The Denver North Star January 15 - Feb 14 2023 Online Edition

Tennyson Street Business Owners Reflect on Past, Look to Future

North Denver Works to Help Incoming Migrants

By Talia Traskos-Hart

For more than a month, Denver has seen more than 3,800 migrants enter the city, with hundreds arriving on a daily basis.

The incoming migrant population began arriving in early December, with many individuals coming from Venezuela in response to the crisis in their home country.

On Dec. 15, the city declared a temporary state of local emergency in response to the continued arrival of dozens of individuals each day. Now, Denver is relying on community organizations and neighborhoods like North Denver to help the new population find shelter and settle into the city.

About half of the currently sheltered migrants have been staying in city-operated emergency shelters, such as the Coliseum or recreation centers. Another half have been sheltered in community organizations such as churches and non-profit groups.

Jill Lis, a media relations representative at the city’s Joint Information Center, said Denver has relied largely on these independent organizations to be able to support the population. A team of community liaisons at the Emergency Operation Center has been working to connect with organizations across the city willing to provide space for shelter or donation collections.

By Eric Heinz

Drew Watson looked out the front window of his business of more than 13 years, Hops and Pie on Tennyson Street, thinking about how the small-business corridor has evolved and what it could look like in the near future.

Many of the single-family homes that lined Tennyson have been scraped or they’re on their way out, and several residential complexes have cinched in what was once a larger swath of smaller buildings.

Although new regulations from the city mandate some kind of commercial ground-floor space in higher density residential buildings within the corridor from 38th to 46th avenues, several residential buildings with no commercial space have already been erected.

“None of these high-rises used to be here,” Watson said while pointing to a building across the street. “That used to be a bodega and laundromat and a barber shop. There’s a lot more businesses than when we first came here. I’d say there were a quarter of as many dining spots, pubs, and whatever else.”

Hops and Pie is in the midst of finishing off an outdoor seating area that will be equipped with heaters and possibly televisions in the roughly 3,800-square-foot space immediately adjacent to the south.

are down to just a few left.

“It’s really sad, in my opinion, but the business is always going to win,” Watson said. “When we came in here, all these little businesses were owned by the person occupying them, and now large investment firms are buying up the whole neighborhood.”

THE LAST 20 YEARS

Ortavio Griego, the owner of Monkey Fist Tattoo on Tennyson, has been in business for 12 and a half years and has seen the various changes of the corridor. He has lived in the area since 1997 and prior to the renaissance of Tennyson, the North Denver neighborhoods had some issues.

“You never used to see people walking down the street with their dogs after dark,” Griego said. “You never saw anybody walking. If you would walk up and down the street at night, if you didn’t know the group of people that were coming towards you, you probably got beat up. So it was tough.”

Downtown spaces can only provide so much support, Lis noted. The Coliseum can only shelter 225 individuals, for example.

“Our intention is not to keep everyone in the downtown area … those migrant sheltering options cannot stay open indefinitely,” Lis said. “It’s very critical that we find other partners that may be willing to house migrants, whether it’s a faith organization, a nonprofit, or anything else. That can happen anywhere throughout Denver and throughout Colorado.”

“Many are just arriving with the clothing on their back … Some are going to be reunited with their mom or their siblings, and that’s been really incredible to watch, to see it coming together.”

– Drew Watson, owner of Hops and Pie

Watson said he does embrace the changes, but some changes have gone too far, as the single-family homes that housed businesses he enjoyed seeing and visiting that used to line Tennyson

Heather Noyes, a principal with Studio CPG landscape, planning, and architecture firm, said when Denver voters approved bond funding for the Tennyson streetscape project in 2008, it provided more access for pedestrians to the businesses.

“I think for a long time until maybe roughly the turn of the century, it was a really sleepy, underutilized commercial neighborhood,” Noyes said. “There were a lot of vacant buildings. There were a lot of bigger buildings that weren’t being utilized to their

– Dan Justin, assistant director of the Institute on the Common Good and a Philosophy lecturer at Regis University

In early January, the city reached out to Regis University about helping to shelter incoming migrants. Dan Justin, assistant director of the Institute on the Common Good and a Philosophy lecturer at Regis University, explained that the school hurried to provide cots, meals from local restaurants, and supplies such as clothing for as many migrants as possible.

Edwin Rivera walks two dogs along Tennyson Street near 41st Avenue in the middle of the bustling small-business corridor.

PHOTO BY ERIC HEINZ

“When we came in here, all these little businesses were owned by the person occupying them, and now large investment firms are buying up the whole neighborhood.”

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Mt. Saint Vincent Adjusts After Closing In-Patient Programs

By Eric Heinz

The residential treatment program at Mount Saint Vincent is no more, after the organization decided to close it in 2022.

Now that the staff and volunteers are no longer looking after children full-time, they are transitioning to a model of outpatient care and continuing the daily education for young people who need behavioral health assistance.

Janessa Williams, the executive director of Mount Saint Vincent, said the organization, its healthcare partners, and Sisters of Charity Leavenworth spent months deciding how to proceed after certain federal decisions meant its ability to care for children was going to decrease.

“In our residential program, the children lived on campus here,” Williams said. “We had three cottages. They were here 24/7. They attended our school programming on campus as well. They did also go home to either families, guardians, (or) different things for visits. We did really work with families to have some engagement. We had kids that were here for up to two years.”

Mount Saint Vincent was caring for children sent from out of state before the changes.

“This transition now allows us to really start to address the needs in Colorado, for the children and families that are arrayed around us,” William said.

Bryan Hassler, chairman of the Mount Saint Vincent board of directors, said there are various services still available on the campus, such as animal therapy, physical education activities, and others.

lations, and laws that shifted,” Hassler said.

Both Hassler and Williams said the federal Families First Prevention Services Act, passed in 2018, put an emphasis on keeping children in their homes and outside of behavioral institutions, which was the beginning of the end of the residential program.

Mount Saint Vincent will provide home visits when needed for behavioral services.

“We certify foster families and actually provide case management care for kiddos that are placed with our foster families,” she said. “That's really what the push is, to keep kids in a home setting and then go to them and provide the services they need.”

ters of the campus lived there until about 10 years ago.

Modernizing the way the behavioral health treatment center can help people, Williams said the residential program had about 16 children under its care when it was discontinued, but with the advent of telemedicine and being able to see people in their homes, she said Mount Saint VIncent can serve almost 200 clients.

Checking typically but Senior High maintaining Kiahna of the environmental in for the imals and a few years.

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“Especially during COVID, our small piece of the care base had over time been decreasing in value, just because of rules, regu-

The Mount Saint Vincent campus has been in operation for 140 years and was an orphanage up until the late 1960s. The sis-

“The need is out there and it’s even greater in this time when we’re trying to recover from the shutdown,” Hassler said. “Mental health issues are cropping up in youngsters (and) adults, and the outreach goal is to get the word out there and expand the programs where needs must be fulfilled.”

A Milestone Year for Mt. Saint Vincent Volunteer

By Miranda Ericksen

Mount Saint Vincent, located at 4159

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Lowell Blvd., will be celebrating 140 years of operation in 2023. The staff and volunteers support children and families through an early learning center, outpatient therapy, in-home therapy, day treatment, and a foster care program.

Throughout their long tenure, Mount Saint Vincent has weathered the storms of legislative challenges, the ever-changing landscape of mental health research, and the everlasting critical need for certified foster families to help provide safe spaces for the many children.

One staff member turned volunteer, Sister Michael Delores Allegri, has been a cornerstone of Mount Saint Vincent since 1997 and celebrated three significant milestones in 2022. Not only did she celebrate her 80th birthday and 60th jubilee anniversary of becoming a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth, she also gained her 100th foster child through the Mount Saint Vincent foster program.

Sister Michael said she felt called to foster children 23 years ago after living with two fellow Sisters of Charity in Kansas City, Missouri, who were actively fostering children. Since age 10, she wanted to own an orphanage so she could “play with kids all day.”

Fostering was in alignment with this childhood dream and with the Sisters of Charity missions of education, healthcare, and orphanage support.

Her journey to Mount Saint Vincent began with a job offer to manage a group home, which was unfortunately terminated due to legislative decisions to eliminate orphanages and replace them with Residential Treatment Centers or RTCs.

Not missing a beat, Sister Michael instead became the supervisor of housekeeping and kitchen services at Mount Saint Vincent. She underwent almost a yearlong process to become certified to foster children.

