Douglas County steps up wildfire fight
Commissioners approve ‘call-when-needed’ agreements with multiple aerial operators
BY JULIA KING SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Douglas County is doubling down on wild re preparedness as the only county in the state with its own dedicated helitack team — a crew that uses helicopters to suppress wild res, often in hard-to-reach areas.
At an April 8 meeting, the county commissioners approved public service contracts with multiple aerial re suppression vendors, adding to a growing arsenal of support options. e contracts, each capped at $100,000 and structured as “callwhen-needed,” will only be activated and paid for if their services are used.
ose deals complement an earlier contract approved in January that will provide a “hawk-level” helicopter on an exclusive basis to Douglas County for a minimum of 168 days, seven days a week, from May 17 through Oct. 31, said Mike Alexander, director of emergency management at the Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce.
“We are the only locally sponsored helitack program in the state of Colorado,” Alexander said.
Other helitack programs exist, but they are either funded and sponsored by the State Division of Fire Prevention and Control, the U.S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management.
Wild re risk maps from the U.S. Forest Service consistently rank parts of California and Colorado among the most high-risk regions in the nation. Commissioner Abe Laydon said the e ort to bolster Douglas County’s aerial resources re ects its aggressive approach to re mitigation. “ e number one potential threat to Douglas County is the threat of wild res,” Laydon said.
“One square mile in Douglas County represents over $150 million in property values. We know that a catastrophic wild re can be just around the corner.”
Douglas County’s helitack team responded to 34 wild res last year, including nine outside of county lines. Despite the ramp-up in resources, the county didn’t need to raise taxes to fund its wild re mitigation e orts — relying instead on a combination of American Rescue Plan Act funds and general fund dollars, according to Laydon.
Women’s
group puts focus on volunteerism Event in Elbert will highlight needs of many local service groups
BY NICKY QUINBY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
e Elbert Woman’s Club (EWC) is hosting its rst-ever Meet Your Local Volunteers Event, set for 8 a.m. to noon on April 27 at the Russell Gates Mercantile Building in Elbert during the group’s regularly scheduled monthly breakfast. It’s an opportunity for local organizations to share about what they do and hopefully attract new volunteers.
Wendy Walp, EWC treasurer, said the Woman’s Club is a volunteer group and recognizes that other nonpro ts also need volunteers. Several groups have been asked to “work” the EWC breakfast and use the time to share info about their groups, she said.
“Some of these groups are struggling and didn’t have enough help to ll the kitchen with helpers,” Walp went on. e idea is to give each organization a table to set up with their information as well as provide one volunteer to help with the breakfast.
Walp has been volunteering her own time for years. “I give of my time, talents and treasures, because I have met so many amazing people,” she said.
Spending time helping and supporting those around you also creates a community when you might not otherwise have one, Walp added: “When you live in a rural environment, it is really easy to feel all alone. When raising children without family around to help, it is so important to have others to help out. Personally, I do not have any of my family around, but I don’t feel alone, as I feel like a part of the community, which has become my family.”
“Volunteering helps you know what is going on around your community as well as our county,” Walp added. “To make us wellrounded, fully supporting adults [and fully] supported adults, we need to give of ourselves to make it all happen.”
Subject to change, a few of the organizations that will be present include:
• Burro Base Camp
Douglas County’s helitack team, the only locally sponsored program of its kind in Colorado, works to suppress wildfires across the region.
Parker students learn about organ donations
Cimarron
Middle School community honors Molly Corlett
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITY
For the three years that Molly Corlett attended Cimarron Middle School, she walked by the agpole outside of the school every day on her way to class.
In 2022, Molly, at the age of 23, unexpectedly died from an undetected medical condition.
On April 11, hundreds of students, sta and community members joined Molly’s mother, Cindy, in raising a ag at the school to honor Molly and the countless others who said “yes” to being an organ, eye and tissue donor.
“We continue to think about the ripple that has in this world for generations,” Cindy said, sharing words that Molly believed in. “Even on your worst day, you can be a blessing to others.”
Molly had an arteriovenous malformation, also known as AVM. is condition is a tangle of blood vessels in which arteries and veins are directly connected, disrupting the normal ow of blood and oxygen to the tissues.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, most people with AVMs will never have any problems, however, they are prone to rupture and this can cause bleeding in the brain.
When Molly turned 16 and got her driver’s license, she told her mom that she checked “yes” to be an organ donor. Cindy remembers that conversation.
“I honestly did not think much more about it because she was 16, and I just didn’t think that that would become the reality a few short years later,” Cindy said.
For Cindy and her family, their worst day became someone else’s best day. rough the Donor Alliance organization, Molly donated six organs and helped save the lives of ve people.
Devastation for one, joy for another
Donor Alliance is a nonpro t that facilitates organ and tissue donation for transplantations across Colorado and part of Wyoming. Currently, there are more than 1,300 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.
A registered donor can save up to eight lives through organ donations, and can save up to 75 lives through a tissue donation.
e organization has seen an increase in donors over the past few years. In 2023, more than 300 organ donors from across the state and Wyoming resulted in 918 organ transplants, according to its website. is re ects a 10.6% increase from 2022.
When a donation occurs in a hospital, a Donate Life ag is often own to honor the gift of life. But throughout the month of April, the organization goes beyond the hospitals and into communities.
As part of National Donate Life Month, Cimarron Middle School dedicated an entire week in April to learning about Donor Alliance, which included science lessons on organs and transplants.
Additionally, eighth graders were educated on why it’s important to have a conversation with their family about the meaning behind checking “yes” when getting their driver’s license.
e idea to bring more awareness to the importance of organ donations came from a student’s parent, who met with Principal Chris Zimmerman. e parent, Melanie Merrill, wouldn’t have met
her son, Pochie, if it weren’t for an organ donation. He was an infant in foster care when he was admitted to the hospital. Born with a rare disease, Pochie’s liver was failing and was in need of an organ transplant.
At that time, Merrill was working in the transplant department and got to care for him. She formally adopted Pochie in 2015.
“It’s really important to recognize that without the gift of life that families such as Molly’s and other people give, Pochie and other people would not be alive today,” Merrill said.
Pochie joined Cindy in raising the Donate Life ag in front of the school on April 11.
“It’s nice to have both sides,” said Cindy. “ e organ donor family feels the devastation and the recipients get the joy.”
Molly’s mark on Cimarron Middle School
Following the ag-raising ceremony, Cindy, who is a former assistant vice principal of Cimarron Middle School, and her eldest daughter, Megan, were brought to the gymnasium where they were surprised with the Molly’s Miracles logo painted on the wall.
“We prayed for a miracle for Molly. We didn’t get the miracle we wanted, but Molly gave a miracle to ve other families,” Cindy said. “We decided that we would try to nd many, many miracles in the world and spread her light in the world.”
e family created a charitable organization called mollysmiracles.org to encourage others to engage in acts of kindness and service.
One of the things that the family found after Molly’s death was a small tin full of hand-written gratitude cards.
“We carried that message on to our students,” said Zimmerman. “ ey wrote notes to a person and they gave that gratitude to the person.”
Attending Cimarron Middle School is what helped Molly become who she was, said CIndy and Megan.
“A lot of people think middle school is this weird and awkward time in life, but Molly fully embraced it,” said Megan. “She left her mark on this school, and now there’s an actual mark left here, which is so special. It means the world.”
Whether it was education, extracurricu-
lar activities or volunteering, Molly was actively involved in anything she could do. She played in jazz band, participated in the spelling bee and ran cross country where she became a 16-time varsity letter winner at Chaparral High School.
“More than that, she was a really kindhearted person,” said CIndy. “She was
thoughtful, she took care of others, she placed others before herself, always.”
e mural on the wall is a reminder to Megan that even though Molly was the younger sibling, she was still a role model.
“She was always teaching me how to be a better person,
gan
how to live this life,” Me-
said.
Cindy Corlett, Cimarron Middle School’s former assistant vice principal, and student Pochie raise a Donate Life flag at the end of the school’s Donor Alliance week. PHOTOS BY HALEY LENA
In the gymnasium of Cimarron Middle School is the Molly’s Miracles logo painted on the wall.
Holding a photo of Molly Corlett who unexpectedly passed away in 2022, Megan and her mom Cindy stand outside of Cimarron Middle School during a flag raising ceremony on April 11.
Next Week Colorado Homeowners Will Receive
During the first week of May in every odd numbered year, Colorado’s county assessors are required to notify every property owner of the full valuation which the assessor has assigned to each property. Unless revised downward through the statemandated appeal process, that valuation will be the basis of the property tax charged for that year and the following year.
Updated
Property Valuations From Their County Assessors
The valuation you receive by letter or postcard is the assessor’s best guess as to what your property might have sold for on June 30th of the previous (even-numbered) year. That assumes, however, that the condition of your home is the same on Jan. 1st of this year and next year as it was on June 30th of last year. If your house is bigger or smaller as of January 1st, that year’s valuation and therefore your property taxes must be adjusted accordingly.
The system actually depends on your participation in correcting the assessor’s valuation which was the result of a computer-driven “mass appraisal” system, because there’s no way that the assessor’s staff of human appraisers could create a valuation for every home in your county. Those appraisers will, however, read or listen to your appeal of the valuation which their system generated for your home.
Bottom line, therefore, is that you owe it to yourself and to the county to help the assessor come up with the proper valuation for your home. So how do you do that?
So how do you do that? For commercial properties, which pay roughly four times the
property tax per $100,000, a whole industry has arisen to help property owners (for a fee) get their valuations reduced. Residential taxes are so much lower that those professionals don’t solicit business from residential property owners to assist them in arguing for lower valuations and thereby lower property taxes.
The county assessors are expected to make it easy for property owners to determine whether they correctly estimated your home’s value as of June 30, 2024. For Douglas County, your first step is to visit the assessor’s website https:// douglas.co.us/assessor/, where you can click on the link for 2025/2026 Property Valuation.
For Arapahoe County, the website is https:// arapahoeco.gov/your_county/county_departme nts/assessor/property_search/ but it is not nearly as user friendly as Douglas County’s.
If your home is in a different county, Google that county assessor’s website and the process should be similar to what I describe below.
On the assessor’s web page for your own home, you should be able to look for qualified neighborhood sales that occurred during the eligible period, which is the 24 months prior to June 30, 2024. If you find a good comp to use in your appeal, you need to “time adjust” its sale price. Douglas County does that calculation for you on each comp.
Time adjustment is based on how much homes increased in value during those 24 months. The Arapahoe County assessor will announce the average percentage increase (I’m guessing 2%) in values from June 30, 2022 to June 30, 2024 for that county. Divide that by 24 months to get the increase in values for residential properties per month. That “time adjusted” price is what you need to cite in your appeal.
Note: If, by chance, you bought your home
Celebrate Earth Day With Free Film Screenings This Saturday
The Colorado Environmental Film Festival (CEFF), which I wrote about and co-sponsored in February, returns to the Green Center on the Colorado School of Mines campus this Saturday, April 26th, 1 to 3 pm, for a screening of two environmental films. Admission is free, although a contribution of $12 or more is encouraged.
The first film is Peaks to Prairie and is described as follows: “In Boulder County, an ambitious initiative harnesses the power of nature to combat climate challenges in the peaks and prairie ecosystem. As megafires rage across the Western U.S., millions of acres of nearby agricultural prairies remain degraded, stripped of the nutrients vital for a thriving landscape. To address these challenges, three ecological partners—Boulder Watershed Collective, Grama Grass & Livestock, and Boulder Mushroom—have come together in a pioneering effort to restore the land.”
