Days in MLS

gram the MLS to send you an email notification every time a home in that area is listed, goes under contract, sells or expires. With our help, you’ll be the neighborhood expert where you live — or perhaps in a neighborhood where you want to buy. Call us; our phone numbers are below.

19th Annual Arvada Kite Festival goes o without a hitch

Clear skies and friendly breezes bring thousands of kites soaring above Arvada

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In one moment, the sky over Stenger Sports Complex was blocked out by a menagerie of ying fabrics — in the next, it was clear again. Such is life when you’re at the mercy of the wind, as about 10,000 folks were at the 19th Annual Arvada Kite Festival.

e festival’s sizable attendance marks a return to prepandemic norms, according to Arvada’s Special Events Coordinator Adelle Burton.

“It’s going amazingly,” Burton said of the April 14 event. “I couldn’t ask for better weather, amount of wind — had it been the weekend prior, that would have been a nightmare — it’s the busiest I’ve seen since COVID happened and we had that hiatus. It feels good to have it back at its peak.”

Overall, there were 107 vendor booths at the free festival, which is organized by the Arvada Festival Commission. irteen food trucks served up a variety of eats — everything from turkey legs and sushi was to be had.

e Rocky Mountain Kite Association hosted live demonstrations of especially large and unique kites, some of which had to be own by teams of experienced kite- yers.

“It’s so nice to see so, so many people and I just think it’s a favorite event of the community,” Burton said. “It’s nice to see everyone coming out and supporting it.”

Kites of all shapes and sizes took the skies.

An otterrly delightful time was had by all at the 19th Annual Arvada Kite Festival.

Impressively long-tailed kites glide over the gentle breeze.

PHOTOS BY LILLIAN FUGLEI

Romero receives 12-year prison sentence for killing Je co Sheri K-9

cer, along with three other charges. Eduardo Romero, 30, will serve his 12-year sentence after his current three-year prison sentence for a separate case in Denver County.

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLOROADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

He was arrested Feb. 13, 2023, for reportedly eeing police near the Colorado School of Mines campus and killing K-9 Gra t, who was trying to apprehend him.

and menacing — all felonies.

He also pleaded guilty to driving under the in uence, a misdemeanor, and an added count of aggravated motor vehicle theft.

Restitution required; amount will be determined at July hearing SEE ROMERO,

A Lakewood man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for killing a Je erson County Sheri K-9 and pointing a gun at a Golden police of-

On Feb. 22, Romero pleaded guilty to four of the eight charges originally led against him, including aggravated cruelty to animals, identity theft

On April 12, Romero appeared in custody at the Je erson County Courthouse where Judge Jason Carrithers sentenced him to the maximum time for each of the ve charges, with the longest being 12 years for identity theft. Based on his plea agreement, Romero will serve these sentences concurrently.

Carrithers also ruled that Romero will have to pay restitution, but the amount has yet to be determined. e defense asked to determine the nal amount at a separate hearing, which was scheduled for July.

‘This will never happen again’

e prosecution and K-9 Graft’s handler Deputy Zachary Oliver asked Carrithers for the maximum allowable sentence.

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ROMERO

Oliver described how, growing up, he thought “having a four-legged partner would be the best thing in the world.” But, he continued, “ at dream of mine was shattered … when K-9 Gra t was shot and killed in front of me.”

Oliver described how Gra t had been his partner for several years, and was a key part of his family, the Sheri ’s O ce and the community. Along with serving on drug-related and suspect-apprehension calls, Gra t also did numerous K-9 demonstrations at Je erson County schools and events, Oliver said.

He acknowledged that, by his sacrice, Gra t likely saved lives that night, including Romero’s. But, Oliver still felt that loss even months later, as he didn’t start training with a new K-9 partner until summer 2023.

“Our bond was like nothing I could ever explain to you,” Oliver told Carrithers about his connection with Gra t. “We (K-9 o cers) spend more time with our four-legged partners than we do with our children or spouses.”

Golden Police O cer Christian Whyte, the o cer whom Romero reportedly pointed a gun at, wasn’t able to attend the hearing but did submit a written statement Carrithers didn’t read it aloud. Carrithers said he was “humbled” by Whyte’s and Oliver’s words.

Additionally, Deputy District Attorney Amanda Becker described Romero’s criminal history, including other cases of identity theft, drunken driving and eluding police. When he was arrested last February, he was out on bond for a motor vehicle theft case, she stated.

She also pointed out how Romero continually escalated the February 2023 incident through his lack of judgment, such as intentionally arming himself and choosing to shoot K-9 Gra t when he was trying to apprehend him.

Becker also noted the impact on Mines community members, many of whom received shelter-in-place alerts at 2-3 a.m. that night. Students in the nearby fraternity and sorority houses had to be moved to safer locations during the incident, and several were interviewed before their Monday morning classes.

Carrithers also felt the impact on Mines students shouldn’t be overlooked, commenting, “How incredibly scary for … students who’ve grown up in the postColumbine era. … e level of fear most of those students had to have felt, I cannot imagine.”

Romero’s defense attorney asked for 10 years. While his client had an extensive criminal history before last February’s incident, he noted Romero didn’t have a history of violence.

“He made terrible decisions,” he said of his client. “He admitted to it. When he sobered up, he confessed. at has to (speak) to character.”

In his statement, Romero o ered his sincerest apologies and condolences to Oliver, Whyte, the Mines and Je erson County communities, and everyone who was impacted by his decisions. He said he was “terribly disgusted and embarrassed” by his actions that night, adding it wasn’t the person he was raised to be.

“ is will never happen again,” Romero said, adding that he never wanted it to happen at all.

‘Terrible decisions’

As the plea agreement stipulated a range of eight to 12 years in prison,

As Becker summarized at Romero’s April 12 sentencing, around 12:15 a.m. Feb. 13, 2023, Whyte helped a Mines ocer contact a white Jeep blocking a street near the campus.

Romero, the vehicle’s only occupant, was slumped over the steering wheel with his foot on the brake. He later told o cers he’d been drinking and smoking marijuana during a Super Bowl party in Denver.

Romero woke up enough to start driving the Jeep less than 10 mph westbound on 19th Street across the U.S. Highway 6 overpass. e two o cers followed and “pinched” the Jeep in to prevent it from moving again. Romero then reportedly started ramming the Jeep into the patrol cars.

Whyte broke the driver’s side window to grab hold of Romero, but he slipped free and ran eastbound on 19th Street. Whyte chased him until Romero reportedly pointed a gun at Whyte, who dove out of the way.

Meanwhile, Romero ran into heavy shrubbery on the northeast side of U.S. 6. Local agencies set up a perimeter, and Oliver released K-9 Gra t into the brush to apprehend Romero.

Romero later told detectives that he recognized a “cop dog” was coming toward him. He said the dog didn’t bite him, and he denied pointing his handgun at the dog but “heard the gun re a round.” He assumed he shot the ground.

A necropsy later con rmed K-9 Graft died from bullets matching Romero’s gun.

After hiding from police, Romero turned himself in around 5 a.m. Feb. 13. Once he was in custody, investigators reportedly found he’d used a stolen passport to get a hotel room. e Jeep he’d been driving was also listed as stolen.

K-9 Gra t of the Je erson County Sheri ’s O ce died in the line of duty Feb. 13, 2023 while trying to apprehend an armed suspect on the Colorado School of Mines campus. Eduardo Romero of Lakewood has pleaded guilty to killing K-9 Gra t and was recently sentenced to 12 years in prison for cruelty to animals, menacing, identity theft and other charges related to the February 2023 incident.