As a foster parent, Sister Michael coordinates the logistics of the children’s lives, en-

suring they get to appointments, school, or work. She provides stability, love, and care for little ones whose lives have been tumultuous at best, extremely traumatic at worst. Her goal is to be the bridge between the child and their future family. Whether that is through reunification with kin, or with an adoptive

simply enjoy being a child is an invaluable gift that Sister Michael emphasizes as a key component of her fulfillment as a foster parent.

She fondly remembered one child who was obsessed with trains and how she was able to cultivate that interest on a daily basis. She took him to the Train Museum in Golden, to Georgetown to ride the train, and to the library to read books about trains.

Not only do the children benefit positively from their opportunities and their relationship with Sister Michael, they establish strong bonds with each other. Sister Michael facilitates get-togethers with previous foster siblings, giving children opportunities to reconnect after they leave her care.

Sister Michael stated that the challenges with foster parenting range from the mental or physical setbacks the children experienced prior to joining her, to quick transitions between her home and others, all the way to large-scale legislative guidance that may not always be in alignment with the daily realities the children face.

She finds the most fulfillment knowing that although some children may be too young to consciously remember being in her care, somewhere in their subconscious mind they will know they were “loved, safe, and nurtured.”

“They because it's three chicken agers,” Calder ager, and we dropped dedicated the chickens.”

family, Sister Michael stresses the importance of preparing the child to transition into the next phase.

The children who enter into Sister Michael’s care are met with established boundaries, age-appropriate requirements to help out around the house, and freedom to just exist as children. The opportunity to play, relax, and

In order to preserve these cherished moments, Sister Michael takes as many photos as possible. In the early years, she would create memory books for the children to take upon their departure. As society has entered the digital age, she transitioned to USB sticks filled with photos to give to the children and has amassed six large physical scrapbooks for her personal enjoyment.

Staff at Mount Saint Vincent indicate that the need for certified foster parents has reached emergency levels. They offer free online training programs and additional information for the fostering process can be found at msvhome.org.

PHOTO BY ERIC HEINZ

Mount Saint Vincent, located in the Berkeley neighborhood, has been serving people in need in North Denver for 140 years. Its recent transformation saw it close its residential treatment program to expand helping young children in their homes.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MOUNT SAINT VINCENT Sister Michael Delores Allegri.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MOUNT SAINT VINCENT Sister Michael Delores Allegri, right, celebrates with one of her former foster children and his biological mother during a recent event.

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Montessori School Has Students Look After Chickens, Bees and More

By Eric Heinz

Checking for eggs and honey are not typically part of a school curriculum, but some Denver Montessori Junior/ Senior High School students are tasked with maintaining a small farm.

Kiahna Calder, who manages the facilities of the environmental science classes and subs in for the class from time to time, said the animals and farm have been part of the class for a few years.

“Somebody would go research how eggs work, how that laying process happens, how to take care of them in general,” she said. “Other kids would research garden beds and they would plan what to plant in each bed.”

Calder said the school plans to start a greenhouse in the near future, and she wants students to see the entire farm-to-table process. The farm is located on the corner of 43rd Avenue and Raritan Street.

“We want to do a full-circle culinary class that uses the eggs and stuff to bake,” she said. “They also will use the pumpkins and some tomatoes to make random stuff that they were doing in class, and then we also sell the eggs to the parents and students. Everything that we have has a purpose. Eventually, when the bees produce enough honey, that'll go to the community.”

Calder admits she wishes the class was a little more popular with the students, especially those who are unfamiliar with agriculture.

“They don't like doing anything out here because it's dirty, but there are some kids, three chicken managers and three bee managers,” Calder said. “We have a worm manager, and we did have farm managers, but we dropped that. So those kids are super dedicated to learning about the bees and the chickens.”

According to an innovation plan published by the school, the purpose of the farm is to connect students to organically grown food, which can be added to the school lunch program.

According to an innovation plan published by the school, the purpose of the farm is to connect students to organically grown food, which can be added to the school lunch program.

“The outdoor work is physical and requires students to challenge themselves in order to complete the required tasks,” according to the school. “Because the students are working side-by-side with their friends and with an adult, the students participate generally with a positive attitude.”

PHOTO BY ERIC HEINZ

Students at Denver Montessori Junior/Senior High School feed chickens that live just outside the classroom. The environmental science class also looks after bees and worms, and students tend a garden.

Local 46 Owners Take Over Edgewater Inn

By Eric Heinz

Niya and Grant Gingerich are back in business.

The former owners of Local 46, a popular bar and restaurant that was at the corner of 46th Avenue and Tennyson Street before closing last year, are under contract to take over the longtime Edgewater Inn, 5302 W. 25th Ave. Niya said the closing date is Jan. 20.

“Ironically, I had stumbled in here, probably seven months ago,” Niya said. “In high school, this was my go-to pizza spot. My high school boyfriend lived around the corner, so we used to come here all the time, and then it had just kind of fallen off my radar.”

The couple decided to purchase the pizza parlor and bar after running into Carolyn DiPietro and her daughter, Haley, who have run it since 2012. Josephine and Ben DiPietro founded the restaurant in 1953.

“We were just bonding over restaurant stuff, and she said, ‘This is on the DL, but we are listing this place for sale. You should buy it,’” Niya said. “The minute it sinks in, I'm thinking this is like the perfect place. It's this old, historic, cool legend.”

Niya said they are looking to keep some of the traditional drinks and food that has kept the Edgewater Inn running for 70 years.

The second phase after closing on the property is to recreate the cohesive atmo-

sphere that made Local 46 such a popular hangout, which will include a patio in the existing second bar/dining room area.

“As mentioned, this space is in place and fully functional, bringing our culture and loyal following from Local 46 to Edgewater right away,” according to an update posted to the inn’s website. “We plan to build out a hand crafted biergarten/patio space full of

CRIME AND SAFETY

beautiful landscaping.”

Edgewater Inn is open noon to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday; noon to midnight Friday and Saturday. Check edgewaterinnpizza.com for updates. According to the restaurant’s website, the kitchen will stay open until 10 p.m. nightly “to provide a fresh and local food option to other restaurant industry folks.”

North Denver Officers Honored 100 Years After Death from Spanish Flu

By Talia Traskos-Hart

The Denver Police Department has honored officers Frank Potestio and Peter Walsh on its wall of fallen officers, 104 years after their passing.

Potestio was an Italian immigrant, a father of seven, and a long-time North Denver resident. He joined the force in 1909, on the same day as Walsh. Walsh and Potestio both died from the Spanish Flu in 1918. The men were later determined to have been the only two Denver officers to die from contracting the illness while in uniform.

North Denver’s Italian community was hit particularly hard by the Spanish Flu, creating risks and responsibilities for Potestio and Walsh in their line of duty. The first recorded death from the Spanish Flu in Denver, on Sept. 27, 1918, was a student at the University of Denver who had returned from visiting Chicago. Potestio contracted the illness the same year and passed away on Nov. 22. By the end of 1918, 1,218 flu deaths had been logged across Denver.

Potestio’s wife and seven children remained healthy throughout the course of his sickness, recalled his grandson Frank Queen.

“He was at home when he got the flu and was sick, of course. But none of them got it, and that we considered a true miracle,” Queen said.

After Potestio’s passing, his wife received a $5 monthly widow’s check for the care of her home and children. Only one of the seven–Queen’s mother–would graduate from North High School rather than dropping out to work in support of the family.

Frank Queen, named after his grandfa-

ther, recalled growing up with stories of Potestio’s life, both on and off his job on the force. After moving to the United States, Potestio worked as a miner in Lake City, CO. He then briefly worked as a bartender after moving to Denver before entering police training.

The Potestios lived on 41st Avenue and Alcott Street in what is now the Sunnyside neighborhood. At the time, North Denver was predominantly Italian. Accordingly, the Potestios raised all seven of their children with deep connections to their Italian heritage through language, cuisine, and hospitality.

Queen fondly remembers childhood moments in the house on Alcott street, where he played card games at grade school lunches, ate from always overflowing pots of spa-

ghetti at family dinners, and learned some of his grandmother’s native Italian (“only the curse words,” he regretfully noted).

Potestio’s work on the force and legacy as a caring father and husband inspired even those family members who did not know him. His grandson Harry Queen–brother to Frank–spent his career in the Denver Police Department. The Queen brothers recalled that, until her death in 1967, Mrs. Potestio always spoke fondly of her late husband.

“I was always fascinated by him, having been named for him,” Frank recalled. “Many of us never knew him, but we got all the stories from my grandmother.”

Both Potestio and Walsh have had their names added to the Denver wall of fallen officers and will be honored in a federal ceremony in Washington, D.C. this spring.