The second film is Common Ground (43 minutes). It’s described as follows: “From the creators of Kiss the Ground (CEFF’s 2021 Best of the Fest), this eye-opening film explores the regenerative farming movement and its potential to heal the soil, reverse climate change, and restore human health. Featuring passionate farmers, activists, and thought leaders, Common Ground offers a hopeful vision for the future of our planet— and the role we all play in shaping it.”
This nicely updated and well-maintained condo at 10259 W. 55th Drive is in the Skyline Estates subdivision east of Kipling between the campus of Red Rocks Community College’s Arvada campus and the athletic fields on 58th Avenue. When you look out the bedroom window or from the enclosed patio between mature evergreen trees, all you see in greenbelt, a children’s playground and those athletic fields. No traffic noise, just the sounds of birds enjoying our spring weather! This condo is in great condition, as you’ll see when you come to my open
this
The screenings are followed by an audience chat “to dive deeper into the stories, themes, and action steps from each film.”
The Green Center is located at 924 16th Street in downtown Golden. Street and lot parking is free on weekends. I put a link for ordering tickets for as little as $0 on our blog, http://RealEstateToday.substack.com. There are trailers you can click on for each film.
Lennar to Build 1,500 Denver Area Homes Using Geothermal Energy
Lennar, one of the nation’s biggest home builders, announced recently that it is going to build 1,500 homes in the Denver area using geothermal energy to heat and cool them. It’s likely that these will be all-electric homes, although that was not mentioned, since gas will not be needed for space or water heating.
Dandelion Energy is the builder’s partner in the project, using heat pumps to extract heat from the ground in the winter and to extract heat from the homes in the summer. Each home will have its own individually drilled geothermal wells, which surprised me. If the homes are close together, a community geothermal system might make more economic sense.
The goal is to complete the 1,500 homes by the end of 2026, making it the largest residential deployment using geothermal so far.
April
on or close to June 30, 2024, don’t assume that your purchase price will be the assessor’s valuation of your home, because, regardless of what you paid for your home on June 30, 2024, its valuation is based on what eligible comps indicate it should have sold for. Your home will be only one of three or more comps that the assessor uses to value your home.
Using the procedure described above, it’s possible that your home was valued correctly, but if it was overvalued, you need to appeal using a form that is hopefully on the assessor’s website.
Your form is due in the assessor’s office by June 8, 2025, so you’ll want to mail it by June 1st if you can’t deliver it in person to the assessor’s office. My recommendation is always to request an in-person meeting with the assessor’s office. You can make an appointment or simply show up and wait in line, if it’s like my county.
Spend some time surfing around your county assessor’s website to learn about the appeal process.
Remember above all, the intention is to
This Ad Will Appear Bi-Weekly Instead of Weekly, Starting This Week
Writing the articles for this full-page “advertorial” has been my privilege and passion for over two decades, but I have decided to give myself a break and publish every other week instead of weekly so I can devote more time to my thriving real estate practice and family life. All 26 newspapers in which it appears have graciously allowed me to make this change, and I look forward to having next week “off”! Look for me to return every other week starting now. On those “off” weeks, including May 1st, I’ll be publishing half-page ads on related topics. In next week’s ad, I start a series on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Look for it on this page.
determine what your home was worth on June 30, 2024, not what it is worth today! Your taxes for both 2025 and 2026 will only be based on what your home was worth back then!
My Mustang EV Is a Fine Replacement for My Tesla
A couple months ago, I reported that I had traded in my Tesla Model Y (which I loved) for the Ford Mustang Mach E after testdriving multiple other brands, including Chevrolet, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia and Nissan. Now that I’ve put 1,000 miles on my Mustang, and knowing that many readers may be thinking of trading in their Teslas, I thought it time to play automotive critic and write a review of the Mustang.
A few years ago, I spent 2 weeks driving an F-150 Lightning, which I liked, so I knew I would like the Mustang. Its “BlueCruise” hands-free driving, which only works on divided highways, is quite nice, but not worth (to me) the $50/month subscription fee after my three months’ free trial. It’s nowhere near as nice as Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” which I reviewed favorably in my Nov. 21, 2024, column and which costs twice times as much ($99 per month or $8,000 purchase).
Without “BlueCruise,” there is lane-keeping and adaptive cruise control which can be used on city streets and arterials. The lanekeeping is not as effective as in the Tesla, wandering to the very edges of lanes instead of keeping strictly to the center, and it gives out on sharper curves, which Tesla is great at. But what I prefer about Ford’s lane-keeping is that it’s automatic. When I break the lanekeeping to change lanes, it locks into the new lane without me having to set it again.
The adaptive cruise control is much better than Tesla’s, because when the posted speed limit changes, it automatically resets the set speed. Since I set it for 10 mph over the speed
limit, when it resets, it sets the new speed control accordingly. Not true on the Tesla.
My favorite feature is the “1-Pedal” setting for driving. This uses regenerative braking to slow down the car at a good rate when you release the accelerator pedal. And when it comes to a stop, it holds the car whether on an incline or not. The best thing about it is that once I have set it to “1-Pedal” driving, it is already set every time I drive. (It’s not the factory default setting, which is with minimal regenerative braking and unwanted “creep” as if you were driving a conventional car.)
The “frunk” is not as big as in any Tesla, but it’s bigger than other brands of EV, some of which have no front storage at all.
Like the newer Teslas, there is no need for a key fob (although they give you two), because your phone is your key. Instead of door handles, you touch a button above each door, which pops the door open enough to pull on it. There’s a smartphone app. It’s useful, but not as complete as Tesla’s.
There’s an EV round-up happening in the Arvada United Methodist Church’s lot at 68th and Carr St. this Sunday, April 27, from 9 to noon. I’ll have my car there if you’d like to get a closer look. Also, I wrote more about it at http://RealEstateToday.substack.com
Charities Which Used Our Free Box Truck Miss It. Our GoFundMe Campaign Is Off to a Good Start.
Back in February, I announced that our truck needed a new engine and other repairs and that we decided to retire it instead. This was a big loss to such non-profits as Operation Feed the Troops, Family Promise, BGoldN, Christian Action Guild, Buffalo Bill Days, and the International Rescue Committee, among others, which used the truck more often than our clients!
The truck is off the road but still available to be repaired. So far, we’ve received over $2,000 in donations. If you’d like to contribute, visit www.BringItBack.info. Thanks!
Review:
Parker mom honors deceased son through the literary world
Book sales help support suicide prevention and awareness charities
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITY
Ever since she can remember, Parker resident Jill Marks has had a love for reading and writing.
She remembers her fth-grade teacher introducing her to “ e Hobbit,” and learning big words through the Lockheed Martin technical documents that her mom read for work.
“I’ve always had a love for words,” Marks said.
After years of trying to cope with the loss of her son, Marks looked to her longtime passion to help turn her pain into an ongoing adventure while keeping her son’s memory alive.
Marks’ son, Guy, was a light in her life. He loved DC Comics — Batman being his favorite — was a hard worker, graduated from Chaparral High school and, at 6-foot-7, he was the one the family would call to reach the top of the Christmas tree.
“ e easiest way to describe Guy was that he was younger than his years,” Marks said.
But he also faced di culties. Guy was diagnosed with borderline Asperger’s syndrome and throughout school, he often had to face bullies.
After graduating from high school, Guy moved to Oregon. en on May 11, 2017, Guy took his own life at the age of 18.
Every month on the 11th, rain or shine, Marks goes out to Seven Stones Chat eld Cemetery to spend time with her son, who is buried under a Crimson Spire Oak tree. e sunglasses he used to wear all the time remain in the branches of the tree.
“It’s tall and skinny like him,” Marks said of the tree.
ree years ago, while sitting in front of her son’s headstone, which reads, “warrior up,” Marks began to tell Guy what his life would have been like had he lived. e scenario entailed Guy earning his CNA license and a degree in physical therapy, and marrying a woman with
whom he traveled the world to help children.
A few months after her son’s death, Marks adopted a blue and brown eyed, 6-year-old shih poo named Princess Buttercup and there was an immediate bond. A year later, she got another dog named Westley.
It was a February morning in 2024 when Marks woke up and had the idea to write a story that included her dogs and family. She grabbed a notebook and pen, and within ve hours, “ e Travels of Princess Buttercup and Westley: Bye-Bye to New York” was born.
“It just came to me,” said Marks. “It incorporates my love for my fur babies and the love for my family.”
Marks started her own publishing company, Bubbles Publishing Limited, found an illustrator and taught herself how to format the book. e rst book holds a photo of her children and real dogs as a dedication.
is year, Marks released her second book, “ e Travels of Princess Buttercup and Westley: Bye-Bye to Great Britain.
Both books are inspired by one of her favorite memories of spending time with her family. When Guy was 15, the family
spent 24 hours in New York, immediately followed by 10 days in Great Britain.
In the books, dad Mike, mom Jill, and children Lilly and Guy travel with Princess Buttercup and Westley to explore iconic landmarks, castles and villages. roughout the books, Westley overcomes his trepidation by trying new things, and learns that saying “bye-bye” to home isn’t always a bad thing.
Marks hopes the books will inspire kids and their families to travel the world, just as she has been doing in the past few years.
Based on her travels to South Africa, Marks’ next book will be “ e Travels of Princess Buttercup and Westley: Bye-Bye to South Africa.”
She also hopes the books will help kids
learn vocabulary, as well as about di erent cultures. She includes bigger words throughout the books, and on the sides of the paragraphs are “Big Word Bubbles” with the big word in it and a description of what the word means.
For example, she has “pranced means bouncy steps,” and “exploration means to look around.”
Writing these books has been part of Marks’ healing process and a way for her to feel close to her son. e books will allow Guy to “live forever in the literary world,” Marks said.
“ e Travels of Princess Buttercup and Westley” books are available on Amazon. A portion of the proceeds are donated to suicide prevention and awareness charities.
Jill Marks, a Parker resident, reads her second book, “The Travels of Princess Buttercup and Westley: Bye-Bye to Great Britain,” at The Studio at Mainstreet in downtown Parker.
PHOTO BY HALEY LENA
Guy Marks’ senior photo from Chaparral High School. COURTESY OF JILL MARKS
Other Front Range counties are also strengthening their wild re response strategies, though they’re taking di erent approaches.
For example, Je erson County is working to secure funding for ground-based re mitigation and suppression crews. e Je co sheri ’s o ce has identi ed resources needed for a more comprehensive response program, including suppression resources like crews and engines, and has submitted proposals and funding requests, according to Mark Techmeyer, director of public a airs for the sheri ’s o ce. Boulder County does not have an aviation program of its own “primarily because of the costs associated with such resources,” said Seth McKinney, re management o cer in Boulder County.
Instead, Boulder relies on mutual aid agreements and the nearby state and federal helitack resources based in Broom eld, and the county has a “large, dedicated” workforce of re ghters trained in both engine and handcrew operations.
It’s not necessarily critical for every county to have its own helicopter, Laydon said. Ultimately, Douglas County envisions a more collaborative approach to expanding re mitigation infrastructure across the Front Range. at could mean working with nearby counties to jointly fund and base a Type 1 “ rehawk-level” helicopter, Alexander said. Unlike
state or federal assets that can be deployed elsewhere, this aircraft would be dedicated to Front Range counties contributing to the partnership.