Final words

Becker said some have suggested that law enforcement overreacted that night, but she stressed how Romero was the initial aggressor and that his actions continually escalated the threat.

“ ere was nothing excessive or unreasonable that happened that night by law enforcement,” Becker continued. “Everything was by the book to get that person apprehended as quickly as possible and avoid any more casualties.”

Before handing down the sentence, Carrithers told Romero how — in some respects — he was “incredibly lucky to be here.” He said national news stories continually detail how law enforcement agencies don’t always act with the restraint or professionalism that the local agencies demonstrated in this case.

“In other communities, you would’ve been killed,” Carrithers said. “I’m not saying it’s right. at sort of reaction by law enforcement would not have been right.”

While Carrithers acknowledged Romero’s decision to surrender and confess, and hoped he would remain sober and make better decisions, he said Romero’s actions that night demonstrated “a complete disregard for community norms, laws and safety.” Because of that, he sentenced him to the 12-year maximum sentence outlined in the plea agreement.

COURTESY PHOTO

Fire in unhoused encampment closes I-70 West for about an hour

CDOT engineers

find no structural issues with overpass, reopen highway

At about 3:45 p.m., dispatchers got a call about smoke coming from under the I-70 bridge. Arvada Fire was able to put out the re but could not determine its fuel source, according to AFPD Public Information Ofcer Brady Johnson. Westbound I-70 was closed from 4:53 to 5:38 p.m., with tra c diverted to Wadsworth Boulevard.

A re that began in an unhoused encampment closed westbound Interstate-70 from Harlan Street to Interstate-76 on April 8 for about an hour. e re was mitigated by Arvada Fire, and CDOT ensured the overpass was structurally sound before it reopened the highway.

Arvada Police Public Information O cer Chase Amos said no arrests were made and no one was cited in connection with the re, as there was no one present at the encampment when crews responded. Both Arvada Police and Arvada Fire have closed their investigations.

The encampment under the I-70 overpass after the fire. COURTESY ARVADA POLICE

9 Mongols Motorcycle Club members sentenced in Jake’s Roadhouse shooting case

Incident left one Hells Angels member dead; one ‘Good Samaritan’ with long-term brain injuries

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Nine members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club, described as an outlaw group, have been sentenced in the shooting case that claimed the life of a Hells Angels member and caused serious injuries to ve other people — two of whom were also motorcycle club members, and three of whom were

not a liated with a motorcycle club.

e shooting occurred outside Jake’s Roadhouse, a popular bar and music venue in Arvada, on July 11, 2020. e band Nightwolf was playing at Jake’s that night, and when band members heard the roar of motorcycles outside, they stepped outside to get some air.

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VOICES

For editor, Columbine attack still reverberates through years

In the middle of a nothing-inparticular phone call, my dad in Indiana suddenly asked me: “Where is Columbine High School?”

“Four or ve miles southwest of here — why?” I said from our westfacing back porch in Denver’s south suburbs on a beautiful spring day in 1999.

My hyperactive dad, who had been watching a cable news channel while we talked, replied: “Somebody is shooting kids there.”

Within seconds, two air ambulance helicopters thundered low and fast directly over our house and streaked southwest.

I was a copy editor at the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, and as I watched the helicopters race toward Columbine, I knew that I should expect to be called in early for my night shift at the newspaper. I wanted to see our young sons before getting ready for work, so I got o the phone and trotted the block and a half to their elementary school.

In those pre-smartphone, lesswired days, the sta at our sons’ school didn’t yet know about the attack a few miles away. I walked past the open door of the teachers’ lounge, where a teacher I liked was

nishing his lunch break.

“What brings you here?” he asked. When I told him the little I knew about what was happening at Columbine, he responded, “ at will de nitely be on Channel 9 tonight.”

Word of the attack reached the school administrators about that same moment, and a lockout began. I was a familiar volunteer at the school, and I was allowed to stop by our sons’ classrooms to see them for a few minutes before I returned home to prepare for work.

I wanted to listen to breaking news about Columbine while getting ready for work, so instead of showering, I lled the bathtub and placed a radio on the bathroom oor so I could hear updates. I was sitting in the tub when the Je erson County sheri con rmed that several kids had been murdered, and I broke into a series of uncontrollable sobs.

Work that rst night was frantic, with uid news stories changing as reporters and editors tried to distill

LETTER TO ARVADA FROM CITY COUNCIL

reliable information from the deluge of impressions, sights and interviews, plus the gut-punching images from our photographers. e ensuing nights at the newspaper were a slog through the bad nondream of Columbine, including a night when I worked the “makeup” editing shift in the composing room, making sure through multiple editions that yearbook photos of the children who had been killed were paired with the right captions: Cassie Bernall is the girl with the wide smile and hair parted on the side; Corey DePooter is the boy with the pronounced straight eyebrows; Rachel Scott is the girl who looks like my sister as a kid ... at was the night I ate a mayonnaise-heavy sandwich that had sat atop my warm computer terminal for hours before I was able to take a break, and the resulting case of brutal food poisoning felt bizarrely welcome because I needed so badly to puke my guts out.

All that was 25 years ago. Now, low- ying helicopters still ash me right back to the moment just after my dad told me about the attack in progress. ese days, I still can’t talk about the Columbine attack for more than a few seconds before my voice breaks. Our little

suburb has its markers of the tragedy — the trauma center where the most grievously wounded children were own, the pawnshop where a paralyzed girl’s mother asked to see a revolver and then hurriedly inserted a bullet that she used to kill herself at the counter — and I see those places many times each week and remember.

But I got o light. I got o easy. I’m an outgoing person who is always getting to know more people, and here in Denver’s south suburbs, that means I’ve gotten to know many people who were hit intimately by the Columbine attack, people who were there, people who helped save terribly wounded children, people who tried to save children who died, people who lost dear ones, people whose dear ones survived but were damaged in ways that can’t be undone. Every year I know more people with lifetime memberships in that undesired club.

People I trust tell me good things have been forged from the pain of that horrible day. I want to believe they’re right.

Scott Gilbert is an editor in our newsroom who worked for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver at the time of the Columbine attack.

Fellow Arvadans,

In light of recent public comments made at Lakewood City Council, Wheat Ridge City Council and beyond, we the undersigned assure all Arvadans that we unequivocally condemn hate speech in any form against any member of our community. We stand against speech that attacks an individual or group based on their nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, resident status, ability and more. In short, we condemn words and actions that seek to dehumanize and devalue our fellow humans.

We nd ourselves navigating divisive times. To not acknowledge the impacts that global and na-

tional political con icts have had on our collective consciousness would be a disservice. Hate does not just appear; it is fostered. Festered by messages of grievance, blame and the dehumanization of those deemed to be “other.” We are not unique in battling this insidious undercurrent; sadly, the ability to hate seems to appear wherever humans may be.

But so does love. So does empathy, and compassion. So does understanding… and even acceptance. Inside each of us exists both, the abilities to hate and to love.

And, in Arvada — along with the vast majority of humankind — we choose the better path.

We, the signed members of the

Arvada City Council, want to reassure our residents that all types and forms of hate will nd no support in our city. We stand in solidarity with all residents who fear retaliation or discrimination, simply because of who they are. Our values are based on inclusion and the inherent worth of the individual. As leaders, we will continue to identify and address inequalities that could disadvantage members of our community, and we commit to delivering superior services that enhance the lives of everyone in our community.