PHOTO COURTESY OF EDGEWATER INN

The former owners of Local 46 are under contract to purchase the longtime Edgewater Inn at 5302 W. 25th Ave.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE OFFICER DOWN MEMORIAL PAGE

Frank Potestio.

Peter Walsh

Sabrina Allie Photo by Sabrina Allie

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Community Comes Together to Clean Up East Sunnyside

By David Sabados

There were so many needles and other hazardous stuff,” explained Marcia Budde.

Budde was tired of her neighborhood around 44th Avenue and Inca Street being a dumping ground for trash, furniture, drug paraphernalia, human waste, and more, so she decided to do something about it. After learning about Denver Community Active Living Coalition (CALC) from an article in the paper, she applied for funding for a community cleanup and was awarded a grant to help.

Cleaning up the area was more than a one-woman job, so she started building a team. A homeless outreach officer from the Denver Police Department, sanitation workers from the city, and community members from across several neighborhoods all signed up. She talked with Front Range Disposal, who offered two large rolloff dumpsters nearly free as well.

Two of those community members Budde recruited are Mario Munoz and his son Estevan. The three of them sat down with The Denver North Star at Waldschänke Ciders + Coffee near the cleanup area to explain why they got involved.

“I’ve been all over New York, trash everywhere. I don’t want Denver to look like that,” said Mario Munoz, a former Golden Gloves Hall of Fame boxer who said he’s spent time in most major American cities.

“It was super important,” added Estavan. “I've walked these streets where it’s just a lot of trash. We live around here. We see it every day.”

Another community member Budde highlighted is Tim Schoenleber, who said his fellow unhoused Denverites can have a positive

role to play. “I live in a motorhome myself. I get disgusted too. I’d like to get rid of all the junk on the street.” Schoenleber, whose motorhome has been parked in the area on private property, is trying to find more permanent housing through city services. In the meantime, he’s trying to be a positive force. “I've been everywhere in my motorhome. I don’t leave my trash there.”

Budde wanted to make sure to thank everyone involved, including the crew from the city: Richard Trinidad, Anthony Garcia, Joseph Abeyta, and Steven Low.

In turn, everyone else wanted to make sure she was credited for bringing a community together.

“Marcia is a fervent community advocate–truly one of the most determined helpers I’ve met in this work,” said Elizabeth Morales, a program administrator for the city’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI). “We connected her with a DOTI operations crew to help with the physical labor of the cleanup and bring a full size trash truck for the day. Marcia spent two days on the cleanup with her community.”

Now, a neglected part of Inca Street on the eastern edge of Sunnyside is improved thanks to the efforts of many community members.

Morales added that community members interested in microgrants can soon apply for the 2023 funding cycle. Visit denvercalc.org/ microgrants or email calc@denvergov.org for more information on how to apply this spring.

Do you know a community member or group doing good work in North Denver who deserves recognition? Email Eric@DenverNorthStar.com to let us know!

Denver E-Bike and E-Cargo Bike Rebate Returns Jan. 31

By Denver North Star Staff

The Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency’s (CASR) electric bike (e-bike) rebate program is back with applications opening at 11 a.m. Jan 31, when up to 860 rebate vouchers will be available.

Because the city said the average price of an electric bicycle has dropped due to increasing demand, this round of rebates will give residents a smaller discount in hopes the market prices have dropped enough to cover the eventual cost.

Denverites can save $300 off the price of an e-bike, and residents who receive the income-qualified rebate can save $1,200 off the price of a regular e-bike. Purchasing an e-cargo bike adds an extra $200 to both the standard and income qualified vouchers.

“E-bikes are an effective and affordable way for people to move about the city and to meet our city's ambitious climate action goals," Mayor Michael B. Hancock said. “This pro-

gram showed there was a desire in our community for new, sustainable mobility options, and I'm excited to see the e-bike rebate program expand and continue to evolve our residents' transportation habits.”

Based on survey data and customer feedback, Denver is continuing to make the e-bike rebate program more equitable.

The e-bike rebate program will also be available in more languages.

CASR stated in the 2022 program, 4,734 e-bike rebates were redeemed, and 2,330 of the rebates went to income qualified residents. A survey of e-bike voucher users revealed that these e-bikes are changing the way Denverites move around the city.

The tentative release dates for 2023 are, Jan. 31, March 28, May 30, July 25, Sept. 26, and Nov. 28.

To help limit the number of unredeemed vouchers and ensure rebates are available for

Street 3122 Perry Street 3126 Perry Street 2539 W Caithness Place 4543 Meade Street 3641 Stuart Street 3121 W 45th Avenue 3716 Quivas Street 2241 W 34th Avenue 3894 Meade Street

3424 Wyandot Street 3337 Shoshone Street 3820 Newton Street 3231 Julian Street 2435 Decatur Street 2632 Utica Street 2425 Decatur Street 2750 W 40th Avenue 2111 Eliot Street 3347 Meade Street 3317 Newton Street Address 1628 W 38th Avenue 3319 Newton Street 4715 Beach Court 3958 Mariposa Street 3378 W Clyde Place

3921 Raleigh Street 2945 Yates Street 3705 Raleigh Street 3351 Newton 4201 Quivas Street 3705 Lowell Boulevard 3546 Stuart Street 3706 Newton Street 3360 Quivas Street 3156 W 20th Avenue 3738 Raleigh Street 5185 Raleigh Street 3736 Raleigh Street 3231 Julian Street 3315 Newton Street 3087 W Highland Park Pl 2611 Yates Street

EDGEWATER INN

PHOTO BY RICHARD TRINIDAD

PHOTO BY ESTEVAN MUNOZ

City staff and community volunteers worked together to clean up Inca St.

PHOTO BY ESTEVAN MUNOZ ///

those ready to buy, CASR encourages anyone who might be interested in an e-bike to visit a participating bike shop, ask questions, and test

out a few models before applying for a voucher. More information can be found at denvergov.org/ebike.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF COUNTY OF DENVER

The city of Denver's e-bike rebate program will resume Jan. 31.

Nearly 200-Unit Apartment Building

Coming to West Colfax

By Denver North Star Staff

Cleveland-based real estate developer

The Max Collaborative and Denver-based real estate developer and investment firm NAVA Real Estate Development officially broke ground recently on Wilder, which will be a 196-unit apartment building at 1521 Hooker St.

Wilder is located just one mile west of downtown Denver at the edge of the Sloan’s Lake and West Colfax neighborhoods.

“We’re proud to be part of an important revival for Denver’s West Colfax neighborhood, where millions of square feet of mixeduse development are currently planned or under construction,” said Kevin Ratner, co-founder and chief development officer of The Max Collaborative. “We’re also excited to be working with NAVA on this project, given their deep experience in the market and reputation for delivering forward-thinking residential communities.”

Wilder sits near planned redevelopments that will help bridge the gap between West Colfax and downtown Denver, including The River Mile, which encompasses the redevelopment of land around the South Platte River into a 15 million-square-foot, mixeduse neighborhood.

Designed by Davis Partnership Architects, the eight-story building will be “an ode to the West Colfax neighborhood’s 1950s heyday,” the developers stated.

Inspired by art deco architecture, the design features linear and geometric accents, as well as sweeping curves that nod to the architectural character of the neighborhood’s past. With amenity spaces designed to function as an extension of residents’ homes, Wilder will place a distinctly modern focus on resident health and wellness (a hallmark of NAVA’s development mantra) and is pur-

suing Fitwel Certification.

“Its burgeoning location on West Colfax encompasses the best of urban living,” said Brian Levitt, co-founder and president of NAVA. “Residents can expect a thoughtfully selected experience that prioritizes their health and wellbeing, with opportunities for exercise, art, connections to nature, healthy eating, and socialization.”

Construction began on Wilder in November with completion slated for late 2024. Saunders Construction is serving as the general contractor.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NAVA REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT / THE MAX COLLABORATIVE The Wilder, a new 196-unit apartment building, is coming to West Colfax near Empower Field at Mile High Stadium at 1521 Hooker St., with construction expected to be completed by 2024.

“Its burgeoning location on West Colfax encompasses the best of urban living,” said Brian Levitt, co-founder and president of NAVA

By Allen Cowgill

Two people on bicycles were recently killed by motorists in North Denver.

Both crashes happened on Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) roads that continue to be the deadliest in this part of town.

The recent deaths were two of the 82 people that were killed in crashes in Denver in 2022.

The number of deaths is close to 2021’s recent record of 84 deaths.

Both Federal and Sheridan boulevards are on Denver’s High Injury Network, or the 5% of streets that account for 50% of fatal crashes. Based on previous reporting in The Denver North Star, advocacy groups like the Denver Streets Partnership have said both of these CDOT roads are dangerous by design because they are designed for speed and traffic volume instead of safety.