“ is would be a tremendous boost to our re response capability,” Alexander said. “ e nice thing about this concept is this helicopter would be dedicated to these counties, as opposed to our state and federal partners ... which have jurisdictions far, far larger than just the metro region.”
With warmer days ahead, the area is bracing for an active re season.
On April 12, a U.S. Forest Service helicopter responded to a wild re near the Turkey Tracks Shooting Range in Douglas County — an early reminder of what may come.
“ e current long-range forecasts predict a drier and warmer-thanaverage start to summer,” said Alexander. “ at can tend to lead to an increase in re activity.”
Still, he noted, forecasts can shift quickly.
“Mother Nature has her way of changing things as soon as we think we know what she’s doing,” Alexander said. “Weather can change. Welcome to Colorado.”
Last year was Douglas County’s busiest wild re season yet for helicopter deployments. Since 2006, Douglas County has seen about a 60% increase in the ve-year average re occurrence.
e county is o ering a 50% costshare program to residents who are willing to clear wild re-prone vegetation — such as dry brush and Gambel oak — from their properties. So far, the initiative has helped mitigate over 1,500 acres.
Douglas County’s helitack team in action. Pictured is the team responding to the 2024 Twin Forks fire on US 285 in Je erson County. COURTESY OF DOUGLAS COUNTY HELITACK EMPLOYEES
ELBERT
• Dads of Elbert County
• Elbert Alumni
• Elbert Booster Club
• Elbert County Agricultural Alliance
• Elbert County Noxious Weed Advisory Board
• Elbert County Republican Group / Woman’s Group
• Elbert County — We the People
• Elbert Creekside 4-H
• Elbert FFA
• Elbert Fire Foundation
• Elbert Friends of the Library / Pines & Plains Libraries Foundation / Seedy Ladies
• Elbert Parks & Recreation
• Elbert School Board
• Elbert Town Committee
• Elbert Woman’s Club / Master Gardeners
• Kiowa Conservation District
• Public Health Department — Sarah Macintosh
• Textile Guild
e EWC Sunday Breakfast is a fundraiser to help restore and preserve the Russell Gates Mercantile Building in Elbert. Tickets for adults cost $12.50 apiece and kids ages 3 to 12 are $6.25. Children under 3 are free.
e Elbert Woman’s Club was established in 1925. rough their regular events and consistent community involvement they’ve been a central part of the Elbert County community. ey host monthly breakfasts, bingo nights, and more. For more information about the EWC and upcoming events, visit elbertwomansclub.com or facebook. com/TownofElbert.
CLEAR VISION
Savannah Hadley, left, and Maisey Petersen, volunteers from the Elbert Chapter of the Future Farmers of America, help at a recent Elbert County Woman’s Club Pancake Breakfast.
The invitation to the Elbert Woman’s Club April 27 “Meet Your Local Volunteers Event” set for the Russell Gates Mercantile Building.
DIA to hike parking costs
Garages will cost $7 per hour, among other increases
BY ISABEL GUZMAN ISABEL@COTLN.ORG
Denver International Airport — one of the world’s busiest airports that generates over $47.2 billion annually, according to the 2025 Colorado Economic Impact Study — will implement new parking rates at several of its parking facilities beginning on May 14.
e update includes increased fees for most parking options, and a reduced daily rate for Premium Reserve parking.
DIA o cials say these adjustments follow a 44.5% rise in parking management and shuttle expenses over the past three years. e new rates were set after benchmarking, or comparing DIA prices against other major airports and
local o -airport parking providers. e airport last raised parking rates in July 2022.
“Raising parking fees enables us to continue investing in our parking infrastructure and improve the overall customer experience,” said Mark Nagel, DIA’s senior vice president of parking and commercial transportation. “Planned upgrades include better lighting, enhanced accessibility, and improved security features.”
e additional revenue from these changes — estimated to be more than $3 million per month — will also help DIA maintain competitive airline rates, supporting continued growth in ight options for the community.
For more details on parking locations and real-time availability, visit DIA’s parking information page at ydenver.com/parking-and-transportation/parking-lots.
PARKER’S FAVORITE WEEKEND!
Shopping H FOOD H EXHIBITS
FUN THINGS TO DO:
• Live Music, Festival Food, Shopping
• Street Performers, Free Kids Crafts
• Carnival Rides, Water Bubbles
• Bungy, Nerf Terf, In atables
TURF PROS SOLUTION EAST MUSIC Stage
Music All Day — Highlights
Friday 6:00 pm: Blinker Fluid Band
8:00 pm: HILLBILLY DEMONS
Saturday 5:30 pm: Chris Daniels & the Kings 8:00 pm: WOODLAND PARK
Sunday 3:30 pm: THE THREADBARONS 6:00 pm: JEWEL AND THE ROUGH
MAIN STAGE – Music All Day — Highlights
Friday, June 13 presented by 6:30 pm: Ten Years Gone • 8:30 pm: PATRICK & THE LVB
Saturday, June 14 presented by 6:00 pm: GLITTER • 8:30 pm: LAST MEN ON EARTH
Sunday, June 15 presented by 4:00 pm: Duey & Unbroken • 6:30 pm: THOSE CRAZY NIGHTS
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:
CARNIVAL RIDES & GAMES: presented by
BUY DISCOUNTED UNLIMITED CARNIVAL RIDE WRISTBANDS ONLINE
Single-Day Unlimited Carnival Rides: $40 each
Good any one day during the festival
Sold online through 12 noon Wed. June 11
4-Day MEGA Unlimited Carnival Rides: $95 each
Good all 4 days of the festival
PURCHASE DURING THE FESTIVAL
Single-Day Unlimited Carnival Rides: $45 each
TICKETS FOR INDIVIDUAL RIDES
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PHOTO BY ISABEL GUZMAN
Former
Republican Lopez makes 3rd run for governor
Parker mayor, 4th CD
stand-in says ‘We can’t a ord to sit back’
BY CAITLYN KIM CPR NEWS
Republican Greg Lopez is hoping the third time’s the charm.
He’s joining an increasingly crowded eld of candidates and launching another bid for governor.
“It feels like we’re losing the Colorado we love, but we don’t have to accept this,” Lopez said in a videotaped announcement. He highlighted a ordability issues, public safety and government regulations. “ e future of Colorado is on the line. We can’t a ord to sit back.”
His message also stressed political unity.
“We’ve been told we must pick sides, we’re too di erent to work together. But I don’t believe that for a second. We don’t need more political games, we need real leadership,” he said.
Lopez touted, “people over politics,” in his gubernatorial launch, saying it was a movement “about listening, not dividing.”
It’s a phrase that’s been used by congressional Democrats in the last few years.
Earlier this year, Lopez nished a short term-stint as a member of Congress. He was elected in a 2024 special election to nish the rest of GOP Rep. Ken Buck’s term in the Republican-stronghold 4th Congressional District.
He touted himself as a place holder candidate during the vacancy committee
Lopez ran for the Republican nomination for governor in 2022, losing out to Heidi Ganahl in the primary. In 2018, he came in third in the Republican primary.
He was also the lead plainti in a case last year to try to overturn Colorado’s limits on campaign contributions, which was seen as a sign that Lopez planned to try again to be the state’s chief executive.
Lopez was elected the mayor of Parker
interest rules.
e current governor, Democrat Jared Polis, is term-limited.
e last time a Republican was elected governor of Colorado was in 2002, when Bill Owens won his second term.
A number of Republicans have already entered the race, including state Sen. Mark Baisley, state Rep. Scott Bottoms
REVERSE MORTGAGES
and Teller Country Sheri Jason Mikesell. Two Democrats have also entered the race: U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Attore primary is about 14 months away. is story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and e Colorado Sun, and shared with news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Greg Lopez speaks during the GOP assembly at the Broadmoor World Arena on Saturday, April 9, 2022, in Colorado Springs.
PHOTO BY HUGH CAREY/THE COLORADO SUN
PHOTO BY LUCAS BRADY WOODS/KUNC
Sand Creek memorial coming to Capitol steps
Statue replacing Civil War soldier that was removed in 2020
BY LUCAS BRADY WOODS KUNC
In front of descendants of Sand Creek Massacre survivors, Colorado lawmakers unanimously greenlighted a memorial sculpture to commemorate the 1864 atrocity at the State Capitol.
“Our hope is that this memorial will be a turning point when Colorado says, ‘We are not afraid to confront our past because we believe in a just and honest future,’” said Sen. Kyle Mullica, a ornton Democrat and sponsor of the memorial resolution.
Both chambers unanimously approved the proposal for the project that will be built in front of the west steps of the building, overlooking Civic Center Park and downtown Denver.
e bipartisan resolution was co-sponsored in the Senate by Cheyenne Wells’ Republican Rod Pelton. In the House, it was sponsored by Democratic Rep. Tammy Story and Republican Rep. Ty Winter.
e memorial will comprise of a massive, 24-foot-tall sculpture of an Arapaho chief, a Cheyenne chief and a Native American woman holding a child.
e current plan is for the sculpture replace a Civil War statue that was pulled down by protestors in 2020. e location, right in front of the iconic Capitol building, has been boarded o since.
e 1864 Sand Creek Massacre is possibly the worst atrocity in Colorado history. About 250 Arapaho and Cheyenne civilians, mostly women, children and the elderly, were killed by U.S. troops along Colorado’s eastern plains, near the modern day town of Eads.
Otto Braided Hair is a representative for the Northern Cheyenne and a descendant of Sand Creek Massacre victims. He was on the Senate oor during Monday’s vote on the resolution.
“ ere’s got to be some kind of acknowledgement. at’s a beginning of the healing,” said Braided Hair. “When we rst went to go set up the work on the massacre site, they were unfriendly. Today, the Cheyenne and Arapaho nations are recognized, acknowledged, both unanimous support from the House side and Senate side. And I’m just beside myself.”
Braided Hair and other Sand Creek victims’ descendants have been working for decades to memorialize the massacre at the Capitol. Coming more than a century and a half after the initial event, they say this is just one step in the healing process.
“Restorative justice. is is a good step towards that. We’re not there yet. We still got a long way, but this is a good step,” said Chris Tall Bear, also a descendant of the massacre’s victims and a member of both the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes.
About a dozen other Cheyenne and Arapaho community members joined Tall Bear and Braided Hair to witness the resolution’s passage.
e artist, Gerald Anthony Shippen, said he wants the piece to invoke heroism.
“I’m a conduit, you know, to carry this forth,” said Shippen, who is from Wyoming. “ is is a statue that represents the people who have survived. e gures will be seven feet tall. So that makes them heroic. e tepee, at about 23 feet tall. at’s pretty much life size, you know, for a tepee.”
e memorial will be installed in 2026.
is story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS and e Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
We partner with some of the best enrichment providers in Colorado to put together a variety of camps in theater, art, science, and more to give kids unique opportunities to explore the world of culture through creativity! Half-day and full-day options are available.
Otto Braided Hair of the Northern Cheyenne and Chris Tall Bear of the Cheyenne and Arapaho stand in the Colorado Capitol rotunda on April 14. Both are descendants of Sand Creek Massacre victims and were at the statehouse to witness a resolution to build a memorial for the atrocity on Capitol grounds.