Hate speech and hate crimes are not part of the Arvada way. Our city, time and again, shows itself to be a special community,

lled with people who are generous, industrious and kind. Our way is to work together with those with whom we disagree to nd solutions. Arvada is a place where we boldly face the future and hold our unique di erences in esteem, as it is our diversity that makes us stronger.

We are proud to represent this city. Our work is in service to each and every resident who calls Arvada home. ough we know we cannot cure the hate that lives in the hearts of some, we do not have to give it consent or approval. And we do not have to fear it either. Indeed, we will not fear it.

Scott Gilbert

SENTENCED

At that point, Nightwolf lead singer Ryan McPherson saw a man — later identi ed as William “Kelley” Henderson — lying in the street and went to help him. McPherson was then beaten by motorcyclists, while Henderson, who had been shot, succumbed to his injuries. McPherson was left with long-term brain injuries from the incident.

A 19-month-long investigation conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies concluded on Jan. 26, 2022, when Arvada Police announced that multiple suspects had been brought into custody across four states; Colorado, California, Utah and Florida.

All defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges. e following sentences were handed down in Je erson County District Court on April 10:

• Gregory Lawrence Moore: sentenced to 27 years in the Department of Corrections for racketeering. Convicted on April 4.

• Leon Matthew Dennis: sentenced to 24 years in prison for racketeering.

• Saint George Michael Gonzales: sentenced to two years’ probation for tampering with physical evidence. Convicted Dec. 16, 2022.

• Kenneth Wayne Tischler: sentenced to two years’ probation for tampering with physical evidence. Convicted Jan. 6, 2023.

• Vincent James Dominguez: sentenced to ve years in prison for second-degree assault. Convicted May 15, 2023.

• Phillip Raymond Garcia: sentenced to three to ve years’ probation for tampering with physical evidence. Convicted July 18, 2023.

• Daniel Ruben Goint: sentenced to eight years in prison for seconddegree assault causing a signi cant brain injury and crime of violence. Convicted Jan. 25.

• Rafael Vargas Lozano: sentenced

to three years’ probation for tampering with physical evidence. Convicted Sept. 2, 2022.

• Jared Chadwick was sentenced in Utah federal court to 28 months in federal prison for tampering with physical evidence and being a felon in possession of a rearm. Status conference held on April 10.

Moore and Dennis had multiple charges — including rst-degree murder and rst-degree assault — dismissed by plea. Chadwick Swopes was initially arrested in connection to the incident, but did not end up being charged.

Two motorcycle club members sustained gunshot wounds in the incident. Two additional non-members apart from McPherson sustained serious injuries as well.

Arvada Police Chief Ed Brady said he was glad the case was nally put to rest after four years.

“ is was a case of pure evil, and our community will not tolerate it,” Brady said. “I am incredibly proud of our entire department’s e orts and perseverance to seek justice, and the assistance from several professional law enforcement agencies.”

Colorado Bureau of Investigations Director Chris Schaefer said that tough no one was ultimately held accountable for Henderson’s murder, he is glad that those involved in the crime will be held accountable.

“ e culmination of this 4-year investigation that involved three innocent community members caught up in rival biker gang violence would not go unsolved despite all the challenges this case presented,” Schaefer said. “We might not have been able to prove who red the fatal bullet, but in going after the Mongols as a criminal enterprise, we were able to hold nine criminals accountable for engaging in a senseless murder and group violence that put the community at risk.”

McPherson su ered multiple head injuries, a broken leg and other broken bones. He spent over a month in the hospital after the incident.

How Columbine changed us

25 years later, the tragedy is a study of recovery, resilience and triumph

BY MICHAEL DE YOANNA EDITOR IN CHIEF

Twenty- ve years have passed since that April day that etched sorrow into the hearts of Columbine High School. Two armed students took the lives of 12 of their peers and a cherished teacher and then their own lives. e reverberations of that tragic day have rippled through the years, leaving a sad narrative of killers and victims often repeated in the mainstream media.

But what that narrative misses is Columbine’s story of recovery, resilience and triumph.

It is in the school’s very fabric, where the emphasis is that every individual, from the principal to the rst-day freshman, matters.

As Columbine sophomore Madison Price told us, “It’s just the kind of thing that you can feel.”

It’s kind of a soft nding for a newsroom that spent months parsing through stories of grief and perseverance in our interviews with survivors, past and present school o cials, teachers, security experts

and even media critics.

Our newsroom sought the answer to a simple question: How has the 1999 Columbine shooting changed the school over the years — and everything else?

On one hand, nothing has changed. Gun violence is rampant in the United States. Take, for instance, the stunning tally of deaths and injuries provided by the Atlas of American Gun Violence, tracking incidents across the country down to the neighborhood level. Such an atlas is only necessary because of the almost-daily barrage of headlines chronicling shootings. Yet some are so large and horri c that everyone knows them by name, like Sandy Hook, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.

e specter of violence is woven into the lives of children in schools at an early age.

And schools across the country have increased security measures in the years since the Columbine shooting, which took the lives of students Cassie Bernall, Steven Curnow, Corey DePooter, Kelly

Fleming, Matthew Kechter, Daniel Mauser, Daniel Rohrbough,Rachel Scott, Isaiah Shoels, John Tomlin, Lauren Townsend and Kyle Velasquez, and teacher William “Dave” Sanders.

e Je erson County School District, which oversees the high school, points to classroom doors that lock from the inside. ere are single-point entry systems at schools that ensure students, sta and visitors pass through controlled checkpoints. Add to that security cameras, once a rarity, metal detectors and scanners.

Much of the changes are meant to ferret out people carrying guns. Yet our reporting did not take us to the raging debates over guns, like whether background checks are enough or if teachers should be armed.

Instead, we explored how chaos among rescuers during the Columbine incident led to improved coordination today, working to bridge gaps to make all schools safer.

And we looked at the media’s role during and after the shooting. One harsh takeaway from University of

Our series will run this week and next week.

This week, we focus on the stories of those closest to Columbine High School — the survivors and students and teachers. Next week, our series will look at how security has changed and the lessons learned from how the media covered events.

To read our entire series, go to www.ColoradoCommunityMedia .com.

Colorado Boulder professor Elizabeth Skewes was that news coverage of shootings can desensitize Americans and even be harmful to survivors. Knowing that helps explain the goals of Je erson County schools at the district’s recent media day for press organizations looking to report on the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.

Reporters who went to that event heard many of the same things we learned in our reporting, which often involved initially-reluctant sources opening up to trust our reporters and editors with their stories. ey wanted us, and our readers, to know that the shooting doesn’t de ne Columbine. Instead, what de nes it is a kind of indomitable spirit that emerged and evolved with intentionality since 1999. It plays out for many every April 20, the anniversary of the shooting, in the school’s Day of Service, now in its eighth year.

“We have turned that day into something so positive,” teacher Mandy Cooke told us. “And that is what I am most proud of — is making sure that our current students know how to be better humans in the world, instead of this awful, tragic thing that happened to us.”

And Cooke knows. She was a student at the school in 1999 and is among three survivors we interviewed who returned to the school to help it turn the page of the adversity to a brighter chapter.

Frank DeAngelis, a rehabilitation advocate and past principal of Columbine High School, stands in Clement Park at the Columbine Memorial near Littleton on April 8, 2024.