The 35 mph speed limit may have also played a role in both crashes as according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the fatality rate for pedestrians and people on bikes more than double when the speed of a car increases from 25 mph to 35 mph.

On Dec. 9, 34-year-old Logan Rocklin was crossing Sheridan Boulevard going from his home in Wheat Ridge into Denver for dinner on W. 38th Avenue when a driver going Northbound ran a red light and fatally struck him, according to the Denver Police Department. The driver fled the scene and remains at large as of our print deadline.

Rockin’s sister, Andy Morris, remembers Rocklin as “a really bright and vibrant person.”

“He was often the light and humor in a room,” Morris said. “He and his wife are and were very social and have a lot of friends. He was an amazing musician, a pianist, guitar player, drummer and singer. He was in a band for a while, but also an accountant, that is what his day job was.”

“He was a very entertaining person to be around and often kept us laughing at family dinners and often (was) the life of the party,” she continued. “It was often the Logan Rocklin Show. One of his teachers said that in elementary school and that continued to be the case all of his life. Just a big personality and a beautiful soul.”

Morris said that Rocklin had spent the day before he was stricken at the hospital with his wife, Hillary, who is battling leukemia and had a stem-cell treatment that day. She said that Logan enjoyed riding and often would ride his bike around the neighborhood to run errands.

She shared that witnesses that she spoke with said there were two drivers that ran the red light that night and they were going quite fast. The hit-and-run aspect of the crash has made the loss even harder for the family.

“We’re angry, we’re scared, we’re utterly devastated,” Morris said.

Her partner, Eric, has been standing on that corner every night since the 14th. He is focused on keeping attention on this. The family is hoping a witness comes forward or that the person will turn themselves in.

When asked what she would say to the driver who struck her brother, Morris said that “whoever ran that red light and struck my

brother, I can imagine that they are very scared and that they may not know what to do.”

“I can acknowledge that. It’s a terrible thing, and I imagine it has ruined multiple lives, not just my family,” she said. “It’s affecting the person that hit him and whomever they've told. I recognize that and I also wish that this person would come forward and be accountable for their actions. They took the life of a really beautiful human being who deserved to have justice. I recognize that’s a hard thing to ask but I wish that their conscience would bring them forward. It would give some peace to his wife, my parents, and our whole family.”

The family is also pleading for drivers to slow down, pay attention, and stop for red lights. Morris said that “no few seconds a person might save is worth taking someone’s life. Just slow down and drive with care and kindness.”

Denver Police encourage anyone that has tips or knows anything about the crash to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720913-STOP. Callers can remain anonymous and can receive up to a $2,000 reward. Anyone wishing to help with the GoFundMe for Rocklin’s wife can find more details at gofund. me/54ca7d9f.

On Dec. 18, Ainslie O’Neil was biking east to her family’s house for dinner down the W 35th Avenue bikeway, and a driver hit and killed her while she was crossing Federal Boulevard. As of our print deadline, Denver Police are still actively investigating the crash and have not cited the driver who did remain on the scene.

O’Neil, 32, grew up on the east side of Denver, and was a Landscape Architect. Her good friend Drew Horbein said that “she lived life at 100%.”

“She used the day to its fullest advantage and was a caring mother for her dog, a good partner, and an amazing friend that was so present,” Horbein said. “She would wake up to do so much during the day and had such a full calendar, and when she was with you afterward, she was just totally there and present with whomever she was hanging out with. She was just the best of us.”

He continued to say O’Neil worked on community housing projects and was engaged with her neighborhood.

Horbein shared that O’Neil used her bike as her main transportation device.

“Ainslie biked as much as she could and it was for everything. She would commute as much as she could,” he said. “She had a little bike trailer that she put her dog in. She would commute across town.”

Horbein shared that “the story of her death is that, the kid that hit her, I feel so much compassion for them. Because really it’s the infrastructure. The built environment is built so that we put cars first. And her death is this acute death, this very immediate death, but the same as people who have asthma and constantly breathing in the pollution of cars. There is something in the noise pollution, we are all being negatively affected by this choice. It is killing everyone, it’s killing the whole planet, it's one of the major drivers of climate change, all these cars driving.”

LOVE TO WRITE?

WANT TO WRITE ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY?

The Denver North Star and The G.E.S. Gazette newspapers are looking for community reporters! Community reporters write news (non opinion) pieces. Most of our writers write 1-2 pieces per month. We can provide story topics and welcome suggestions from our writing team - it's your community too. Journalism experience is helpful, but not required - we welcome writers with a variety of backgrounds.

FREELANCE WRITERS are compensated $100 - $300 per article, based on the size and scope of the piece.

COPYEDITOR NEEDED

We're looking for an experienced copyeditor to proofread both newspapers before they are designed each month.

Applicant must have some flexibility the first week of each month Copyeditors with journalism, academic, fiction, or other experience welcome. Experience with AP style is helpful, but not required.

$30/hour, 6-8 hours each month, this is a 1099 contractor position

If you are interested, please email eric@denvernorthstar.com a brief explanation of your interest, a writing sample if possible, and your contact information.

PHOTO BY ALLEN COWGILL

A memorial ghost bike sits at 38th Avenue & Sheridan Boulevard where Logan Rocklin was killed.

District 1 City Council Candidates Discuss Homelessness, Housing

By Eric Heinz

For the April 4 municipal election, The Denver North Star has interviewed the City Council candidates for District 1, and in the coming months we will publish their responses to questions regarding homelessness and housing, transportation issues, and a synopsis of themselves, in that order.

The order of candidates' names appearing on the ballot will be announced Jan. 19 through a lottery drawing, according to the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office.

a lot of factors that go into being unhoused.”

Iron Shell-Dominguez said she wants to see an increase in income-restricted housing, and she works with people who specialize in coming up with solutions for it during her normal job.

“If we can start to implement programs that focus on the root causes of homelessness, I think that will really help both the housing situation as well as homelessness,” she said.

Elected Official Update: Looking Forward to State Education in 2023

By Dr. Lisa A. Escárcega

Happy New Year! It was two years ago this month that I was sworn into office to represent Congressional District 1 on the Colorado State Board of Education. My term started during the height of the pandemic which meant spending a significant amount of time on issues arising from it.

Dr. Lisa A. Escárcega

exceed the revised Colorado Academic Standards.

AMANDA P.

SANDOVAL,

INCUMBENT Amanda P. Sandoval said she wants the city to better track what units are available that aren’t being used and could be converted into income-restricted housing, in addition to prioritizing the housing for people who have experienced displacement.

“One of the things I've learned while serving on Denver City Council is there wasn't a mechanism to keep our affordable units within our portfolio in Denver, meaning we didn't know some of the units we even had in Montbello … were actually deed-restricted,” she said.

Sandoval said using data collected from entities like the Denver Housing Authority and others is a way the city could be proactive in making sure people retain their housing.

“We need to be able to use that data to do intervention and diversion to those families,” Sandoval said. “That’s something that hasn't been done before. We don't go to these nonprofits and say, ‘Let me reach out to these families at Centennial. Let me reach out to these families at Edison,’ to make sure that we’re doing diversion first before they get to homelessness, and then we have to backtrack to get them back to the house.”

Sandoval also said the city needs to work closer with Denver Public Schools (DPS) in order to identify students whose parents have experienced displacement.

“I really believe there needs to be more of an education campaign,” she said. “And we need to continue to identify the causes of homelessness.”

She also said Denver should reintroduce a social impact bond like it did in 2016, where 280 units of supportive housing were built in Council District 2.

“I believe that we need to have a social impact bond initiative in every single council district. We can not just have one of them,” Sandoval said. “We have people who are experiencing homelessness everywhere, so let’s get more of those types of systems up and running really soon.”

MICAELA IRON SHELL-DOMINGUEZ

Micaela Iron Shell-Dominguez said she wants to see more programs that target the causes of homelessness as well as housing instability, saying, “You can’t talk about one without the other.”

“The decrease of affordability in the city with rising rent cost and cost of living is a huge part of what has created the homelessness crisis right now,” Iron-Shell Dominguez said. “As someone who has been unhoused, a single mom of two, I definitely understand there are

Iron Shell-Dominguez said she wants to create more educational opportunities for first-time homebuyers and to cut the stereotype that people have to be rich to try to purchase their initial property.

“The way the city has grown, the way the Northside has grown, it definitely makes it anything but affordable,” she said. “If we can start implementing some programs that provide information on the whole process of homebuying, I think that will really help.”

Iron Shell-Dominguez said she would like to see underutilized buildings used to create more income-restricted housing.