Artists add their touch to Elizabeth Library
Children’s Section mural brings color and whimsy to walls
BY NICKY QUINBY SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
e Pines & Plains Library in Elizabeth recently held a celebration and showcase to thank the Elbert County Artists Guild for painting a mural in the Children’s Section of the library. e mural is lled with local ora and fauna and appropriately titled, “Pines and Plains in Elbert County.”
e vibrant artwork that was celebrated on April 12 spans two walls above bookshelves lled with children’s books. e Friends of the Elizabeth Library served a cake along with a delicious spread of forest-themed treats. Activity Service Guide Sheri Vance and local author Carmen Swick performed a storytime for the children who attended.
Cynthia ye, ECAG president, said the group completed the approximately 105-square-foot interactive mural on March 10. It includes 45 plants and animals native to Elbert County, including birds, insects, sh, snakes, trees, three endangered species and one turtle. ye said the mural ts in perfectly with two of ECAG’s goals: giving back to the community and celebrating Elbert County’s culture.
ECAG donated the mural as a community service project. According to ye, the purpose of the mural is to “create a joyful, inviting space for children to read, attend Storytime, play with educational toys, and hopefully encourage reading. e mural is also an educational tool that
educates patrons on native plants and animals in Elbert County.”
Six volunteers from ECAG completed the mural over multiple days and put in about 175 total hours of their time. e volunteers include Cecelia Simms, Cynthia ye, Dan Kelly, Gloria Cavalier, Betsy Edwards and Wendy Finch. Kelly said the mural was a group effort from the members of ECAG and the library team as very encouraging. “We are thankful to the Elizabeth Library for letting us do this mural and have free classes,” said Kelly. “We are a nonpro t organization and want to give back to the community.”
Several other ECAG members also made sketches of animals and plants that were incorporated into the mural, Kelly added. Betsy Edwards, a graphic artist, created a search-and- nd worksheet for kids to nd all 45 plants and animals. After children complete the worksheet, they can collect a prize from library sta .
When ECAG rst met to discuss the mural, they felt it was important to showcase the environment of Elbert County — the prairie, pasture and view of the Rockies.
Considering it would be installed in the library’s Children’s Section, the group wanted their mural to be playful and fun, so they used children’s book illustrations for inspiration.
ye said everyone was a little nervous to start painting on the library walls. She said Simms was bold and jumped in rst by painting the background. ye and Kelly came next, painting jagged and snow-capped mountains, water and trees. e library donated a Behr indoor acrylic paint but artists also added some of their own to the mix to increase the range and
depth. Wendy Finch, whom ye calls the best illustrator, drew the 45 plants and animals one evening after her day job. e animals were made from heavy wallpaper and then painted with acrylic paint and glued on the wall.
In the corner of the room stands a 3D tree made by Kelly. It is adorned with birds, including cardinals, as a nod to Elizabeth High School. e tree comes apart if needed and is constructed out of PVC pipe, magnets and plastic bark.
ye said working on the mural resulted in some unexpected creative camaraderie. “Everyone working on the mural looked forward to the next time the group was scheduled to meet. We de nitely bonded over the painting process and grew as artists. ere was a sort of creative synergy that emerged,” she shared.
“We painted harmoniously and humorously, feeding o each other’s ideas and talents,” ye added. “Some things were added, some things removed, and others modi ed like adding purple lavender to the skunk musk.” e group is hopeful they’ll get to work on another mural soon.
To learn more about the Elbert County Artists Guild, visit www.elbertcountyartistsguild.org or on social media at facebook.com/groups/8488472134501812.
For more upcoming events at the
visit pplibraries.org.
Pines & Plains Libraries across Elbert County,
The Elbert County Artists Guild finished installing a mural, “Pines & Plains in Elbert County,” on March 10. It spans two walls in the Children’s Section of the Elizabeth Library. PHOTOS BY NICKY QUINBY
As part of the Children’s Area Mural Celebration & Showcase celebrating ECAG’s mural in the Children’s Section, Pines & Plains Libraries Activity Service Guide Sheri Vance performed a story time.
Local children’s author Carmen Swick read a short book to children as part of the Children’s Area Mural Celebration & Showcase on April 12 at the Elizabeth Branch of the Pines & Plains Libraries.
Elbert County Artists Guild member Dan Kelly holds one of the picture books ECAG used as inspiration for its library mural: “Bu alo Flu alo” by Bess Kalb.
Tivoli taphouse closes for good on Auraria Campus
BY ANDREW KENNEY DENVERITE
Tivoli Brewing Company is ending its 10-year run on the Auraria Campus in Denver.
e taphouse has been closed since Dec. 16, but the campus and the beer company said they were working on a new lease.
at never happened, and the closure of the taphouse became o cial with a joint announcement on April 15.
“We appreciate Tivoli Brewing Company’s contributions over the years and extend our best wishes for their future endeavors,” read a statement from the Auraria Campus, which is home to CU Denver, Community College of Denver and MSU Denver.
Tivoli’s location posed challenges
Ari Opsahl, the CEO of Tivoli Brewing Co., previously said it could be di cult to operate a bar on a college campus.
“Parking can be a challenge. Most of our business is driven by either students on campus, obviously above 21, or events at Ball Arena,” Opsahl told Denverite earlier this year. “When those two things are not there, it is extremely di cult to pull consumers and customers into the taphouse.”
e taphouse was a popular spot for Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche fans on their way to Ball Arena.
e Tivoli name has a long history on
the campus.
e “Colorado Brewery” was the rst brewery in the state when it opened in Auraria in 1864, according to the Colorado Encyclopedia. It was later renamed as the “Tivoli” brewery, housed in a “one-ofa-kind” structure with “a unique combination of Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Rococo in uences,” according to the encyclopedia.
e historic brewery building later became a shopping center and then, in the 1990s, it was transformed into the Tivoli Student Union, serving students of the Auraria Campus.
More recently, Tivoli Brewing Company was resurrected by local entrepreneurs in 2012 and opened a taphouse in the Tivoli Student Union building in 2015.
Tivoli Brewing made beer on-site for several years after opening the taphouse, but moved production to La Junta in 2023.
“ e Tivoli Student Union and the Tivoli Quad names will remain the same,” campus spokesperson Devra Ashby wrote in an email. “ e Auraria Campus is in talks with a potential partner about the space. We will release more information when we are able.”
e building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
is story is from Denverite, a Denver news site. Used by permission. For more, and to support Denverite, visit denverite. com.
The Tivoli Student Union and Brewery, the heart of the Auraria Campus that serves the University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the Community College of Denver.
PHOTO BY KEVIN J. BEATY
The season of new beginnings
Spring has arrived, bringing with it the unmistakable signs of new beginnings. e air is warmer, the days are getting longer, and nature is waking up from its winter slumber. e robins are back, hopping across lawns as they search for food, and the trees are beginning to bud, promising a vibrant canopy of green. Flowers are cautiously peeking through the soil, eager to bloom. For those of us in colder climates, this change is not just welcome, it’s eagerly anticipated. We aren’t quite yearning for the sweltering heat of summer, but the gentle warmth and the hint of what’s to come are a comfort. In past columns, I’ve shared thoughts on new beginnings, each time re ecting on how they can mean di erent things to di erent people. Whether it’s the New Year, a new job, or even a signi cant life transition, the idea of starting fresh resonates with all of us in one way or another. Yet, spring brings a unique sense of renewal. It’s not just the visible changes in nature but the feeling of being reinvigorated after a season of waiting and hoping.
of year. While some see the New Year as a moment to set new goals or make resolutions, Easter carries a deeper meaning for many of us. It’s not just about making a change; it’s about being transformed. It calls us to look inward, examine our spiritual lives, and consider how our relationship with God might shape who we are becoming.
a
Easter is one of the most profound symbols of new beginnings at this time
Easter invites us to re ect on what we want to do di erently and who we want to become. It’s a time to think about how to deepen our relationships, with our families, friends, and even strangers. Easter has always been more about the heart than the calendar. As I grow older, I focus less on grand resolutions and more on small, intentional steps that lead to meaningful change. is change is not driven by external forces or societal pressure but by a desire to live with greater purpose and connection. In a world that is changing faster than ever, driven by technology, evolving social norms, and shifting perspectives,
Invest like you don’t need to
There is one major di erence in how an average person approaches investing compared to a high-networth individual: e wealthier one can a ord to invest like they don’t need to. No surprise — the more money you have, the less you need to keep your assets liquid for near-term use. As performance tends to improve the longer you are invested, this may be a good lesson for dealing with the current stock market volatility. Long-term investors are not tempted to sell when prices are low but instead are likely to invest more.
A recent study shows that the top concerns of high-net-worth investors are similar to those of anyone trying to grow their net worth. According to the CNBC survey,¹ the biggest deterrents to personal wealth are poor stock market performance, rising in ation and U.S. government dysfunction. Since all of these things are out of our control, it can be di cult to plan — unless you only invest money you won’t need in the near future. It’s human nature to be competitive and want instant grati cation. at makes it hard to stick with your losers and trim your winners. However, the shift in di erent asset classes early this year makes a clear argument for active rebalancing. e huge increase in large-company tech stock value in 2024 was obviously too good to last. Even so, many investors did not heed the warning signs that a few stocks were overvalued and missed attractive opportunities in the rest of the market.
It is also helpful to watch activity quarterly, or at least annually, across di erent asset classes to see what is in favor. Monitoring these patterns helps establish a realistic time frame for investments, revealing, for example, that categories such as small-company value stocks may take ve years or more to deliver competi-
it’s essential to recognize that true personal growth is a slower, more deliberate process. Unlike technological advancements, which seem to burst onto the scene almost overnight, personal change often happens quietly, through re ection and commitment. It’s born internally, shaped by our deepest desires and new insights, and slowly manifested in our actions and attitudes.
We can’t overlook that the world inuences how we think and feel about new beginnings. e information we consume, the conversations we have, and the voices we choose to listen to all shape our beliefs and attitudes. at’s why it’s so important to pause and listen to the voice from our heart and mind, especially in a season like this when we’re naturally inclined to think about renewal and transformation.
Easter remains a powerful reminder of the most signi cant new beginning I can embrace, strengthening my relationship with God. It’s not about making sweeping changes or setting lofty goals but about seeking more profound connections with God, those I love, and those I don’t yet know. It’s about being more welcoming, open, and intentional in
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
FINANCIAL STRATEGIES
how I show up in the world. As the world around us continues to change, sometimes at a dizzying pace, let’s remember that the most meaningful changes are the ones that start within us.
As we embrace this season of renewal, let’s challenge ourselves to witness the new growth around us and nurture it within us. Let the robin’s song remind us that change is inevitable and beautiful. Let the budding trees and blooming owers inspire us to grow in ways that re ect our values and aspirations. And most importantly, let the spirit of Easter guide us toward becoming the best version of ourselves, rooted in faith, love, and the promise of new beginnings. I would love to hear your “new beginnings” story at gotonorton@gmail.com. And when we can begin that transformative journey from within, it really will be a better-than-good life.
Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.
tive returns. ese stocks clearly march to a different drummer, so they could add diversi cation — as long as you buy them with money you won’t need for a while.
Patricia Kummer drummer, a
Economic conditions also play a role here; as interest rates change, smalland mid-size companies are impacted di erently than their larger counterparts. is is where your nancial advisor can help you navigate with an updated plan.
Most advisers track weekly heat maps that show how stock valuations are changing and where market performance lies per category. ese maps reveal trends in value and growth strategies, among other investment types. e heat map for the rst quarter of this year is predominantly red, indicating a negative return across value and growth, and small-, mid- and large-cap stocks in eight out of nine categories. Only large-cap value is slightly positive. is is a big adjustment from last year when growth greatly outperformed value and all segments were positive.²
Trimming those winners could have helped reduce volatility in your portfolio. is is very di erent than trying to time the market, which is more likely to give you whiplash and unnecessary stress. Now more than ever, it is crucial to keep your plan current and schedule an update meeting with your advisor.