PHOTO BY BEAR GUTIERREZ

Frank DeAngelis’ shoelaces and support

A principal’s journey of healing and leadership

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In the days following the shooting at Columbine High School, its principal, Frank DeAngelis, started leaving his shoes untied. e loss of his students and a teacher, who was also a friend, left him feeling he had no control over his life.

“People would say, ‘Tie your shoe!’ and I said, ‘ at’s the only thing I have control over,’” he said. But piece by piece, and with the help of his community, DeAngelis started his journey toward healing. It was just like tying his shoes, one lace over the other.

He still thinks of the tragedy every day — reciting the names of the victims who were killed before he gets out of bed. But his journey to heal hasn’t been lonely. In the years following the tragedy, he has leaned on his community and channeled his energy to help others — and still does, even in retirement.

DeAngelis started working at Columbine in 1979, right after he graduated from college. Before he became the principal, DeAngelis had been a history teacher, football coach and baseball coach there.

He worked closely with students, and enjoyed that his role gave him the chance to get to know so many of them — in the cafeteria, on their sports teams and on the stage.

On the day of the shooting, like so many others, he said, his life changed forever.

After the tragedy, he led the school until every student in the area who was in class on April 20, 1999 — down to the preschoolers — graduated.

“Because they were impacted by it,” he said. “Even though they were not there, they saw everything.”

His leadership in those years is a common theme among students and sta connected to the school.

ey say DeAngelis helped the community to heal, and they call his leadership a model for how to live. ey consider him a bedrock for the community and say he brought people together in the wake of tragedy.

One Je erson County School District sta member said the community would not have recovered without DeAngelis — and that his impact goes far beyond Columbine.

We found a community guided by those who became united in shared pain with a fierce determination to heal.

In that regard, no name came up more often than former Principal Frank DeAngelis, who led

the school, its staff and generations of students out of the shadows of tragedy.

“People said that Columbine really needed me — I needed them,” he said.

For many, he is a beacon of hope, even in his retirement, as he aids others affected by similar hardships.

Now, as it has been for decades, Columbine is just anoth-

er high school. People look forward to football games. They’re studying for tests. Students are discovering who they are and who they might be when they become adults.

To Cris Welsh, a student at the time of the shooting who is now a teacher at Columbine, it’s all very ordinary, except for one thing.

“We exist to extend the notion

that one can recover,” he said. “That the awful things that happened to us are outside of our control, but how we respond to those awful things is totally within our control.”

Columbine is a symbol of hope, he said, not only to itself but well beyond.

“If you are determined to overcome the things that happen to you, you can do it,” he said.

ON THE COVER: Photos taken by Colorado Community Media sta and Bear Gutierrez show former Columbine High School Principal Frank DeAngelis, current teacher Mandy Cooke, crosses honoring 13 shooting victims at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, and Columbine keepsakes. Historical photos from the 1999 Columbine High School attack were taken by Rocky Mountain News sta , courtesy of Denver Public Library.

SEE DEANGELIS, P19

Crosses at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in Centennial honor the 12 Columbine High School students and teacher who were slain.

PHOTO BY HALEY LENA

Just like any other high school

Three Columbine employees and survivors reflect

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

On a mild Monday afternoon, Mandy Cooke was walking on a path near the high school where she teaches social studies. Nearby, a few students were warming up for track and eld practice. e team’s coach spotted his colleague and shouted, “ ere’s Mrs. Cooke!” and the students waved.

It was like any high school in America. e school’s colors — navy and white — accented the track as teens ran, stretched and laughed. Behind them, the word “Rebels” was painted on a shed near the eld. A coach blew a whistle and the kids came into a huddle, as others walked through the nearby parking lot with backpacks on.

But unlike other high schools in America, this scene happened close to a memorial with the names of 12 students and a teacher who were killed in a mass shooting on April 20, 1999.

Cooke sometimes gets concerned reactions when she tells people she works at Columbine High School.

“I still have teacher friends who are like, ‘I don’t know how you walk into that building,’” Cooke said.

She probably gets asked this question more than some other teachers, as Cooke is a survivor of the shooting. She was a sophomore at Columbine in 1999.

Twenty- ve years later, she works alongside several other survivors, hoping to support and care for students in the same way teachers and sta supported and cared for them in the wake of the tragedy.

Cooke works with friends she grew up with, including fellow teacher Cris Welsh and Noel Sudano, a school counselor.

Cooke and Welsh went to preschool together, and Cooke took piano lessons from Sudano’s

mom. ey all attended Dutch Creek Elementary School and then graduated together from Columbine in 2001. All three now live in the same neighborhood, where they are raising their own kids.

A similar call led them all back to their high school.

For Welsh, who teaches social studies, there was no other choice.

“I wanted to be there for my students in the same way that teachers had been there for me — I wanted to kind of pay that forward,” Welsh said.

In a time of “total, complete chaos,” he said, the teachers at Columbine represented stability. He drew a lot of strength from his relationships with his teachers in the months and years that followed the tragedy.

“ ey had gone through exactly what we had gone through,” he said. “ ey showed us kindness,

and consideration and compassion at a moment where so much of that seemed to be lacking in the world … I think, in each of us, there was a desire to extend that to another generation in what, regrettably, seems like an increasingly unstable world.”

Sudano said the adults at school were willing to show students their humanity, which was healing for her. One teacher, who was usually rather intimidating, gave her a hug a few days after the shooting.

“I just remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this helps me understand the magnitude of what we went through,’” she said. “And, it also helped me feel that safety of like — even this authority gure, we’re all in the same situation, and we can all depend on each other.”

ese connections, the trio said, were a critical part of the healing journey for not just them, but

many of the Columbine survivors.

“Our generation grew up where we could only process through genuine communication with each other,” Welsh said. “And I think it made a big di erence.”

He said he wonders if social media — with its inherent social pressures and opportunities for criticism and damaging words — has prevented some victims of school shootings from processing their experiences e ectively.

“I would not want to have posted my opinions and ideas and emotions online for the world to see” after the shooting, he said. “I wanted friends, not the world.”

Because of the closeness and familiarity of being among people who understood what she had gone through, Cooke said she remembers never wanting to leave the Littleton area after she graduated.

From left, Columbine High School employees Noel Sudano, Cris Welsh and Mandy Cooke stand in Clement Park, adjacent to the school. All three of them were sophomores at the school when the shooting happened in 1999. PHOTO BY ELISABETH SLAY

HIGH SCHOOL

“I was so comfortable because we bonded and came together, and I knew I was protected there,” she said. “And then, I knew going to school in Fort Collins, I wasn’t.”

Cooke started college at Colorado State University. She said the rst page of her psychology textbook was about the Columbine shooting.

“Going out of that bubble was very di cult for me,” she said.

Sudano had a similar experience as an undergraduate student at DePauw University in Indiana, where she learned “very quickly how just saying the word ‘Columbine’ triggered all sorts of reactions.”

Cooke, Welsh and Sudano said the students who attend Columbine are generally aware of the history, but mostly don’t think about it unless adults mention it. For them, Columbine is just their school. Going there is “not something that seems abnormal to

them until people around them tell them that it is abnormal,” Sudano said.

“I think their rst thought is not the shooting,” Welsh said. “ eir rst thought is, you know, the history test that I just made them take.”

So, for all three, working at Columbine is not strange. In the decades since the tragedy, they have come to know it as a tight-knit, service-oriented — and otherwise completely regular — high school.

“It was a high school, it always has been,” Welsh said. “If there is any special nature to Columbine, it has been the family or community atmosphere that we have created. It’s been the desire to aid and support and service others. If there is a di erence between us and other high schools, that’s it.”