“I don't think that's something that should even be questioned. I see these vacant and open buildings and definitely think that they could be a temporary place to keep our unhoused folks warm, give them a place to have a warm meal, a place to shower, a place to use the restroom,” she said.

Iron Shell-Dominguez also said she’d like to eliminate or reduce the requirements for people to put down first and last month’s rent deposits, which could make it easier for people to be approved for housing.

AVA TRUCKEY

An example included supporting the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) on prioritizing the spending of COVID relief funds from the federal government. The board directed the CDE to prioritize COVID relief spending on supports that would help catch students up academically such as tutoring and after school programs. Recent data suggests that Colorado students are catching up although there are still significant gaps between student groups and where we would expect some students to be at this time of the year.

Another pandemic-related issue was the administration of state standardized achievement tests and whether the state should require districts to even attempt the testing in spring of 2021. In a nod toward recognition that the pandemic had a significant impact on students and schools, the legislature passed a bill that cut the number of required state achievement tests in half and suspended school ratings for 2020 and 2021.

Given the current anti-inclusive movement in some districts, we can expect to see some of what played out at the state level revived at the local level. The Denver Public Schools is a leader in the area of inclusive standards and has already made some of the necessary changes to their curriculum that meet or exceed the new state standards.

Starting off this new year of 2023, the state board will be welcoming two newly elected members on Jan. 11. Kathy Plomer will be sworn in to represent the state-at-large and Rhona Solis will be sworn in to represent the new Congressional District 8.

Both new members have significant experience on boards of education, and they bring backgrounds in both public health and business. Having engaged with both new members during their campaigns, I can say we now have a board majority that strongly supports public education!

Looking forward to our work next year, I expect we will see several bills addressing changes to the accountability system used by the CDE and state board.

Ava Truckey said she would like to focus on getting people into housing as a way to first address homelessness.

“I think that it's important to look at some more long-term issues by adapting more of a housing-first model, which would provide folks stabilization before hyper-fixating on things like substance use and recovery,” Truckey said. “I think that ensuring people have access to stability by knowing where they're gonna rest their head at night and where they're going to put their things, I think that that is something that we need to focus on primarily.”

In terms of cleaning up homeless encampments, Truckey said the city needs to ensure people have a place to go before disrupting where they’re trying to survive.

“Specifically sweeps that are being done during extreme weather, we just saw that right with the last big storm, I think we need to address those as a whole,” she said. “Not only do they not have anywhere to go, at least they have somewhere to keep their belongings.”

Truckey said one of the most important things to her is keeping families in the homes that they have owned for generations and would move to put a system in place to ensure that happens.

“A good place to start is making sure … folks that have been here for generations keep some generational wealth that they’re able to pass on to their own families,” she said.

Truckey also said properties that have been bought en masse by developers in certain communities has created this shortage of housing that is more affordable, and she would like to create something that would help people retain their properties.

“I think it would make more sense to keep more people in the community they are from and raise their families,” she said.

Both actions were ultimately supported by the State Board of Education. For 2022, the federal government did not allow for states to suspend testing any longer, so Colorado resumed all state standardized testing in the spring of 2022.

What turned out to be one of the most controversial topics addressed by the state board over the past two years was the social studies standards revisions which were finalized in November of 2022.

Colorado became one of just six states to include specific references in its new social studies standards to the history, culture, and social contributions of American Indians, Latinos, African Americans, and Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender individuals within those minority groups.

With Democrats in the majority, the state Board of Education voted 4-3 for the more inclusive standards. By that slim margin we barely avoided the opposite of inclusiveness, something called the American Birthright standards used in states like Texas and Alabama.

Although relieved by the final vote, my colleagues and I know the battle for inclusive and honest social studies standards in Colorado is not over. All Colorado districts are now required to adopt local standards that meet or

In December of 2022, the state board heard a briefing on the state audit of the accountability system we have been using in Colorado for the past ten years. Among other things, this system is used to identify schools with the most need for support from the CDE according to both federal and state education laws.

The audit concluded that the state accountability system was achieving its intended goals according to legislation but noted that many stakeholders want to explore improvements to the system. Among the themes for change is the request for additional or different measures in the state accountability system to show a fuller picture of school quality.

I expect that most of the proposed changes to the state accountability system will be handed off to a legislative committee that could meet over the next year or two. A committee such as this would give opportunity for more stakeholders to have thoughtful input and to make recommendations. I and my colleagues will be following this topic and all of the education bills as the 2023 legislative session gets underway.

Dr. Lisa A. Escárcega was elected to the Colorado Board of Education in 2020 representing the 1st Congressional District (primarily Denver). She recently served as the Executive Director of the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE) that represents more than 2,400 Colorado education leaders.

Denver Seeks Food System Resiliency Ideas

By Denver North Star Staff

The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) is making $2 million in grant funding available to local organizations as part of its Food System Resiliency Grant program.

DDPHE is looking for qualified local nonprofit organizations to address citywide food insecurity as part of the city’s COVID-19 recovery efforts. The Food System Resiliency Grant program focuses funds on improving infrastructure, operations, and food systems.

The goal of the program is to support food systems infrastructure that enables organizations to more effectively obtain, store, and distribute food to ensure better preparation for future food system crises.

Read more on the DDPHE website under the tab “Public Health & Environment Funding Opportunities” or view the full Request for Proposal (RFP). Proposals are due by 11:59 p.m. Feb. 21 and should be submitted online through BidNet.

support food enables organieffectively and distribensure better for future crises. on the under the Health & EnFunding Opview the Proposals should be

More Traffic Circles Showing

in North Denver

Residents in Sunnyside, Berkeley, and Sloan’s Lake have around 10 new traffic circles on both Perry Street and W. 41st Avenue.

The traffic circles are part of the new neighborhood bikeways that the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) is installing along the streets. They are part of the build of the Northwest Community Transportation Network and DOTI’s goal of making biking more comfortable and safe throughout North Denver.

The streets join W. 35th Avenue, which already has a handful of traffic circles between Federal Boulevard and Tennyson Street that were installed a few years ago as part of that street’s neighborhood bikeway. The department is not only installing the traffic circles for people that bike, but also to slow down traffic to make the streets more friendly and safe for people that are walking and rolling in wheelchairs.

what improvements can be made.”

She also noted that DOTI has worked to make sure the traffic circles are designed so that fire trucks and school buses can get through them.

So what is the proper way to drive or bike through traffic circles? Lacayo said drivers should yield or stop to give the right-of-way to anyone—whether vehicles, pedestrians, or cyclists— who is already in the intersection or those who arrived first at the intersection.

If two vehicles arrive at exactly the same time, Colorado law dictates that the car to the immediate right has the right-of-way and should go first.

Frazer said the traffic circles have made it more stressful for him as a driver, a pedestrian, and as someone who bikes. In particular he would like to see crosswalks at all of the roundabouts to make it more clear that pedestrians have the right-of-way when crossing. He looked it up and painted crosswalks are recommended by the National Association of

DOTI Spokesperson Vanessa Lacayo said the department places the traffic circles on streets that are low speed and low volume (typically less than 2,000 cars per day).

Research validates that traffic circles will increase safety along the streets. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, installing traffic circles where there was previously a two-way stop sign led to an 82% reduction in fatal and injury crashes. They are also one of 20 evidence-based safety improvements recommended by the Federal Highway Administration.

The new traffic circles are being installed with yield signs at all four sides of the intersection, and the original traffic circles along 35th Avenue were changed from two-way stops to four-way yields. The ones along 35th Avenue were also upgraded to make it easier to maintain.

Lacayo said the change to four-way yields from the original design happened because “we believe that using an all-way yield control is more appropriate and safer at a traffic circle treatment. The yield signs require all vehicles to reduce their speed or stop when approaching the intersection for anyone in the intersection with the right-of-way.”

Some residents have noticed not all drivers are aware of how to use the new traffic circles.

Ryan Frazer, who lives in the West Highland neighborhood near the new traffic circles, said some drivers are confused about how to treat traffic circles. But he said the change DOTI made to an all-way yield from a two-way stop sign with a traffic circle is a much more conventional approach.

“The old setup was a little confusing, I’d never seen anything like that before,” he said.

Lacayo said DOTI recognizes the adjustment people have to make to the new circles.

“Our goal, and what we are starting to see, is that more drivers are slowing down as they pass through these new traffic circles,” she said. “We will be collecting data on these sites to see how effective they are long term and

“It seems like pedestrians have the least priority compared to everyone else going through those,” he said. “We walk through them to go to the playground at Edison Elementary, and even if cars are driving parallel through the traffic circle to us, it feels like cars are going to drive into us if we are going to cross Raleigh, for example. That makes it a little stressful for us.”