1. CNBC.com/2023/06/07 millionairesbiggest-wealth-threats
2. Capital Market Performance JHancock.3.28.25
Patricia Kummer is managing director for Mariner, an SEC Registered Investment Adviser.
Home rule is political theatrics Douglas County residents will soon be asked if they want to become a home rule county. Do not be misled by this. It doesn’t do what it sounds like. It mostly pertains to mundane procedural matters. e county isn’t going to be able to thumb its nose at the state and do whatever it wants. It isn’t going to be able to poke the governor in the eye. It isn’t going to be able to opt out of state law. Masking would have still been required. Grocery bag fees aren’t going away. is is political theatrics. It’s grandstanding by the county commissioners so they can say they’re “ ghting for you.” It’s performative.
I suggest you educate yourselves and research what home rule really means. en tell the commissioners to put the election money to better use.
Chris Demarest, Castle Rock
School meals program is essential
I am writing in support of Healthy School Meals for All. is is an essential program for Colorado’s schoolchildren. Ensuring no-cost healthy school meals for all students helps mitigate educational disparities that are exacerbated by hunger and poverty and helps to ensure that all children can thrive.
Research shows that food insecurity signi cantly impacts the ability to learn in the classroom, which translates into signi cant health, economic, and social disparities in the future. Access to healthy school meals improves academic achievement. It boosts attendance and improves student behavior. It also helps to improve health outcomes. Healthy School Meals for All is a critical component of addressing hunger and helping to advance both racial and food justice. is helps level the playing eld and reduce longstanding disparities in nutrition, health, and education.
rates of poor health by at least 29 percent. School breakfast, in particular, has been linked to positive impacts on mental health, including reductions in behavioral problems, anxiety, and depression. As a pediatrician, I see the health bene ts of free school meals every day. As a Coloradan who cares about children’s health and cares about creating more just communities, I urge our state lawmakers to pass House Bill 25-1274 to ensure that this e ective and successful program is fully funded.
Making sure that kids have access to free and healthy school lunch reduces
Colorado’s Healthy School Meals for All program provides healthy and free breakfast and lunch to students in K-12. It is making a positive di erence to ensure that kids in our state have the nutrition they need to be healthy, to learn, and to thrive. It is critical that our state lawmakers ensure this e ective and successful program is fully funded by passing House Bill 25-1274. School meals are an investment in our kids, our schools, our families and our communities.
Dr. Margaret Tomcho, MPH/MSPH American Academy of Pediatrics — Colorado Chapter, Denver
Elizabeth alumni say: Return the books In response to the article “Library limbo continues in Elizabeth”: We now direct this question, rst posed by mis t teen Miles in “Looking for Alaska,” to Superintendent Snowberger and the Elizabeth C-1 School Board regarding their September 2024 decision to eliminate 19 books (including aforementioned book) from school libraries under the partisan justi cation of a “commitment to conservative values.” As district alumni, we are outraged not only by the removal and alleged destruction of these books but also the district’s continued appeal — funded in part by taxpayer dollars — of the court’s repeated instruction to return the titles.
LETTERS
Let’s be clear: Censorship disguised as moral stewardship is still censorship. is book ban violates the Supreme Court’s ruling in Board of Education v. Pico afrming “local school boards may not remove books … simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books.” Worse, the district demonstrated a shocking disregard for professional standards and lack of due diligence in the book evaluation process. e district relied on a now-defunct, non-credentialed, volunteer-run site promoting arbitrary obscenity ratings called Book Looks. is removal process and continued appeal have since emboldened hateful rhetoric among community members; some commentary equated stories about queer and trans-identifying individuals to pornography and labeled judges as groomers. ese actions by the district set a dangerous precedent. ey undermine trust in public education, callously distort our shared intellectual legacy, and give a platform to amplify prejudice.
For a district whose Pro le of a Graduate claims to prepare “independent learners,” how can one expect students to be openminded thinkers if their access to ideas is dictated by partisan ideology? Shielding students from diverse human experiences and perspectives doesn’t prepare them for adulthood. Rather, it diminishes their readiness to navigate our complex world. Removing “ e Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison stripped students of a critical Advanced Placement text and places them at a competitive disadvantage for college readiness. Removing “ e Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini erased one of the few district library texts describing Afghan culture and Taliban rule.
End this legal battle and sensationalized media tour.
Use tax dollars to expand student opportunity, not destroy it.
Return the books.
Colton Arciniaga, Denver (EHS Class of 2020, valedictorian)
Marianne Hughes, Brooklyn, New York, (EHS Class of 2016, valedictorian)
Ellen Hughes, Denver (EHS Class of 2013, senior class secretary)
Henry Imperial, Castle Rock (EHS Class of 2013, band leadership, Young Republicans)
Vote no on home rule
As citizens and taxpayers in Douglas County who believe in transparency, accountability, and responsible governance, we are deeply concerned about the current push for home rule — and we strongly urge voters to say no on June 24.
First, this rushed initiative to place home rule on the ballot will come at a steep cost to taxpayers — a staggering $500,000 for a special election that didn’t need to happen this way.
Second, unlike other grassroots-led e orts, this push is being driven by just three people in power, not by the broader community. When those already holding authority take the reins of such a signicant change without wide public input, it raises serious red ags.
Most troubling are indications that open meeting laws may have been violated, and that much of this process was planned outside the public’s view. at’s not how good government works — that’s how trust erodes.
We believe in good governance, not governance behind closed doors. at’s why we encourage voters to protect transparency and accountability by voting no on Home Rule on June 24.
Doug and Eiko Browning, MD Highlands Ranch
Home rule is waste of money
When I heard that Douglas County was considering home rule one question jumped out — Why? Why do the county commissioners want home rule?
ere is not anything inherently good or bad about home rule. At its simplest level, adopting a home rule charter allows a local government to restructure itself to legislate on issues of a purely local concern. Importantly, home rule does not allow local governments to exempt themselves from existing state laws. ere are 102 home rule municipalities in Colorado, including every city and town in Douglas County.
Home rule counties are more unusual. Of Colorado’s 64 counties, only four are home rule. Two of those, Denver and Broom eld, are integrated city and county entities — essentially large municipalities. Another is Pitkin County, which is essentially just Aspen, Snowmass, and Basalt. e nal home rule county in the state is Weld — which would also make it the only similarly situated county to us if Douglas County adopts a home rule charter. Weld County adopted its home rule charter 50 years ago. is disparity makes sense because most of the bene ts of home rule are more easily realized at the municipality level. Building codes can vary by city. Municipal criminal codes address local concerns. City police departments enforce those codes with charges written into municipal courts. Meanwhile, we already have county courts and municipalities within a county may want di erent building codes. With all Douglas County cities and towns already under home rule charters, what need is there for a county home rule charter?
And yet, the county commissioners already spent $500,000 in taxpayer money to start a project that may end up costing much more. Commissioner George Teal is quoted as listing “COVID-19 precautions, gun regulations, taxation and immigration” as the motivation for home rule. But COVID is long past over, home rule does not allow the county to exempt itself from state gun laws, and it’s unclear what the county thinks it can do on taxation or immigration.
County home rule is a solution searching for a problem, not the panacea the county commissioners would have us believe. We’re talking about a process that allows reorganization of the government structure, not secession. We already enjoy any bene t that home rule can provide because every municipality in Douglas County is already home rule. is is a waste of taxpayer money with no bene t. Vote no on home rule.
Tom Walton, Parker
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Who are the candidates running for the South Metro Fire Rescue board of directors?
BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITY
is spring, registered voters within the South Metro Fire Rescue Districts 2, 6 and 7 will have a chance to vote for who they want to see serve on the board of directors.
e South Metro Fire Rescue Fire Protection District is governed by a seven-member board of directors who are responsible for tasks such as looking at demands for service, cost operations, providing safety to rst responders and the community by appointing and supervising the re chief and district legal counsel.
Richard Sokol, who is the current representative for District 2, and Kevin Leung, the current representative for District 6, are running unopposed in their districts. e two did not respond to a request to provide responses to the Q&A.
William (Bill) Shriver, the current representative for District 7, is running against two other candidates.
Find where the districts are located at southmetro.org/171/ District-Map-Facts.
ose who are elected will join Secretary Sue Roche of District 1, Chair Jim Albee of District 3, Bruce Stahlman of District 4 and Vice Chair Renee Anderson of District 5.
To read the candidate Q&As in full, visit your community paper’s website:
• Highlands Ranch Herald at coloradocommunitymedia.com/ highlands-ranch/
• Lone Tree Voice at coloradocommunitymedia.com/lonetree-voice/
• Parker Chronicle at coloradocommunitymedia.com/parkerchronicle/
William (Bill) Shiver
Why are you interested in running for the board of directors?
I have a calling to serve the public and do what I can to improve my community. Serving on the South Metro Fire Rescue Fire Protection District board of directors has allowed me to represent the values, needs and expectations of the Parker community for re and emergency services, leverage my skills, experience and exper-
CORRECTIONS
Colorado Trust for Local News asks readers to make us aware of mistakes we may have made.
Email linda@cotln.org if you notice a possible error you would like us to take a look at.
tise, and satisfy my desire to be responsive to and serve my fellow citizens.
What are three areas of focus for you?
I would like to help provide the governance that allows South Metro Fire Rescue to be the best re prevention and emergency response organization in Colorado and the USA at large. My board decisions are based on my business philosophy that has enabled the companies and organizations with whom I’ve worked to be extremely successful. at philosophy entails: Promoting a client-driven culture that is highly responsive to providing outstanding service to our residents; attracting the best and most capable employees including the front-line personnel, South Metro Fire Rescue’s reghters and emergency medical professionals, and ensuring that they have the highest-quality training, equipment and support; and providing this outstanding level of service in the most coste ective manner possible.
Cheryl Poage
Why are you interested in running for the board of directors?
I am running for the board of directors for the South Metro Fire District as I have experience in numerous leadership roles with many governmental agencies, which I would like to provide to the citizens of the district. e board of directors is charged with balancing the increasing demands for service, the increasing cost of operations as well as providing for the safety of our re ghters and citizens. I believe
this is the key role for a board member, and I believe that I am uniquely quali ed for this position.
What are three areas of focus for you?
ere are three areas that I would like to explore in order to continue bringing the highestquality of service at an equitable cost.
1. When new services are required, whether it be need-based or required by other levels of government, evaluate the cost impact with more detail. What is the call volume that will be impacted by that change?
2. South Metro delivers signicant levels of emergency services without any reimbursement, how can this impact be mitigated?
3. ere are signi cant requests for emergency service that are not actually warranted, what can be done to reduce this demand as it impacts cost and rescue units’ availability?
Cathy Willis
Why are you interested in running for the board of directors?
I’m interested in running for the board of directors because I care about the mission of the re department. Having supported the department for ve years in a human resources capacity, I gained a strong understanding of the challenges re ghters face — both operationally and administratively. I’ve worked closely with leadership and union representatives, which taught me the importance of transparent communication, fair policies and strategic planning. I believe I can bring a unique perspective to the board
by combining that experience with my commitment to organizational improvement. I want to help ensure that our department continues to thrive — by advocating for the well-being of our personnel, improving recruitment and retention strategies, and supporting initiatives that keep our department strong and responsive to community needs. What are three areas of focus for you?