Welsh said Columbine has been portrayed in many negative ways by the media. He, Cooke and Sudano said they want people to see Columbine as a wonderful place instead of the site of a national tragedy.

e Columbine community re-

members and honors the victims, but they do it in a way that is forward-thinking and hopeful, they said.

Sudano said she wants people to know that Columbine is “a school that’s thriving.” e employees say they don’t let the shooting de ne their experience there.

“It is such a hub in our community for everybody, kids and adults,” Cooke said. “( ey) go to basketball games, go to football games. It’s just such a rallying point for me, that I don’t think of the shooting every single day.”

“We have a job to do,” Welsh added. “I can’t be thinking about my students and getting ready for the AP test or whatever it is we’re focused on at the moment if I’m constantly obsessing about the past. I’m not saying it’s not there, to a certain extent, but you don’t walk in and immediately have ashbacks to April 20.”

Cooke said the employees are in a place where they are ready to never forget, but still move on with their lives. She is a mother and wants to spend her time and

energy focusing on her kids.

“I’m in a really good place in my life,” she said. “I don’t want to be sad.”

Her kids — who are in fth and seventh grade — look forward to going to Columbine someday.

It’s a place where students study for history tests and do chemistry experiments. ey laugh in the hallways and are late to class. Students change in the locker rooms for practice after school and look forward to things like football games and prom.

Columbine is like any high school in America, only it is stronger than it was before 1999. To Welsh, the school is a symbol of hope.

“We exist to extend the notion that one can recover,” he said. “ at the awful things that happened to us are outside of our control, but how we respond to those awful things is totally within our control … If you are determined to overcome the things that happen to you, you can do it. ere are people out there who have done it, and you need to look to them.”

Columbine High School teacher Mandy Cooke reflects in the Columbine Memorial in Clement Park.

PHOTO BY NINA JOSS

Columbine and columbines

Mother, daughter reflect on impact of April 20, 1999

BY ELISABETH SLAY

ESLAY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In her home in Parker, Cindy Woodman gazed at trinkets that people sent to her daughter, Crystal Woodman Miller, following the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School. On the walls and a large wooden bookshelf — surrounding the ornaments, small sculptures and decorative boxes — paintings showcase columbine owers.

When Cindy looks at the knick knacks in her “Columbine Room,” named for both her favorite ora and the high school, they sometimes remind her of the day that would change their lives forever.

“Just to walk through there every single day is just a quick reminder, but it’s not that it puts me in pain or agony — it’s a happy reminder that I still have Crystal,” Cindy said.

Although the interview with Columbine survivor Crystal was conducted through FaceTime, her emotion was felt as she nodded in agreement with her mother and delved into the intricacies of how her life was in uenced after she went to school on April 20, 1999.

“I am so much of who I am today because of what I went through,” Crystal said. “ ough I am not de ned by Columbine, I am more of the woman, the mom, the wife, the friend, the philanthropist, the speaker, the author that I am today because of what happened that day.”

Crystal’s perspective

After the tragedy, Crystal had a decision to make: Fall apart or forge ahead. She chose the latter, and embarked on a journey that has spanned decades, where she helps the “survivors community.”

At the beginning of her journey, following the shooting, Crystal started sharing her story and eventually found her voice.

source for others,” Crystal said. “My work has been toward that e ort for almost 25 years, and so I want to continue to walk with this community and link arms with them and let them know that they’re not alone.”

Over the last several years, she’s been a speaker at schools and communities impacted by shootings. In addition, she’s assisted in opening a therapy retreat for survivors of mass shootings.

Additionally, Crystal has written three books: “Marked for Life,” which is about her journey, and two children’s books: “A Kids Book About School Shootings” and “A Kids Book About School Shootings: For Survivors.”  Her children’s books o er tools and advice for both students who survived a shooting or other trauma and parents and other adults to help them talk with children.

Crystal said among other things in her life, her experience at Columbine has impacted her perspective as a mother.

“Because of my perspective on life and how I view each day as a gift, I love being a mom and I love that I am given the opportunity in life to be able to raise and shape these young people to go far beyond anywhere I’ve been,” Crystal said.

As a mother, Crystal said she takes on the joy and responsibility to teach her children “what it looks like to live courageously in a crazy world.”

“I know what it’s like to have fear so rip your life that you can become paralyzed, and I want my kids to not have to walk through that,” Crystal said.

Crystal was thinking of her children and her perspective as a teenager in 1999 when writing her books. She wanted to re ect how she would address things with her children and how issues were addressed when she was younger.

“As school shootings and mass shootings became more commonplace, I saw myself really

starting to respond and just be there for others and to just be a re-

Crystal Woodman-Miller is a survivor of April 20, 1999, and has dedicated her life to helping the “survivors’ community.” Woodman-Miller is a mother of three and currently lives in Edmond, Oklahoma.

COURTESY PHOTO

Cindy Woodman, mother of Columbine survivor Crystal Woodman-Miller, stands in front of a well-known painting that honors the lives lost on April 20, 1999. The painting hangs in her “Columbine room,” which serves as a constant reminder that she still has her daughter.

PHOTO BY ELISABETH SLAY

COLUMBINE

“We want to make sure kids are talking about the hard things and we’re giving them the language and the space to do so,” Crystal said. “We want to give them tools when they face their little fears and anxiety and we want to empower them to use their voice.”

Crystal said she has shared pieces of her story with her children and will continue to do so until they’re ready to hear it completely.

Cindy’s perspective

Cindy said the weeks and months following the shooting were hard for Crystal and their family, but over time, she saw Crystal overcome.

“I went through my tough times after that, but Crystal was always strong. She would amaze me,” Cindy said.

the screen, with tears in her eyes.

Like Crystal, Cindy said the Columbine shooting in uenced a lot of elements in her life.

“I am a di erent person today than I would’ve been had I not gone through that, and I think overall I am a better person because of that,” Cindy said. “I think one of the biggest things I mostly just learned is that I need to give myself grace.”

More to know

Crystal listened to Cindy’s words through Facetime during the interview happening at her home.

“I thank God that we still have her,” Cindy said while looking at her daughter, on the other side of

DEANGELIS

As a survivor of the Columbine shooting, Crystal said she has been “asked every question under the sun” about that day.

“I think the thing that I like to tell of (is) the hope and the goodness,” Crystal said. “I like to tell of the stories of resilience and the stories who’ve gone on to be impacted greatly, but have gone on to make an impact greatly.”

“He’s the reason today that schools all over this country are able to move forward after tragedy,” said John McDonald, who was the executive director of school safety for Je co Public Schools from 2008 to 2022.

DeAngelis recognizes that his community leaned on him for hope and survival, but said this relationship went two ways.

Crystal believes various elements have led to this point including families, culture, the media, guns and mental health.

“Just talking about one facet isn’t the end date of a much deeper, much greater conversation,” she said. “So, we really need to come to the table not screaming and yelling at each other because I think we’re closer on the issues than we are apart.”

For Crystal, it’s hard to visit communities and see that these tragedies keep happening.

“It’s so heartbreaking that this continues to be an epidemic that has swept the world,” Crystal said. “ at there’s countless … people who’ve had to now experience this — people who know the pain, who know the heartache.”

“People said that Columbine really needed me — I needed them,” he said. “If I would have gone somewhere else, I would always be concerned about them.”

Since retiring in 2014, DeAngelis has dedicated his life and career to helping others face tragedy in their own lives. He is a member of the Principal Recovery Network, a group of “current and former school leaders who have experi-

‘We are Columbine’

During her senior year, following the shooting, Crystal said she felt the community really come together.