He said he has also found it stressful when making a left turn in his car. He noted that a lot of drivers don’t yet realize that it’s different from a typical intersection in that you have to yield to vehicles that are already in the traffic circle making left turns, as opposed to typical intersections where the driver making a left turn would have to yield.

While he feels generally comfortable biking down the neighborhood bikeways himself, he didn’t feel that the traffic circles make the street more comfortable to bike with kids.

Frazer said he hopes that DOTI will try out installing more diverters to reduce the volume of traffic since the department has shown a willingness to experiment with different concepts.

“In terms of these traffic circles being placed on neighborhood bikeways, in terms of them doing the job of slowing drivers down, it seems to work in the intersections themselves,” Frazer said. “But in between the intersections, it’s no different, so I’m not really sure that it’s going to do the job of slowing down drivers along the corridors.”

Lacayo says that DOTI will continue to study not only the traffic circles but all of the new treatments that they have put in and will be improving them based on their research.

The 2018 DOTI study when the first traffic circles were installed along 35th Avenue referenced that it typically takes six months for residents to get used to new infrastructure like this. It will be some time before we can understand long term impacts of community perception as well as vehicle speed impacts.

City Transportation Officials (NACTO).

ALLEN COWGILL

PHOTO BY ALLEN COWGILL

A new traffic circle along with paint and post bulb outs has been installed at West 21st Avenue on the new Perry Street neighborhood bikeway.

Bank

Northside History: The Italians, Part I

rom its beginnings, the Northside has been a center of ethnic diversity. Last month I told you the story of the Irish. Now, I will spend some time on the Italians, when and how they came to Denver and their role in creating the special character that has been a hallmark of our section of the city. Records show that the Garbarino brothers, who came by way of St. Louis, were the first Italians to come to Denver, arriving in 1859. Unofficial population counts in the early 1870s showed small increases of both working-class and upper-class Italian immigrants.

Fthe south during part of the year then going north in the summer to work in agriculture or industry. Like many of their countrymen, in the late 1800s, they added the United States to their travel and work destinations.

REBECCA A. HUNT

The idea was to earn enough money to send some home to help the family and to save for buying farms or small businesses. Many of these “birds of passage” returned home, but others found life in America suited them.

Many of the jobs were building railroad and streetcar tracks and digging the routes for streets in Denver neighborhoods. Some Italians eventually did well enough to buy a piece of land in the newer parts of North Denver and build a small house for their growing

Those who came from Northern Italy tended to have more education, have professions, and became leaders in both the community and the city beyond. The Notary and Damascio families were builders and Frank Damascio ran the team of workmen who installed terrazzo floors in the Brown Palace and other major Denver buildings. Many others were doctors, lawyers, journalists, and bankers.

Peter Albi started as a grocer then opened the Italian National Bank which stood at Central and Fifteenth streets. Peter also started a newspaper called Roma. Rodolfo Albi was a doctor. Angelo Capelli ran the first Italian restaurant in Denver, at the corner of 15th and Platte streets. In 1871, he celebrated the anniversary of Italian unification at his restaurant. We now know it as My Brother’s Bar.

The bulk of the Italians began to arrive in the period between 1890 and the early 20th century. They were largely from the south, from all of the areas surrounding Naples, but especially from the southeast, from Potenza in Basilicata. In 1899 there were about 700 people from the Italian south who lived in the Northside. By 1901 that number had reached 2000.

In fact, there were so many people from around Potenza that they eventually started their own regional organization, the Societa Nativi di Potenza.

The southern Italians were mostly laborers and farmers back home. They had been part of a group that made their living by farming in

families. Often, to make ends meet, they rented out rooms to newer arrivals.

The 1900 census detailed the residents at Gerard Lasalo’s house at 1719 W 33rd Ave. He had arrived in 1891 and was now a widower who had three children. In addition, there was a couple with a baby. The mother of the baby was listed as a laborer. Another couple had a child on the way. Both of those families had come in the last three years.

Where the Lasalo house once stood is now the pine grove just behind the St. Patrick Oratory, at 33rd Avenue and Pecos Street. This was once the site of the Second St. Patrick Church that I mentioned in my December article. The house is marked with a blue square on the 1908 map.

In the Northside, immigrants started out as laborers with some moving into agriculture. The D’Amato family began working in the iron mines of Sunrise, Wyoming before coming to Denver. They eventually started their family farm in Adams County near 50th Avenue and Washington Street. When Genevieve D’Amato married John Fiore, they moved into a 1920s bungalow in Potter Highlands.

Next month I will share the story of how the Italians built their close-knit community. Stay tuned.

Dr. Rebecca A. Hunt has been a Denver resident since 1985. She worked in museums and then taught Colorado, Denver and immigration history at the University of Colorado Denver until she retired in 2020.

PUBLISHED BY THE BIRDSEYE VIEW PUBLISHING CO. DENVER LITHOGRAPH COMPANY. This map shows North Denver in 1908 from an aerial perspective. Navajo Street from 32nd Avenue to 38th Avenue was the business center of the Italian community. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

ourselves. When we share ideas, when we press an argument, our minds are strengthened and stimulated,” asserts a 2014 “Psychology Today” article.

As a child I witnessed my parents and grandparents sitting in the living room arguing or discussing topics prevalent in the early 1970s, like the Vietnam War or Nixon’s impeachment.

Additionally, when my parents would have neighbors over, often sitting on our back porch, I was enabled a window into their conversations. These were usually lighter topics, such as planning a ski trip or the latest restaurant in town.

Although we had television as a distraction, it was not 24-hour programming back then and observing the adults was a form of entertainment. By witnessing these scenes, perhaps I was unknowingly indoctrinated into the art of conversation. While more than one discussion could be happening within a group, often separated by genders, people took turns talking and listening.

The art of conversation is not new, but it is endangered. As I have shared numerous times, much evidence points to our early experiences as children influencing our adult selves. I was affected by observing my family’s verbal engagements and, although I had been a shy and quiet child, as I grew, I craved such interactions. I wanted to be heard and I also sought to hear and learn.

My son, fortunately, experienced a similar upbringing, perhaps heightened by being an only child. He has been included in adult conversations since he could put sentences together as a toddler. The benefit being, he is a great conversationalist. Sadly, he frequently complains that he cannot consistently find that skill among his peers.

I will briefly point out, because I do blame it on a lot of issues, that having cell phones in our faces has not boosted our abilities to interact with one another face to face. Thus, I encourage parents to intentionally foster the art of conversation in and out of your home with your children. There are so many benefits we can acquire by paying attention to the nuances of a quality discussion.

One important nuance is being an attentive listener, which is a form of good manners anyway, validating the speaker. If we

listen well, we can form a good and relevant question or comment back to the speaker and then, hopefully, they will comment on what we say, giving life to the conversation.

These techniques are especially handy if the parties might not agree on a subject. It is one thing to be a good listener with someone you are on the same page with, it is a whole other to sustain a civil conversation about a hot topic.

Handy phrases can help with navigating difficult topics: “You have an interesting point of view,” “I’ll take your thoughts under consideration,” or “I see your point.” If you would rather end a tough interaction, you can simply change the topic to something less controversial.

Learning how to handle such interactions is invaluable as children grow and learn to participate in classes, endeavor their first jobs and, when they are ready for careers, conduct themselves professionally and successfully in a job interview.

At preschool, snack time presented a natural opportunity to interact all together. I would model asking questions as simple as, “What do you have for snack today?” One child often brought roasted seaweed as a snack and another child would express aversion to this food. I taught him how to express that thought politely. Rather than saying, “That’s yucky!” I would encourage him to share, instead, that he never tried seaweed before and ask, “What does it taste like?”

As the children played during the day my ears would be focused on their verbal interactions. If I found that one or two children were dominating the play, I would point out that the other individuals might have an idea to contribute and encourage the dominant speakers to ask them questions to be more inclusive.

Meeting time was a great place to foster good discussions, especially after reading a story, taking turns listening to what everyone thought about the book. As with so many things, you can never start too early and it is best to start early. We usually are not born with these skills. They evolve with experience and practice over time.

Whether you have children or not, let good conversations be part of your 2023!

Jill Carstens taught for 30 years and now enjoys writing for this publication! Email her with comments or story ideas at jill@denvernorthstar.com.

Regis University Creates ‘Dare to Reimagine’ Financial Aid Program

By Denver North Star Staff

Regis University has announced its Dare to Reimagine scholarship campaign to offer multiple options to students to help cover tuition costs.