1. Ensure the line employees have the tools/resources they need to safeguard the public and their property.
2. I would work to ensure that the department’s budget is used wisely and transparently — balancing the need for up-todate equipment, training with long-term nancial sustainability, initiatives that strengthen the department’s readiness for largescale emergencies like wildland re.
3. Having worked closely with union leadership in the past, I understand the importance of maintaining a respectful, solutions-oriented relationship between labor and management. I’d aim to foster open communication and mutual trust to help address concerns early and build a stronger, more uni ed department.
Ballot information e South Metro Fire Rescue board of directors election is a mail ballot election. Residents who live within a district that has a seat up for election will receive a ballot by mail, and can drop the completed ballot o at any of the 17 locations.
From left, William (Bill) Shriver, Cheryl Poage and Cathy Willis are running to represent South Metro Fire Rescue District 7.
Douglas County turns to Mental Health First Aid
Course was first developed 24 years ago in Australia
BY JULIA KING SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Community health leaders in Douglas County are laying the groundwork for a stronger, more connected approach to mental wellness.
One tool they’re using is Mental Health First Aid — a course originally developed in Australia in 2001 that is designed to help people recognize signs of mental health or substance use struggles and o er support. Not a diagnostic tool, it’s about giving people the skills to care for one another, said Melissa Harris, community engagement manager at All Health Network, a nonpro t mental health and substance use treatment agency in Colorado.
“Mental health can be everybody’s business, without being in somebody’s business,” Harris said.
Mental Health First Aid courses are offered several times each month in Douglas County. Each session takes about six to eight hours and can be done in person or virtually. Anyone can participate, not just licensed professionals.
ere are several modules available, including Youth Mental Health First Aid, which teaches adults how to support adolescents aged 12 to 18. ere are also classes that focus on rural communities, tribal and Indigenous communities, older adults, teens and veterans.
But at the core of these di erent classes, “the skills are all the same,” Harris said.
Participants are taught to follow “ALGEE,” a ve-step action plan for supporting someone in a mental health crisis.
e acronym stands for: Assess for risk of harm, Listen, Give reassurance and information, Encourage professional help such as calling 911 or 988, and Encourage self-help strategies like breathing exercises or connecting with loved ones.
Suicide is among the leading causes of death in the United States, and the numbers continue to trend upward. From 2015 to 2019, there were “widespread increases” in depression without equivalent increases in treatment, according to a study by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Health professionals in Douglas County have been weaving a safety net in the hopes of bringing those numbers down and reducing the stigma around mental wellness. Mental Health First Aid training became part of that e ort in 2019, when the Mental Health Collaborative, formerly the Douglas County Mental Health Initiative, created a blueprint for a community-based mental health system. e training was proposed as part of that blueprint “to change the culture in Douglas County around emotional wellness,” said Laura Ciancione, manager of
the Douglas County Mental Health Division.
e blueprint identi ed four demographics — middle-aged men, older adults, transition-aged youth and rural communities — as most likely to bene t from Mental Health First Aid training because they are “at disproportionate risk for suicidal ideation and suicide attempts,” said Ciancione.
Across the country, deaths continue to be more common among boys and men than girls and women, according to 2024 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. e highest suicide rate for any group was in men ages 75 and older, at about 44 suicides per 100,000.
Older adults — those in their late 50s to seniors over 70 — face unique challenges like social isolation, loss of family and a lack of support networks, which can contribute to psychological distress, said Laura Larson, Douglas County’s assistant director for community health.
Also to contend with is the signi cant impact of social media and technology on youth, which was particularly clear during the pandemic. e isolation caused by COVID was especially hard for
youth, as that time “took them to a place where they no longer had their peers around them,” Larson said.
“We’re continuing to try to gure out how to create safe spaces where people can come in and really feel like they can connect with others who may be walking on the same journey as they are,” Larson added. “So, we’re getting there.”
Community members in Douglas County are attending Mental Health First Aid for reasons “across the board,” according to Jennifer Morris, a special education teacher for the Douglas County School District, who is also certi ed to teach the course.
Sometimes, companies or organizations will suggest that their sta take the training. But typically, people have a personal connection, whether it’s a family
member, a friend, or their own mental health journey.
“ e interventions themselves are very basic … it really shows people they do have the skills to support someone,” Morris said. “I think people are often hesitant to help because they don’t know what to do or they don’t want to do the wrong thing.”
e Mental Health First Aid training is made possible through a grant from the Behavioral Health Administration. e training is one piece of the county’s larger initiative. As part of a wider push, the Board of Douglas County Commissioners in 2023 announced seven bene ciaries of suicide prevention grants, totaling a $1.37 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding investment in suicide prevention in the county over three years.
The Douglas County Mental Health Collaborative celebrated its 10-year anniversary last year in Castle Rock. COURTESY OF DREW BOUCHARD/DOUGLAS COUNTY PUBLIC AFFAIRS
BY ELISABETH SLAY ESLAY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
From hand painted cross stitch patterns to intricate knitted designs to textile complex quilts, artists and hobbyists alike are drawn to the array of ber arts shops and organizations strewn across the Denver metro.
Owners and employees of these establishments say the Denver ber arts scene is lively and inclusive.
“We all have di erent vibes,” said Marsha Corn, owner of the Tangled Ball. “We all carry some of the same, some di erent, we all specialize. (But) we’re in it for the same reason because we all love ber and we all want to succeed and maybe make our customers love bers as much as we do.”
The Tangled Ball: ‘A community’
e Tangled Ball, located at 5505 W. 20th Ave. in Edgewater, is not just a yarn shop – it’s a vibrant community hub for individuals of all ages and skill levels to come together and engage in the ber arts.
“We have classes here, we have work-
shops here, we have events here,” Corn said. “It’s a safe place for people to come and just hang out and create.”
Corn said her mother inspired her passion for the ber arts, and she was inspired to open the Tangled Ball after sitting in a shop with some friends and wishing there was one similar near where she lived.
“So my mom taught me how to knit and crochet (and) do all that kind of stu ,” Corn said. “I’ve always wanted to open my own business, so I proposed the idea to my husband about (opening) a yarn store, and it was one of the few that he was like, ‘yeah, we could do that.”’
e location Corn chose was ideal because it’s within a marketplace that o ers food, drink and ample parking — creating a perfect environment for a community-centered store.
e Tangled Ball opened its doors in July 2020, after delays caused by the pandemic, and it has since grown into a space that serves many.
For Corn, the best aspect of the Tangled ball is the way it provides support to people.
“We solve each other’s world prob-
lems. We get people through divorces. We get people through breakups. We get people through what to make for dinner. It’s just such a great community,” Corn said.
As a lover of the ber arts, Corn feels di erent forms — such as needlepoint, knitting, crocheting and more — are both for those searching for a hobby and those skilled in the art of all of it.
For Corn, something like a hand-knitted article is a work of art.
“It’s the yarn. e color of the yarn. e texture of the yarn. e composition of the yarn. (It) has linens and silks and rolls blended into it, and it’s just beautiful,” Corn said. “It’s an art form of design patterns. I do say we don’t knit or crochet now out of necessity, we knit out of joy or hobby.”
Corn believes people especially enjoy the ber arts because it allows them to focus on something other than the stresses and challenges of day-to-day life.
“I’m not thinking about all the junk going on up here in the world,” Corn said. “I’m focused on what I’m doing, even if it’s just 10 minutes. I’m not thinking about what to make for dinner. I’m not thinking about politics. I’m not
thinking about religion. I’m just concentrating on what’s in front of me.”
Diversions Needlepoint: ‘Keeping needlepoint alive’
Similar to Corn, Colorado native and co-owner of Diversions Needlepoint, Cari Davis, was inspired by her late mother to practice the art of needlepoint. It was her passion for the art that eventually led her to pursue it as a career.
“I saw her doing it and wanted to do it,” Davis said. “(I love) the color, the people, the challenge, the creativity, and I love the tactile. I enjoy the kinesthetic.”
Davis and her mother, Mary Lou Kidder, initially opened Diversions in Vail. It is now located at 410 W. Hampden Ave., and for over 50 years, the store has brought ber arts supplies and knowledge to people throughout Colorado. Davis now runs the shop with her own daughter, Mandy Adams, who grew up in the ber business – even making her rst project, a belt, at the age of 4.
One of hundreds of quilts on display throughout the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden. This quilt was created by David Taylor. PHOTO BY ELISABETH SLAY
FIBER ARTS
Adams brought her own artistic talents to the shop, o ering custom design services such as hand-painted canvases for needlepoint projects. Her ability to turn a customer’s vision into a unique work of art quickly became a hallmark of the store.
“I was just born artistic,” Adams said. “I always drew and painted and played with color from the time I was just a little one. (I am) awful at math and everything else, but I can kind of draw.”
e sta at Diversions, a mix of paid employees and volunteers, is knowledgeable and passionate about needlepoint. Many of the sta members have been with the shop for years, ensuring that customers always receive expert guidance and support.
“We’ve got a great group of women and wonderful people that volunteer here to help people,” Davis said. “Every day is di erent. You never know what’s going to happen or who’s going to walk in the door, and that makes it fun.”
Adams said she enjoys the challenge and the creative aspect of her art.
“You’re making heirlooms,” Adams said.
As the shop celebrates over ve decades of business, it remains committed to providing a welcoming space where people can explore their creativity, build connections and nd inspiration.
For Davis and Adams, it’s not just about selling products — it’s about building a community of makers.
“We hope to keep making people happy and inspire future generations and to keep needlework alive,” Davis said.
Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum: ‘All about stories’
Another institution that works to educate and foster a community of ber arts enthusiasts is the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden.
Located at 200 Violet St. Suite 140, this museum is dedicated entirely to the history, teaching and fundamentals of quilting.
“It’s a place where people really nd an opportunity to experience what quilts are all about,” said Holly Bailey, the museum’s education manager. “And quilts are all about stories — stories of the people who made the quilts, stories of people who owned the quilts and got to experience the quilts. Even brand new quilts, the makers, almost always have a story of why they made the quilt or things that happened along the way while they were making it.”
e museum has over 850 quilts in its permanent collection and about 150 quilts in its educational collections.
“(With) the permanent collection, preservation is kind of the primary thing that we’re concerned with, and then exhibiting so that people can see those quilts,” Bailey said.
e education collection contains quilts that don’t make it into the permanent collection.
“ ey’re still really valuable for education purposes,” Bailey said. “So we use those quilts to be able to bring them out. We take them out in trunk shows around the community and (country). e audience can touch
them. So the education collection has the ones that you can get up close and personal with.”
For Bailey, quilting began not as a lifelong passion, but as a deeply personal project.
“I started doing it for kind of a strange reason,” Bailey said. “My sister was a quilter and she was the major caretaker for my parents and lived very close to them. I lived 1,500 miles away.”
Bailey said her mother had Alzheimer’s. So as a way to help her stay engaged in the story of her life, Bailey and her sister decided to make a quilt of their mother’s memories.
“She could talk about it and it didn’t really matter whether she was right or wrong or anything, but it was conversational and it would be something that she would get to enjoy,” Bailey said.
Based on her experience, Bailey believes many people begin quilting due to sentimental purposes and then just fall in love with the storytelling element of the art.