Crystal now lives in Edmond, Oklahoma and she explained that the teachers, administrators and faculty of Columbine High School created a camaraderie and closeness that continues to reign in the hallways of the school today.

enced gun violence tragedies in their buildings” across the country.

“You can’t determine what happens to you, but you can determine your response,” DeAngelis said. “No one would ever wish that a Columbine (would) happen, but it did. And, so, how can I go out and help others?”

In the 25 years since the shooting at Columbine, mass shootings at schools have become tragically common.

DeAngelis has reached out to other school leaders in the wake of some of those tragedies, sharing advice on things that helped him — like going to counseling, nding a support system and taking care of one’s family and spouse.

umbine’ echoes in the halls of our school and in our hearts forever.”

Cindy said to this day, people will ask her how she and Crystal are doing and she’s grateful for the thoughtfulness of the community.

“ at just says how wonderful the community is,” Cindy said. “ at they still remember and they still have a heart for it all and still feel the pain and joy of it.”

“Our kids were on trajectory to go there,” Crystal said. “ ey were in the Columbine school district and there was a lot of pride even in my kids, sporting their Columbine sweatshirts and T-shirts, going to the football games and still showing up at Columbine because we love Columbine. ‘We are Col-

“I just talk about my journey and taking care of yourself,” he said. “(I talk) about where we were and lessons learned, but then also the recovery piece.”

Crystal said it’s important to remember that not all stories are “bright and cheery and happy.”  “ ere’s a lot of pain and people are still hurting deeply so we can’t forget those who are still thinking about it every single day,” Crystal said.

Crystal encourages people, especially in the Columbine community, to continue to reach out and support each other.

“Don’t do it alone, and know there are still people ghting on their behalf, love them and are here for them,” Crystal said. “We don’t forget the 13 beautiful lives that were lost. We don’t forget their families. We don’t forget to remember them because we carry them with us every single day. We carry their stories. We carry their legacies.”

the school for so many years, and what still drives his work in supporting and educating others today.

DeAngelis lives by his own advice. He still goes to counseling to take care of his well-being. Getting help and leaning on others are the main pieces of advice he gives to people recovering after tragedies.

“You’re not in the journey alone,” he said.

He said his remembrance of the 13 victims each morning helps drive him forward.

“ ey give me a reason to do what I’m doing,” he said.

He is also part of the Je Co/ DeAngelis Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting school and community safety. DeAngelis travels around the country, sharing wisdom with rst responders, administrators and students.

Part of the foundation, the Frank DeAngelis Center for Community Safety, trains law enforcement and school safety o cials to respond to emergencies in a real school environment. e center conducts about 200 training sessions a year, he said.

DeAngelis said his Catholic faith is a large part of what drives his work. He said there is no clear reason why his life was spared, but he believes God has a plan for it. at’s what drove him to stay at

He laments the world’s obsession with returning to the topic of the shooting at the school. DeAngelis said Columbine and the community that surrounds it, including its alumni, are focused on helping others, moving forward and working to make the world better.

Although he is not the principal anymore, DeAngelis is still intimately involved with the school and its community.

“I can assure you, 25 years later, our community is stronger than what it was,” he said. “Because that’s what happens when families go through troubled times or tragedy — they come together.”

What’s Happening in Je Co: Gov. Polis has words for Xcel Energy, Wheat Ridge is buying art and more

BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

is week in Je erson County, Gov. Jared Polis addresses Xcel Energy’s handling of recent power outages. Polis directs public utilities commission to explore issues stemming from Xcel Energy’s handling of power outages. Plus, the county’s tax collection dropo box is closed due to tampering and there’s still room for kids to sign up for a popular environmental discovery camp.

Much of Je erson County and the state experienced power issues during high wind weather events last week, which prompted Gov. Jared Polis to write a letter to Xcel Energy

to express his concerns and those of Xcel customers about the handling of those outages. e governor also directed the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to look into changes that would prevent future issues.

“During the days following the high winds event, I heard from many frustrated Coloradans who lost power for multiple days without a clear indication from Xcel when it would be restored – from businesses that could not operate and lost perishable inventories and income, from hospitals that struggled to respond to vulnerable community members, and from schools that had to close all day Monday,” Polis

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wrote in the letter. “Once again, the company failed to minimize outages and e ectively communicate with customers about an upcoming change that would impact people’s regular lives.”

Polis tasked the Colorado Public Utilities Commission with exploring reforms that would “protect customers in the e ect of future Public Safety Power Shuto s.” is e ort will include an investigation into the reasons why Xcel failed to inform customers about the outages during the April 6storms.

To read the full letter from Polis to Xcel Energy, visit Colorado.gov.

Property tax collection box closed due to tampering

foot, $16Kpublic art piece

e Wheat Ridge City Council approved the purchase of an art piece during a recent city council meeting. e piece, “Mechan and Celestial Vines” by artist Tyler Fuqua, was acquired through Wheat Ridge Ward Transit Oriented Development project funds.

e purchase price of $160,000 includes construction, design, installation and documentation, according to council minutes. It will be installed at Wheat Ridge Ward Station, 12000 Ridge Rd, Wheat Ridge by 2026.

According to project art consultant Kendall Peterson of ere Squared Denver, the selection process began in July 2023 with an orientation meeting followed by a national search for artists in August 2023. Fuqua’s piece was selected after a rigorous process that Peterson described during the council meeting.

Je co property owners will now have to drop o their tax payments inside the Je erson County Administration and Courts building in Golden after the property tax payment drop box, located just outside of the courthouse, was tampered with.

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We meet in person with extraordinary live music on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month from 10:30a.m. to noon at: Activity Options, 7401 W. 59th Ave., Arvada, 80003.

All other Sunday meetings are on zoom from 10:30a.m. to noon.

Please phone: 720-576-9193, or email: livingwaterspiritualcommunity@gmail.com

Our website is: www.livingwaterunity.org

To advertise your place of worship in this section, call Erin at 303-566-4074 or email

eaddenbrooke@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com

According to County Treasurer Jerry DiTullio, the contents of the drop box were not accessed, but the incident did cause great concern.

“ e perpetrators tried to drill out the lock twice in one night,” DiTullio said “I have decided that the risk to taxpayers associated with any potential theft of tax payments and fraud against taxpayers is too signi cant to ignore.”

DiTullio closed the box out of “an abundance of caution,” he said. “My department has closed and locked the external drop box to prevent any further public access. Plans are underway to have the drop box permanently removed by our facilities team.”

Je co taxpayers can still drop o their taxes inside the building. A drop box is located inside the front lobby of the courthouse. e box is accessible from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through ursday..

For more information on where and how to pay property taxes, call the County Treasurer’s O ce at 303-271-8330 or visit Je co.US/ Treasurer.

Wheat Ridge City Council selects 18-

According to Peterson, Fuqua’s piece was selected for its whimsy and innate safety features. For more information on the art piece, visit WheatRidgeSpeaks.org.

The Je erson County Pioneer Environmental Discovery Camp has spaces (and scholarship money)

e Eagle’s Nest Owl’s Roost Environmental Discovery Camp run by CSU Extension Je co has spaces and scholarship money for campers.

e camp is celebrating 50 years of serving the kids of Je erson County. According to the ENOR announcement, the camp began in 1970s and has pioneered education in outdoor skills and stewardship of local open spaces and trails for over 20,000 children “We have spots remaining and thousands of dollars in scholarships,” said Jeni Carter, county extension director e camp hosts four sessions from June 10 through July 12 and is open to any kid in the Denver Metro area entering the fourth through eighth grades. Cost is $350, but scholarships are available.