Beginning with applications for the incoming class starting in fall 2023, Regis University’s Strategic Enrollment Management team has redesigned the financial aid packaging for traditional students to be more aligned with the University's Jesuit Catholic mission and values.

“At Regis, we place high importance for students to have access to a top-ranked private Catholic institution within their home state at an affordable tuition," said Dr. Senthil Kumar, Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management.

The Dare to Reimagine scholarship campaign includes the newly unveiled Tuition Advantage program which recognizes high-achieving students throughout the state of Colorado who demonstrate financial need.

For in-state students with a 3.8 GPA or higher whose families earn a total adjusted gross income of less than $50,000 per year (based on 2021 tax returns), the program will cover the student’s full tuition after institutional,

state and federal funds are applied — this represents an estimated four-year value of up to $170,000. Regis has also expanded its Merit Scholarships, granting awards which range from $21,000 to $27,000 to students who demonstrate exceptional academic ability.

In addition to these larger scholarships, Regis has introduced a number of stackable awards and micro-scholarships as part of a student’s total annual aid package, including:

1) Catholic Promise Scholarship ($2,000): For students who have graduated from a Catholic high school.

2) St. John Francis Regis Scholarship ($1,000): For students who have graduated from a Jesuit Catholic high school.

3) D2R Club Sports Scholarship ($1,000): For students who join or are recruited to play for Regis club sports teams, including rugby, soccer, cheer, volleyball and cycling.

4) Ranger Award ($1,000): For students who complete their application to Regis University and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before March 1.

5) Admitted Student Visit Award (Fly-in/

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Tennyson

Continued from Page 1 potential around that time.”

The Better Denver bond initiative from 2008 included $2.5 million for the Tennyson streetscape project, which ran from 38th to 44th avenues and involved the design and installation of new and improved sidewalks, furnishings, and pedestrian lighting.

“At the same time, some of this was going on, the city was generating the first Blueprint Denver project, and on the heels of that being adopted by City Council, there were a series of changes to the zoning code,” Noyes said. “I think the city tested the new zone districts as they were applied, but they didn't test it along Tennyson Street, and the architectural forms combined with the speed of redevelopment on the heels of the approval of that new zoning code caught everybody off guard.”

Noyes said some of the businesses that had existed either left or had to wait out the construction of the streetscape project.

“Our community was ready to embrace change,” Noyes said. “We wanted to see more people over here. We wanted to see more families over here, and we recognized that if we wanted to have more commercial over here, we needed to increase the density. And so there was real support for compromise in land use.”

Griego said in the past 10 years since then, there has been a lot of construction along Tennyson as businesses started to flourish.

“There's a lot of businesses that come and go, that's the biggest thing,” he said. “Besides

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Since the adoption of the Tennyson Street overlay, which restricts developers from putting only residential units on the ground floor in the area unless it’s a single-family home, Sandoval said there will be a lot of redevelopment in the next year or two along the corridor.

“It’s not going to just be 100 percent residential; it’s going to keep that neighborhood feel of having hopefully smaller, community-serving uses along that ground floor to keep it pedestrian friendly, to keep it a destination, and to make sure that people are still using Tennyson as what it was,” Sandoval said.

come and go throughout the years.

“Yet, we’ve persevered, and many of the businesses value keeping our street ‘local,’ so despite the big apartment buildings, the businesses still add a unique personality to the street,” Parisi said. “And density only offers more business for all of us.”

“The question will be how long will the rents be affordable to the smaller businesses?” Parisi continued. “We could continue to see another evolution if the landowners aren’t connected to the community. I have heard some sad stories where we’ve lost great businesses due to leasing issues, but also have heard of a few landowners that care about the community and structure leases around the tenant.”

Griego said that once construction or renovation of the buildings on Tennyson is complete, he hopes more restaurants and more places for people to hang out will open. He is actually in the process of opening his own lounge adjacent to Monkey Fist, which will be called Top Tenn.

“But right now, we're kind of shrinking,” Griego said. “A lot of businesses are leaving. Local 46 is leaving, BookBar is leaving. It's just strange.”

In the last year, Local 46, BookBar, and Mas Kaos all announced their closures. Kalaka Mexican Kitchen is currently in the process of opening in the Mas Kaos former location, 4528 Tennyson St, and BookBar is throwing a going away party on its last day on Jan. 31. The owners of Local 46, who did not own the building and were forced to leave, took over a location in neighboring Edgewater (See Page 4 for more details).

green and Australian-inspired Two Hands have been announced, and there will be outdoor seating.

The building at 3985 Tennyson is also to be renamed The Lantern, according to Dallas-based developer RUE.

At 4586 Tennyson St., which was formerly Local 46, plans have been filed to develop a three-story mixed-use building with 5,500 square feet of commercial space, six dwellings on ground floor and an additional 84 units on the second and third floors, with a roof deck.

The single-family home properties that were at 4353 N. Tennyson are being developed by First Stone Development, which paid a total of $2.6 million for the three lots between 2018 and 2020. First Stone plans to construct a three-story apartment complex with 34 units and 2,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. There are also plans for a common area on the roof.

The units will be one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, and some will have a mezzanine, Taub said. The walkability of the Tennyson neighborhood is what drew Taub to the area, and First Stone recently built a series of townhomes in the neighborhood that sold in six months.

The development will be one of the first under the Tennyson Street design overlay.

Compass Glass Co. is moving to 5310 Tennyson from its current location at 3973 Tennyson. The business was established in 1957, according to the company website.

The empty lot at 4144 Tennyson has not had anything filed for development, although

the influx of people, a lot of businesses come in and they leave. I think a lot of it has to do with the rents rising, the population going up and down around here.”

Councilwoman Amanda P. Sandoval said there used to be a hardware store that was her “main go-to” place (it’s now a coffee shop), and the changes at Green Door Furniture that are coming reminded her of visiting the store when it operated.

“You could always go in and get an interesting Denver story and could not leave without smelling like cigar smoke,” Sandoval said.

Griego said it’s essential that commercial ground-floor spaces remain in place or increase in order to keep the viability of the corridor going.

“There are a couple of loopholes that they found making those commercial spaces smaller, which is frustrating because if you build a lot of places for people to live, they need places to go,” Griego said. “If you shrink that down, this whole area is going to collapse.”

Christine Parisi has been the owner of Parisi pizzeria, trattoria e vino since 1998 and said years during economic recessions and the pandemic have caused businesses to

Watson said the turnover does happen from time to time along the corridor.

“This thing kind of happens around here when a family hits a certain age, their kids hit a certain age, they go to the ’burbs, which is totally understandable. I did the same thing,” Watson said.

WHAT’S COMING

Eli Cox, owner of Berkeley Supply Co., said he doesn’t want to see any “big box” stores come to Tennyson.

“I'd like to see it remain local, or at least locally focused companies like maybe stuff that's all over Colorado being here,” Cox said. “I am not mad at the direction (Tennyson) is going right now. I think a lot of the groundfloor retail being required is nice, not so it’s just these like, box apartments with nothing going on.”

Several properties are in the process of being developed or renovated within the Tennyson corridor between 38th and 46th avenues.

Formerly the Country Gentleman’s Liquor store and Tennyson’s Tap, the lot at 4345 W. 38th Ave. is slated to become a five-story residential building with ground-floor commercial space, which could include a gym and bike shops. The lot was purchased in April for $3.9 million by an LLC linked to Chicago-based Continuum Capital.

Formerly Green Door Furniture, the building at 3985 Tennyson St. is currently being renovated with construction slated to be completed either late spring or mid-summer. There will be three units for commercial space, and tenants Sweet-

Griego said he thinks it too will eventually become a three-story mixed-use building.

Geigo said business owners should keep up with what’s happening on the street.

“There's a lot of really good shops on Tennyson,” he said. “A lot of businesses on this block, including ourselves, do a lot for charity. In the past before COVID, we had a really high participation from the neighborhood in charities and community involvement. And I feel that if you're in this area and you love this area, I would say get involved in the community more.”

Watson said he hopes Tennyson will continue to be a place for gatherings, such as after a Little League baseball game or families coming down after school.

“It’s hard to articulate because I miss a lot of what drew us here,” Watson said. “I like this too, but I do miss some of old Tennyson, for sure.”

Parisi said she is optimistic about the future of Tennyson, saying that although there’s no getting back the smaller, single-family homes, there is a direction

“I see much more promise in some of the other developments on our street,” Parisi said. “Mixing residential and commercial is what Tennyson deserves as long as parking and nearby homes will always be respected. I hope that Tennyson will always serve as the heart of Berkeley in a way that only adds to the neighbors’ lives.”