“I think a lot of people get involved because of friends or family or somebody else,” Bailey said. “Maybe they learn it from their relatives or people they’re around. But it’s very creative. Most of the time it’s very relaxing. Touching fabric has a value in and of itself. It’s almost like giving somebody a hug when you give them a quilt because it’s something that’s going to wrap around them and they’re going to nd comfort in it.”
Bailey said many di erent people — from children to seniors — visit and enjoy all the services the museum has to o er, including its extensive library and classes.
Classes range from beginner quilting to advanced textile arts, with topics like hand-stitching, machine quilting and even digital-to-fabric design. One recent class explored how to turn a photograph into a quilt, using technology to manipulate and print images on fabric.
Another key highlight is the museum’s summer kids’ camp. Running for four weeks in June, the camp o ers young artists, ages 8 to 16, the opportunity to design and complete their own quilts.
“ ey do everything,” Bailey said. “From the design of it through all of the sewing, all of the quilting, the binding.” e museum also o ers free community groups, including hand-stitching circles, study groups and technique-focused clubs.
Despite the richness of the ber arts scene in the Denver metro area, Bailey feels there’s room for deeper collaboration.
“ ere’s a lot of variety, but we don’t come together very often and really trade ideas and crossover in our teaching,” Bailey said. “It would be nice if we could maybe be a little more intentional about that.”
One step toward greater unity is an upcoming partnership with the Embroidery Guild of America. e two groups will share knowledge through workshops, such as one on crazy quilts, which often incorporate intricate embroidery.
e team has recently expanded into a third unit of their building, with hopes to eventually occupy the entire space. e overall goal is to create a full- edged quilting and ber arts complex and a destination for locals and visitors alike.
Tangled Ball owner Marsha Corn spins yarn for a customer on a wheel at her shop in the Edgewater Public Market. The market address is 5505 W. 20th Ave. in Edgewater.
Co-owners of Diversions Needlepoint and mother and daughter Cari Davis and Mandy Adams stand among the thousands of skeins of thread available at their shop located at 410 W. Hampden Ave. in Englewood.
PHOTOS BY ELISABETH SLAY
Space Command HQ report o ers no clear answer
Inspector general highlights concerns on move to Alabama
BY LINDSEY TOOMER COLORADO NEWSLINE
A U.S. Department of Defense inspector general report evaluating the decision on where to house U.S. Space Command headquarters highlights the key points of contention in the selection process and why certain agencies had a preference on where it should be located.
e report found that while Air Force leaders decided Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, was the preferred location for Space Command because of cost e ciency, Space Command leaders argued Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, where the headquarters are currently located, made more sense for operational readiness and civilian workforce retention. e agencies also came to di erent conclusions around risk assessment and risk mitigation.
Space Command leaders argued that many of the full-time employees in Colorado Springs would not move to Alabama and would leave their positions. Constructing secure operational facilities in Huntsville would take three to four years after the nal basing decision was made, the report says.
Space Command’s nal location has been a matter of intense debate between Trump’s rst term and former President Joe Biden’s term. Colorado o cials expressed concern that Trump’s decision to move headquarters to Alabama was politically motivated, because he waited until after the results of the 2020 election to make a decision. Trump won Alabama, but Biden won Colorado. Space Command reached full operational capacity at Peterson Space Force Base by December 2023 after Biden announced at the end of July 2023 it would stay in Colorado Springs.
en-Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall also did not announce a nal location decision after the required environmental review in Huntsville was complete, the inspector general report notes. e report says that the Air Force secretary and the then-secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, were not interviewed by the inspector general, as the White House would not make them available without Department of Defense legal counsel present.
Force secretary) would have allowed USSPACECOM to begin the process of relocating to (Redstone Arsenal),” the report says. “However, USSPACECOM continued to accelerate its approach of (fulloperational capacity) at its provisional HQ location in Colorado Springs.”
Elected leaders weigh in e report does not make any conclusions about which location would be a better home for Space Command, though members of Congress on both sides of the issue have claimed the report supports their state as the rightful location.
Colorado Democrats in Congress issued a joint statement saying the report con rms that keeping Space Command in Colorado is in the best interest of national security. at includes U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, and U.S. Reps. Jason Crow of Centennial, Diana DeGette of Denver, Joe Neguse of Lafayette, and Brittany Pettersen of Lakewood.
“Any relocation of U.S. Space Command’s headquarters would threaten our military readiness, cost years of valuable time and resources, and result in an irreversible loss of personnel and expertise,” the statement says. “As our nation’s adversaries are rapidly developing their own
mand in Colorado was the right one and will ensure continued operations to safeguard America’s national security.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican, claimed soon after President Donald Trump won the 2024 election that the president would relocate Space Command to Alabama. Colorado o cials in Congress from both sides of the aisle have opposed that idea.
Colorado’s Republican delegation in Congress wrote to Trump at the start of April urging him to maintain Space Command’s operational readiness in Colorado Springs, citing the area’s already robust space military infrastructure.
Republican U.S. Reps. Je Crank of Colorado Springs, Lauren Boebert of Windsor, Je Hurd of Grand Junction, and Gabe Evans of Fort Lupton issued a joint statement saying the report con rms that losing civilian personnel in Colorado “will signi cantly impact the full operational capability during a time when our foreign adversaries pose a real risk to our national security. We cannot a ord to move backwards during such a critical time.”
“China and Russia have advanced the weaponization of space, and the national debt has increased nearly 30% in the past few years,” the statement says. “Transfer-
ring the Command at such a turbulent time would jeopardize our national security, needlessly put American lives at risk, and create an unnecessary waste of taxpayer resources.”
Crank’s district, the 5th Congressional District, is home to Peterson Space Force Base and Space Command.
In a statement, Rogers — who chairs the House Armed Services Committee — said the report con rms the Trump administration was correct in choosing Huntsville to house Space Command and that the report “reveals an astounding lack of transparency and accountability by the Biden Administration.”
“ e fact is that the Air Force recommended SPACECOM HQ be built in Huntsville, that any disruption associated with that move could be mitigated, and that moving to Huntsville would save the taxpayer over $420,000,000,” Rogers said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Dale Strong, also an Alabama Republican, issued a statement on X saying Biden’s decision to keep Space Command in Colorado was “an attempt to further President Biden’s political agenda.” is story is from Colorado Newsline. Used by permission. For more, and to support the news organization, visit coloradonewsline.com.
U.S. Space Command is provisionally located in the Hartinger Building at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INSPECTOR GENERAL
Thu 5/01
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Rookie of the Year
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The Church Nightclub, Denver
Fri 5/02
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STK Steakhouse, 1550 Market St, Denver
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Brightenstar @ Brothers Bar & Grill @ 4pm
Lone Tree Brewing Company, 8200 Park Meadows Dr #8222, Lone Tree
HAWD HITTA
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The Beacon, 2854 Larimer St, Denver
The Crooked Rugs @ 7pm
Hi-Dive, 7 S Broadway, Denver
Mark Farina @ 9pm
The Church Nightclub, 1160 Lincoln St, Denver
Sat 5/03
Denver Derby Day 2025 @ The RitzCarlton Denver
@ 12pm / $35.73-$72.66
The Ritz-Carlton, Denver, 1881 Curtis Street, Denver. kevin@kevinlarsonpre sents.com, 720-507-1376
Kid Astronaut: MAY MADNESS
Brothers Bar & Grill, 7407 Park Mead‐ows Dr, Lone Tree
ART MARKET @ Dulce Vida (NEON WOLF DJ SET) @ 12pm
Harmonee @ 6pm Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St, Denver
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Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St, Denver
Hex Cassette: Cabaret Grey @ 7pm The Crypt, 1618 E 17th Ave, Denver
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Soundularity @ 5:30pm
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Opera Colorado - Il Trovatore In Concert @ 1pm
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William Black (18+ Event) @ 9pm
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Win for Tyler: Legend baseball earns
win
since teammate’s cancer diagnosis
Titans’ victory over Colorado’s top team puts exclamation point on special day
BY ALEX K.W. SCHULTZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
is one’s for you, Tyler.
So said Legend’s baseball team as the Titans took the eld as heavy underdogs on the road against Castle View on April 11 — just weeks after their senior pitcher, Tyler Harvey, played in what was likely his last game at Legend after being diagnosed with sarcoma cancer.
Against Castle View, ranked No. 1 in Colorado, the Titans got knocked down early, then rallied, then got knocked down again. rough it all, they kept ghting — just like Tyler would’ve wanted.
In the end, behind Silas Meuli’s monster day at the plate and an impressive showing by Nick Farley on the mound, Legend pulled o a stunner, beating its rival from over the hill 8-6.
Ranked 81 spots behind Castle View, the Titans dedicated the game — and their entire season — to their 18-year-old teammate up the road at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
To make it all even sweeter, it was Legend’s rst win since beating Eaglecrest on March 26. at afternoon, Tyler pitched
four innings and recorded seven strikeouts, surrendering just one run in the process. He also went 1-for-2 at the plate.
“We’ve been trying to play for Tyler all year,” said Legend Coach Scott Boyd, whose players all wore yellow armbands in Tyler’s honor. “We’ve struggled a little bit, but today, we put it all together, so it feels really good. I’m really proud of my guys.”
Tyler would’ve been proud, too, perhaps most especially of Meuli, the cleanup hitter who blasted two home runs and accounted for ve runs, and Farley, his mound mate who spun 78 pitches and settled in nicely after a bit of a bumpy start.
But Tyler would’ve been proud of all his buddies — all of them reached base at least once, and Cooper Tennison pitched two shutout innings in relief to help seal the win.
Most importantly, Tyler would’ve been proud of how his teammates battled. ey fell behind 3-0 early, but back-toback homers by Meuli and Colton Brush, followed by Kaiden Krause’s trip home on a elder’s choice, evened the score. ey fell behind again, but Meuli’s
three-run shot over the right-center eld fence in the top of the third inning handed the Titans their rst lead of the game at 6-5.
ey watched as the Sabercats tied it up in the bottom half of the inning, but a sacri ce y by Isaiah Berard gave the Titans the lead for good. A hard-hit comebacker by Krause to score Meuli in the top of the fth put an important insurance run in Tennison’s back pocket.
“Tyler’s been my best friend since we were young,” Meuli said. “He’s going through a tough time right now, but we play for him every day, we say his name every day and we pray for him every day. Being able to play for him is a really great opportunity for all of us.”
Meuli and his teammates will have plenty more opportunities to play for their friend as a 12-game league schedule, which begins on April 14, awaits.
e win over Castle View also provided a major spark for the Titans as they ready for the rugged 5A/4A Continental League.
“It’s a great chance to go into league on a high note,” Meuli said. “We’re going to face some tough opponents. Our league is really good, but we know Tyler’s got our back.”
e Sabercats (11-2), meanwhile, will look to rebound, and one has every rea-
son to believe they will — they’re o to the best start in program history, they have an array of starters back from last year’s 17-6 team and they have plenty of big bats in their lineup.
Against Legend, Samuel Harry hit a home run on his way to going 3-for4, Keyan Lundvall went 2-for-4 and knocked in three runs, and Zachary Bitton and Jace Van Long each had an RBI. e Sabercats showed just how dangerous they can be on o ense in the rst inning, when Harry laced a 1-1 pitch to right eld for a standup double and Tommy Feldhake, Lundvall, Derek Gordon and Bitton ripped four consecutive singles for a quick lead.
“Top to bottom, our lineup is really solid,” Castle View Coach Troy Spahn said. “ e one thing about this team is they have a really good mentality. We don’t have a lot of highs and lows. ey’re very even-keeled.