For more information, to register and to apply for scholarships, visit Je co.Extension.Colostate.edu.

Honoring public health champions

Je erson County Public Health hosts annual awards ceremony

BY JO DAVIS JDAVIS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Je erson County Public Health believes its partners are true champions. So, for the past 20 years, it has held an annual luncheon to celebrate and award them.

e Je erson County Public Health Champion Awards recognizes the health department’s partners and their projects that bene t public health in the county through the past year.

“Our 2023 Public Health Champions inspire us with their passion, com-

mitment and innovative approaches to improving health outcomes for all,” said Dr. Sarah Story, executive director at JCPH. “We extend our appreciation to all those who contribute to a better Je co, whether through their profession or volunteer e orts. Without their help, we couldn’t have a healthier tomorrow.”

e awards theme this year is “Protecting, Connecting and riving: We Are All Public Health.”

Four agencies and people were awarded for their work. ey are:

• Allison Rodasta of Lutheran Medical Center for spearheading the Family Connects program partnership with JCPH.

• e Je erson County Sheri ’s Ofce’s jail team for its disease mitigation programs, which included the Congenital Syphilis Elimination Program.

• e WeeCycle program team for its partnership with JCPH to donate baby supplies to the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) Program, hospitals and families throughout the county.

• Sprout City Farms for partnering with JCPH to combat food insecurity in the county with programs such as WIC and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP.

e awardees took home a small glass commemoration of the awards for their e orts.

Rodasta gave an acceptance speech describing the work that won her the JCPH Champions Award.

“My role is making sure that every baby born at Lutheran goes home with parents who are empowered with all of the resources and the tools and the support they need to be suc-

cessful,” Rodasta said. “It’s hard for me knowing that my time with the families ends when they walk out the doors of this building. So, to be able to hand them o to the capable hands of the Family Connects nurses – that not only gives to the families, but it’s been a peace of mind for me.”

Keynote speaker, Je erson County Manager Joe Kirby, said the groups assembled are ultimately ghting to protect the vulnerable people in Jefferson County.

“Many of the folks that we work with, they’re one paycheck away from being vulnerable, one poor decision away from being vulnerable,” Kirby said. He thanked the public o cials and partners present for all of their efforts.

For more information on the JCPH Champion Awards, go to Je erson County Public Health on YouTube.

Raleigh Greason a scoring machine for Ralston Valley

BY DENNIS PLEUSS JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Ralston Valley junior Raleigh Greason hit the 20th goal mark on April 9 at the North Area Athletic Complex.

Greason — the leading goal scorer in Class 5A — had a hat trick in the rst half in Ralston Valley’s 5A Je co League girls soccer opener against Pomona. e trio of goals, along with an assist, helped the Mustangs to a 10-0 victory.

“Raleigh gets better every single game,” Ralston Valley Head Coach Kamee Morwood said. “She practices like she wants to be a better version of herself tomorrow than she was today. She is a complete competitor.”

Greason had 21 goals and 14 assists last year as a sophomore. She had six goals and ve assists in her freshman year.

“My goal each year is to beat my previous year’s goal mark,” Greason said.

She is already nearing both of those marks from her junior season with 20 goals and eight assists through Ralston Valley’s rst nine games.

“She (Greason) is just an incredible player. She has everything,” Ralston Valley senior goalie Margot Mulhern said of Greason. “More importantly, she is a better person outside of the eld. She is an incredible leader and an incredible person to help lead our team.”

Greason did everything she could in the closing minutes to try to get Mulhern her rst goal of the season. e Mustangs’ normal starting goalie got the chance to play striker against Pomona.

After Greason already had her hat trick, she tried to set up Mulhern for her rst career high school goal.

“My biggest thing is I love scoring,” Greason said. “Setting up those girls who might not get the goal sometimes. Trying to help my teammates ful ll their goals is my goal as well.”

Mulhern did pick up a goal in the 43rd minute in the second half to give Ralston Valley a 9-0 lead. A goal by sophomore Ashlyn Calla-

e Mustangs are on a threegame winning streak as they begin their conference schedule. e overall goal for Ralston Valley (6-21, 1-0 in league) is to make a deep

“We have a complete package this year,” Morwood said of the Mustangs that were top-10 in the 5A CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index before the win Tuesday. “We have a lot of strong leaders that these (younger) girls are looking up to and want to be like. It is a team that has it in them to go deeper into the playo s than we

“We would love to make a deep run,” Mulhern said. “I believe we have the talent and more than anything I think we have the group of girls that love to play with each other. We have a real good team chemistry and very good team bond. I think more than anything, that’s important to make a deep

e Mustangs have a fairly young squad with just three seniors. However, there is a chance this could be the last high school season for Greason. e junior has already verbally committed to Texas

“I look forward to high school. I love it more than club,” Greason said when asked if she might graduate a semester early next school year and enroll in college before the Spring 2025 high school season. “We’ll have to see where it takes me. It’s an option I’m looking

Focusing on this season is clearly the main priority for Greason.

“You never know what is going to happen,” Greason said of the Mustangs’ postseason history that includes exits in the rst round her freshman year and second round last year. “ is year I’m hoping we make it really deep. I think with this team we can. One of my biggest dreams is winning state. at is what we are pushing for.”

han in the 50th minute ended the game due to the 10-goal mercy

Check MaxPreps.com for updated records and Ralston’s Valley’s remaining schedule.

Ralston Valley junior Raleigh Greason (9) drives toward the net during her hat trick on Tuesday, April 9, at the North Area Athletic Complex. Greason has 20 goals and 8 assists through the Mustangs’ first nine games this season.

PHOTO BY DENNIS PLEUSS JEFFCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Painting the Town Hall Arts Center ‘Red’

Most theaters take a similar approach to their seasons –it’s a blend of musicals and stage plays that usually run for about a month each. But at Littleton’s Town Hall Arts Center, they wanted to try something di erent.

Matthew Kepler, programming director, thought a wider audience could be reached by removing one of the six musical titles that make up their season and adding limited engagement productions that were more nuanced and intimate.

“I wanted the opportunity to produce titles that were powerful pieces of theatre, intrigued our current audience, appealed to audiences who didn’t view our typical o erings as interesting, and really spoke about the human condition, speci cally through the lens of the arts and how the arts a ect our humanity,” wrote Kepler in an email interview. “ ese productions aim to provoke deeper emotions, prompt critical thinking from alternate perspectives, and foster engagement with diverse communities that audience members may not typically encounter or understand.”

e latest entry in this series is “Red,” written by John Logan and directed by Kepler. It runs at the theater, 2450 Main St. in Littleton, from ursday, April 25 through Sunday, May 5. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. ursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday and Saturday, May 4. e show is about Latvian-American abstract painter Mark Rothko

COMING ATTRACTIONS

(Andrew Uhlenhopp) and his young, new assistant Ken (Josue Miranda). At the time of the show, Rothko is at the height of his powers but struggling with his latest commission – a series that will be showcased in New York’s brandnew Four Seasons restaurant.

“ roughout the narrative, Rothko and Ken engage in conversations about the essence of artistic creation and its connection to the human experience,” Kepler wrote. “Moreover, the play delves into generational tensions, exempli ed by the decline of Rothko’s Abstract Expressionist movement in the face of the rising popularity of Ken’s generation’s Pop Art movement. Rothko and Ken deliberate on themes such as the commercialization of visual art and its impact on the artist’s spiritual expression.”

“Red” is the perfect show for the Town Hall’s limited engagement approach, because it tells the story of a massively important creative person and highlights the importance of art in daily life. Plus, it’s just a very welltold story.

“In this modern day of technological distractions, there really is something so pure and precious about having actors bear their soul in front

of you. If you open yourself up to it, it truly is a moving experience,” Kepler explained. “I hope they engage intellectually with what they see and allow it to open a dialogue. You don’t have to be an artist to dig into these questions. Our interests and passions and hobbies are a part of our human expression and all play into the ideas that are confronted in the play.”

For information and tickets, visit https://townhallartscenter.org/.

Abigail Osborn Brings Intimate Performance to Northglenn

ere’s a reason music from the bedroom pop movement has become so popular in the last several years. ere’s an intimacy and relatability to the sounds these artists create, especially when paired with the fact that they are composing and writing everything themselves (often in, you guessed it, their rooms). One such artist is Abigail Osborn, who was born and raised in the Denver area and now lives in Los Angeles.

Osborn will be performing at the In the Studio, 1 E. Memorial Parkway in Northglenn, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 19. Get tickets at https://northglennarts.org/.

Walker Fine Art Strips the Creative Process Down

“Stripped,” the latest exhibition at the Walker Fine Art gallery, 300 W. 11th Ave., No. A, in Denver, explores the act of “reducing, distilling, tearing, removing and shredding,” as part of the creative process and what can

be made because of these actions. e show features the works of eresa Clowes, Doug Haeussner, Lee Heekin, Sandra Klein, Morgan Robinson and Zelda Zinn, and will be on display through Saturday, May 11. e artists work in a variety of mediums, including photography, mixed media, collage and steel, and provide a stirring window into the power of transformation.

More information can be found at www.walker neart.com/stripped.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Bluebird Music Festival at Macky Auditorium

I’d be hard-pressed to think of a better way to welcome the warm seasons of the year than with the beautiful folk music you’ll nd at the annual Bluebird Music Festival. is year’s festival features Gregory Alan Isakov, Je Tweedy (of Wilco), Joy Oladokun, Langhorne Slim, Andy Shauf and many more.

is year’s Bluebird Music Festival runs on Saturday, April 20, and Sunday, April 21, at Macky Auditorium, 1595 Pleasant St. in Boulder. e festival bene ts the Future Arts Foundation, which aims to improve communities through arts, music and environmental programs.

Find all the details and tickets at www.bluebirdmusicfestival.org.

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

Clarke Reader

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“I pray to them right before kicko and let them both know how thankful I am that I have the ability to play the game I love with her still in my life,” he said. “After every prayer right before kicko , I stand up and blow a kiss to her up in Heaven. I wear a chain with her birthstone and locket that contains her ashes every day, it lets me know that she’s close. I also have a tattoo on my left pec with her initials on it so she’s always close to my heart.”

“He is de nitely a one-of-a-kind dude,” Bulldog redshirt freshman halfback/tight end Brayton Dewell said. “As I came into college playing fullback, Anthony and I had the same position coach because o-line, tight ends and full backs were all together for meetings and that’s where we got to know each other.”

A friendship was quickly born.

“It didn’t take very long before we had become very good friends,” Dewell noted. “When I rst learned about what had happened with his mom … I was shocked because it is very hard to go through that, especially as a college athlete and being

away from home. But then knowing Anthony, I knew he could overcome it. He de nitely puts everything into the game of football and I know he is doing it for his mom and family and for the love of the game.”

Sophomore running back Brysen Kerby feels the same way.

“ e way I see Ant is: If you didn’t know about his story, you never would,” Kerby said. “He’s always a light and constantly making you laugh. e strength in his character de nitely shines through whether that be on the football eld or in everyday life. I’m positive that anyone who is and or was close to Anthony would be proud of the man he is today.”

So does redshirt junior halfback/ tight end Harley Blaske.

“ at’s amazing because I know what it’s like to lose a loved one,” Blaske said. “It’s tough but dedicating his game to his mom is unforgettable.”

Anthony’s team continues to rally around him.

“Anthony is an amazing guy,” redshirt freshman linebacker Kennedy Batchelder said. “He puts his all into everything he does. e man has nothing but love in his heart and spills it out on and o the eld.”

‘The best version of myself’

“I’d hope she’d be very proud of me and the man I am becoming,” Anthony said. “I try hard every day to become what she’s raised me to be. I’m not perfect as an individual and I make mistakes as all humans do, but I strive to be the best version of myself that I can be. I feel that she’d take pride in knowing that she played a huge part in what I’m trying to become.”

at includes continuing her legacy as a beacon of light to others, just like his mom was.

“Her legacy can only be carried by my sister and myself so it’s important to me because she was such an amazing woman, the most sel ess, loving, endearing person you’d ever meet,” Anthony said. “I can only hope to be half of who she was. ere wasn’t one person she said ‘no’ to helping and she did everything in her life with love in her heart. I can only try to replicate who she was.”

If he could see his mom one more time?

“I’d give her the tightest hug I could and tell her I loved her,” Anthony said. “ ere’s nothing in this world I’d want more than to be able to hug her one more time.”

Anthony’s Mom’s Day Story con-

cludes with this message to his mom who’s now among the Mount Rushmore of Mom Greats in Heaven.

“My message to her is I love her and I’m trying my hardest to be great,”

Anthony said. “It’s been hard the last few years without her, but I’m trying to learn and grow up to be the man I need to be. I know she knows that, and I know she’s still around because angels and souls from the past are absolutely real.”

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Operations Assistant

Colorado Community Media is hiring an Operations Assistant to work with managers and staff to ensure tasks are completed as needed.

We believe that a creative, learning environment staffed with talented people who want to grow and utilize the newest and best tools will result in a dynamic and successful culture that has a positive impact on our clients’ businesses and our community. Our brand is one of the most trusted in the communities we serve. We’ve built this reputation by providing award-winning news coverage and top-notch customer service, and by being engaged in our communities at all levels.

The ideal candidate will possess the following:

• Be an excellent multi-tasker working on several projects simultaneously.

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• Possess an understanding of all Microsoft Office products.

• Perform administrative tasks i.e. updating reports, delivering items as needed and more.

• Excellent customer service and communication skills.

Join our team, working from our Englewood office and remote. This position offers competitive pay starting at $17.50/per hour and a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision. Life and paid holiday, vacation, sick and personal time.

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Interested applicants can submit a resume and cover letter with references to VP of Sales and Advertising Erin Addenbrooke at eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

You are invited to the 19th Annual Ethics in Business Awards luncheon

Friday, May 17, 2024, 11:30 am, Denver Marriott West hotel, 1717 Denver West Marriott Blvd, Golden

The Rotary Club of Golden has conducted the Ethics in Business Awards program since 2006. The Club solicits nominations from the public of local organizations, both for-profit and not-for-profit, and students in the Ethics class at the Colorado School of Mines select the winners.

Award winners and nominees will be announced and honored at the luncheon, which is normally attended by over 200 local business and community leaders.

The keynote speaker at the luncheon will be Paul C. Johnson, President, Colorado School of Mines. The emcee is the always-popular Ed Greene.

To register for the luncheon, go to ethics.goldenrotary.org/2024-eib-award-luncheon/

Help celebrate Ethics in Business!