“ is (loss) is a good lesson for us. I’m glad it’s happening early. When you’re at the top, everybody’s coming for you. You’re going to see everybody’s best.”
What the Sabercats saw on April 11 in Castle Rock was a team playing its collective heart out for an ailing friend who couldn’t be there in person.
But Tyler Harvey was clearly there in spirit.
Legend’s baseball team celebrates after beating Castle View 8-6 on April 11 in Castle Rock. PHOTOS BY ALEX K.W. SCHULTZ
Legend’s Silas Meuli takes a swing in a game against Castle View on April 11 in Castle Rock. Meuli hit two home runs in Legend’s 8-6 win.
State’s fight against ozone turns to long term
Colorado asks EPA to downgrade status to ‘severe’
BY MICHAEL BOOTH THE COLORADO SUN
Colorado is giving up on meeting mandates for controlling toxic ozone in the next few years, while doubling down on plans that recently passed rules will start to make an impact by 2032.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment o cials say they are asking the federal EPA to preemptively downgrade the Front Range ozone nonattainment zone to “severe” from the current “serious” violation standard, when judged by the 2015 ozone cap of 70 parts per billion.
Recent updated computer modeling of Front Range air shows continuing violations closer to 80 parts per billion, according to Regional Air Quality Council Executive Director Mike Silverstein. e RAQC is an advisory board and not a policy-making agency, but was briefed by the state about the downgrade request. at means Colorado isn’t projected to meet even the more lax 2008 standard of 75 parts per billion before 2027, Silverstein added.
Yes, it’s confusing: e nine northern counties included in the nonattainment area are on parallel but di erent schedules to cut lung-damaging ozone, one schedule whose clock started with the 2008 regulations and another schedule launched with the tighter 2015 standards.
Downtown Denver under hazy air seen on Thursday, April 21, 2022.
PHOTO BY HUGH CAREY/THE COLORADO SUN
CROWSSUPDRO
1. MOVIES: Which animated movie was the rst to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award?
2. GEOGRAPHY: Interior and exterior lm shots of Alnwick Castle in England are featured in the rst two movies of which lm series?
3. TELEVISION: What was the last name of the family in the sitcom “Married ... With Children”?
4. LITERATURE: For which category is the Caldecott Medal awarded?
5. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Also known as a double eagle, what is the golf term for scoring three under par on a hole?
6. ANATOMY: What is the protein that carries oxygen in the blood?
7. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which president was the rst to name a woman as a Cabinet member?
TrIVIa
8. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a baby toad called?
9. FOOD & DRINK: Which fast-food chain’s secret ingredient is 11 herbs and spices?
10. ASTRONOMY: How many moons does Mars have?
Answers
1. “Beauty and the Beast.”
2. “Harry Potter.”
3. Bundy.
4. Outstanding children’s picture books.
5. Albatross.
6. Hemoglobin.
7. Franklin D. Roosevelt named Frances Perkins as Labor Secretary.
8. Tadpole.
9. Kentucky Fried Chicken.
10. Two: Phobos and Deimos.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
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e bottom line is Colorado is failing on both tracks.
For the 2008 track, Colorado has submitted to the EPA for approval an improvement plan aimed at getting closer to the 75 ppb standard by 2027. On that 2008 track, Colorado has already been downgraded to “severe” violations.
e rst year of monitoring actual ozone for that plan was 2024, “and we didn’t start o well in our rst year,” Silverstein said.
“So we need to have much better summertime air quality these next two years,” he added.
Is that likely?
No. New modeling run by the state “doesn’t predict we’re going to make it to 75” in 2025 or 2026, Silverstein said. “Our
emission trends are at,” he said.
e state asking for a “severe” reset on the 2015 track buys time and moves the deadline for achieving 70 ppb to August 2032.
e state’s action, detailed in a letter to the advisory Regional Air Quality Council in late March, also helps Colorado avoid some of the additional EPA sanctions that would have come from leaving nonattainment in the “serious” category and then o cially exceeding those caps. By moving to “severe,” Colorado avoids having to submit a new improvement plan on the 2015 standards during 2025, and skirts these new sanctions:
• A requirement that proposed pollutants from new or modi ed large-source facilities be o set 2-to-1 by emissions cuts elsewhere in the nine-county area before projects could move forward.
• Federal highway funding sanctions that could hold back money for important Colorado transportation projects.
Colorado’s request does involve, though, adding some new territory into the nonattainment area. Far northern Weld County will now be included, along with the remainder of Weld, part of Larimer, and all of Boulder, Je erson, Denver, Broom eld, Adams, Douglas and Arapahoe counties.
e change means new oil and gas developments in northern Weld will be subject to more state scrutiny in permitting.
Does Colorado have any chance of making big improvements in those outlying years, even with the bonus time from seeking the second “severe” downgrade?
Colorado and RAQC o cials cite these recent laws or policies as examples of potentially e ective ozone-cutting practices that could start changing the results on monitors by 2030 to 2032:
• Ongoing state subsidies for purchasing clean electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, attacking ozone in the stubborn area of transportation.
• A series of new rules meant to cut
ozone and greenhouse gas-causing emissions from the oil and gas industry, including “midstream” controls at oil and gas gathering and pipeline operations, and sharp cuts to allowed nitrogen oxide produced in upstream oil and gas.
• Rebates to buy clean lawn and garden equipment and restrictions on when large institutional users of gas-powered equipment can use the highly polluting engines in high ozone summer months.
• Advanced clean trucks rules requiring makers of heavy-duty commercial vehicles to start selling an increasing percentage of electric or otherwise clean-fuel models beginning in the 2027 model year.
Colorado’s request for a downgrade, said RAQC spokesman David Sabados, “in no way reduces our sense of urgency.”
is story was printed through a news sharing agreement with e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonpro t based in Denver that covers the state.
In the Matter of the Determination of Heirs or Devisees or Both and of Interests in Property of: DELIGHT VERDENIUS KOLAR, Deceased
Attorney: Courtney L. Kelley, #54248 Kelsi B. White, #55170 Holland & Hart LLP 555 Seventeenth St., Suite 3200 Denver, Colorado 80202 Telephone: (303) 295-8000 Email: clkelley@hollandhart.com kbwhite@hollandhart.com
Case Number: 2025PR30000
AMENDED NOTICE OF HEARING BY PUBLICATION TO INTERESTED PERSONS AND OWNERS BY DESCENT OR SUCCESSION PURSUANT TO § 15-12-1303, C.R.S.
To all interested persons and owners by descent or succession (List all names of interested persons and owners by descent or succession):
U.S. Bank, NA, Trustee of the Delight Verdenius Kolar Trust; Anne H. Gordon: Brittany Jones: Christopher E. Leonard: Colby Leonard: Courtnay Taylor Kenney: David G. Hilleary: Delight E. Pugel: Richard H. Leonard Jr.: Robert L. Hilleary: Thomas K. Hilleary: Whitney Leonard
A petition has been filed alleging that the above decedent(s) died leaving the following property (including legal description if real property):
Description of Property Property 1: Mineral Interest
Location of Property Township 6 South, Range 59 West, Section 34: SE/4 Elbert County, Colorado
The hearing on the petition will be held at the
Elbert Legals
Address: 751 Ute Avenue, Kiowa, Colorado 80117*
*The hearing will be held virtually via Telephone: (720) 650-7664, Code: 2664 126 9096 #, # (no attendee ID is needed); https:// judicial.webex.com/meet/d23-elbe-div1
The hearing will take approximately 30 minutes.
Note:
•You must answer the petition on or before the hearing date and time specified above. •Within the time required for answering the petition, all objections to the petition must be in writing, filed with the court and served on the petitioner and any required filing fee must be paid.
•The hearing shall be limited to the petition, the objections timely filed and the parties answering the petition in a timely manner. If the petition is not answered and no objections are filed, the court may enter a decree without a hearing.
Legal Notice No. ECN 1670
First Publication: April 24, 2025
Last Publication: May 8, 2025 Publisher: Elbert County News
Notice to Creditors
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of FRANKLIN CURTIS LLOYD, a.k.a. FRANKLIN C. LLOYD, a.k.a. FRANKLIN LLOYD, a.k.a. CURTIS LLOYD, Deceased Case Number 2025 PR 30026, Division 1, Courtroom 1
All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the Elbert County District Court, Kiowa, Colorado, on or before July 16, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.
TERRA LYN LLOYD
Personal Representative 39689 Yorktown Terrace Elizabeth, Colorado 80107 Telephone: 713-553-8843
Legal Notice No. ECN 1653
First Publication: April 10, 2025 Last Publication: April 24, 2025 Publisher: Elbert County News
Public Notice
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of JEFFREY EARL WILKINSON, a/k/a JEFFREY E. WILKINSON, a/k/a JEFFREY WILKINSON, a/k/a JEFF EARL WILKINSON, a/k/a JEFF E. WILKINSON, a/k/a JEFF WILKINSON, Deceased
Case Number: 25 PR 30015
All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Elbert County, Colorado on or before August 10, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.
Rebecca A. Pescador
Attorney for Personal Representative Whole Family Legal, LLC 1499 W. 120th Ave, #110 Westminster, CO 80234
Legal Notice No. ECN 1654
First Publication: April 10, 2025 Last Publication: April 24, 2025 Publisher: Elbert County News Public Notice Elbert County Court
Elbert County, State of Colorado 751 Ute Street * P.O. Box 232 Kiowa, Colorado 80117
In the Matter of the Determination of Heirs or Devisees or Both and of Interests in Property of: ROY A. COUNCE, SR., Deceased.
Shari D. Caton, Esq., Atty. Reg.#: 32737 CATON LAW, LLC
Attorney for Richard Counce 7887 East Belleview Ave. Suite 1100 Englewood, Colorado 80111
Telephone: 720-766-7776
E-mail: shari@.caton-law.com
Case Number: 2017 PR 30040 Division: 1
NOTICE OF HEARING WITHOUT APPEARANCE PURSUANT TO C.R.P.P. 24 ****** Attendance at this hearing is not required or expected. ******* BY PUBLICATION TO INTERESTED PERSONS AND OWNERS BY DESCENT OR SUCCESSION PURSUANT TO § 15-12-1303, C.R.S.
To all interested persons and owners by descent or succession: Richard A. Counce. Edward aka Edwin R. Counce, Roy A. Counce, Jr., Barbara A. Bonstrom McKinney, Karen S. Bonstrom Jackson, Malissa L. Counce, Malinda L. Counce, Ida Mae Willis Weber, Philip D. Willis, and Malinda S. Fooks Myers
A hearing without appearance on the Petition for Final Determination and Distribution of Property on the Petition for the Determination of Heirs or Devisees or Both, and of lnterests in Property and Supplement is set at the following date, time and location:
Date: June 6, 2025 Time: 8:00 AM Courtroom or Division: Division 1 Address: Elbert County Court, 751 Ute Street, Kiowa, Colorado 80117
The Petition for Final Determination and Distribution of Property on the Petition for the Determination of Heirs or Devisees or Both, and of Interests in Property and Supplement thereto has been filed and alleged that the above decedent died leaving the following property (including legal description if real property):
Description of Property Property 1 1/3 Interest as Tenant in Common
The SW1/4 of Section 9, in Township 8 South, Range 64 West 6th P.M., Except parcels of land as described in the instruments as recorded in the following Books and Pages, Elbert County Records: Book 241 at Page 107; Book 246 at Page 26; Book 246