PHOTO BY ERIC HEINZ

Eli Cox, owner of Berkeley Supply Co., in his Tennyson Street shop.

PHOTO BY ERIC HEINZ

Drew and Leah Watson at their business Hops and Pie.

PHOTO BY ERIC HEINZ

Ortavio Griego, owner of Monkey Fist Tattoo, poses for a photo in his shop.

PHOTO BY ALLEN COWGILL

A bird's-eye view of Tennyson Street from the angle of 38th Avenue looking north.

Justin has been helping to manage the site and organize volunteers and noted the University staff’s excitement at seeing families reunited toward the end of their journey.

“All of it was kind of just building it as we go and handling issues as they came up,” he said. “Many are just arriving with the clothing on their back … Some are going to be reunited with their mom or their siblings, and that’s been really incredible to watch, to see it coming together.”

The migrants entering Denver have already had their applications for asylum recognized by the federal government, and many have final destinations—such as family members’ homes—in mind.

“The City of Denver has assisted a very large amount of people in relocating with their families and friends in different parts of the country,” Lis wrote in a statement to The Denver North Star

Meilyn Pulgar Rivero, Alexander David Caridad Nuñez, and their 10-year-old son, Angelo, are currently housed at Regis University. They came to Denver from Venezuela in search of better jobs and educational opportunities. Throughout their journey, the family crossed 11 countries and often feared for their safety.

“It’s been a very strenuous journey,” Nuñez said. “It was very dangerous crossing the jungle and the days felt longer than they actually are. But that was just the beginning of the difficulty, because in Mexico kidnappings happen. We had heard many things about whether we were going to be safe, and many people did not want us there.”

After months of walking, the family reached El Paso, Texas, where they worked to be able to fund the journey to Denver. Justin noted that the North Denver community has been incredibly supportive of individuals who have experienced long journeys such as that of Rivero-Nuñez family.

“Our neighbors are always asking how they can help,” Justin said. “There’s a lot of great shelters around North Denver, and this really has been the community rallying together.”

“The reunification team from the city just arrived this morning,” Justin added. “We were able to kind of set up internet hotspots and a printer and so they began meeting with the families one on one, and they were able to purchase the bus tickets and print them on the spot to help the families get to their next destination.”

Dave Neuhausel, a pastor at downtown’s Denver Community Church and the director of the church’s Project Renew community service initiative, has worked to shelter migrants entering the city. He said there is a need to move centralized support out of just the downtown area.

“Most of the arrivals are coming by bus and are coming right into the center of downtown,” Neuhausel said. “But they’re not all able to stay there.”

Some North Denver churches and community organizations have found themselves with too little space to provide shelter for migrants,

however, such as Pilgrim Church Congregation and Globeville Community Church.

Pastor Sam Silva at Globeville Community Church noted that, despite space constraints, the church is doing all it is able to support incoming migrants. Regis University is housing approximately 50 people as well.

“We had a meeting where we fed families and expressed our hope to help any way we could,” Silva said. “Praying for them, trying to help them, that’s all we can do so far.”

Mayor Michael Hancock emphasized in a recent press conference that such constraints are increasingly present across the city. Local government officials and community organizations have provided large amounts of support, but will eventually face insurmountable resource barriers, Hancock noted.

“It is a balancing act. We simply are trying to do the best we can to respond to the current challenge that we have,” Hancock said. “There will come a time where I hope people understand that we have finite resources … We are in ongoing conversations with the state and federal government about that.”

Denver is not alone in seeing increased

populations of incoming migrants. In his press conference, Hancock noted having had conversations with a number of mayors across the country–citing in particular cities like Chicago and New York–who expressed fears of reaching a “breaking point” with their capacity to provide support for migrant populations without federal aid.

Broader discussions on the policy facing incoming migrants were called forth when, in late December, the Supreme Court halted a trial judge’s ruling lifting Title 42. The now standing title allows migrants who could otherwise qualify for asylum to be dismissed from the border. The Supreme Court has said it will hear arguments for the case in February, allowing for a more definitive order later this year.

Neuhausel noted that in Denver, the longterm goal ought to be to support migrants in settling into communities like North Denver, where he lived for over a decade before a recent move. This support can involve assisting with job placement, housing, and education opportunities, Neuhausel said.

“People agree that things like rec centers are not going to be permanent,” he said. “So this affects North Denver like it does all Denver neighborhoods, we’re going to have to choose whether we want to be a welcoming community for our new neighbors.”

Gov. Jared Polis in early January announced a partnership with Denver and local nonprofits, and he said about 70% of the migrants arriving aren’t trying to stay within the state but recently stayed here due to weather and workforce shortage as well as transportation cancellations.

The city and state are trying to provide intake, processing and transportation coordination to help the migrants safely reach their desired final destination.

“Our priority is ensuring that this is done in a culturally competent manner, in the most humane possible way, and in coordination with the receiving community,” a statement from the governor read.

PHOTO COURTESY OF REGIS UNIVERSITY

Migrants have been arriving by the hundreds in Denver for more than a month, with many staying in city and nonprofit organization shelters.

ince The Denver North Star began in 2019, I have written a book review for every issue as the Denver Public Library Smiley Branch’s senior librarian. I had a great time sharing new reads with Northwest Denver, discovering authors in the community, and highlighting some of the fun and exciting things going on at what is surely Denver’s cutest and most charming branch.

The new year has brought me a new opportunity in the library world, and while I’m excited for this next chapter, it is bittersweet because I have enjoyed my time at Smiley and in the Northside so much. Never fear, though—my amazing coworker, Wendy Thomas, will be picking up with creative, interesting, and thoughtful book reviews next month. Personally, I still plan to stop by Smiley for their great events and to pick up my library holds on occasion, so I may see you around.

For this month and my last review, I am highlighting Erika T. Wurth’s new title, “White Horse” (2022, Flatiron Books). Wurth’s horror novel veers into mystery as Keri, a woman who lives in Denver and grew up in Idaho Springs, begins looking into the disappearance of her Native American mother after seeing ghostly visions. Keri frequents the White Horse bar,

Swhich readers may recognize as the recently closed Westwood locale just east of Sheridan Boulevard on Alameda Avenue. The Denver connection doesn’t stop there, however—other local favorites receive nods throughout the novel, including Lucille’s, Lakeside, the Tattered Cover, and many more.

Keri, a fan of metal in her 30s who worships Dave Mustaine and considers herself firmly grounded in reality, begins seeing gruesome visions of her mother who disappeared when Keri was only two days old. With few ties to her maternal family and with a father who was impaired by an accident when Keri was just a child, Keri had assumed her mother ran out on her until her visions lead her to question what she does and doesn’t know about her and her family’s past.

Aside from the engaging mystery throughout “White Horse,” those who have spent any amount of time in Denver will have fun recalling all of the spaces and places referenced in the book’s pages. One can’t help but hope that the White Horse bar finds a new owner and reopens for another drink in real life after following Keri’s story.

Check out “White Horse” at your closest Denver Public Library location or as an e-book or e-audiobook on denverlibrary.org.

Homeless Coalition Looks to Create 215-Unit Income-Restricted Housing Near Chaffee Park

By Denver North Star Staff

Located at 200 W. 48th Ave., the former Clarion Inn at the intersections of 48th Avenue and I-70 will be transformed from a hotel into 215 units of supportive and transitional housing by mid-2023, known as Renewal Village.

Colorado Coalition for the Homeless closed on a $24 million acquisition of the property recently, as part of the $1.7 trillion federal spending bill that allocated $4 million in immediate renovations for the project, which was congressionally designated spending by Sen. John Hickenlooper and Congresswoman Diana DeGette.

Renewal Village will feature 108 units of supportive housing and 107 units of transitional housing and provide intensive supportive services for individuals experiencing homelessness who suffer from chronic health conditions, mental health issues, trauma, and other disabling conditions.

The Coalition anticipates that the immediate upgrades will allow the building to open this summer, making it the 22nd property owned by the Coalition, which houses over 4,000 individuals each night.

Financial Aid

Drive-in Award) ($500/$1,000): For students who have been admitted and attends an in-person admitted student event. Colorado-based students will receive $500, while out-of-state students will receive $1,000.

"As the only Jesuit Catholic University in the Rocky Mountains, we're proud to pro-

“The Coalition continues to seek out opportunities to create more housing options for those with historical barriers to accessing affordable housing in Colorado, the eighth-least affordable state in the country,” said John Parvensky, the president and CEO of the Coalition. “Transforming this abandoned hotel into 215 units of non-congregate, transitional, and long-term housing will transform the lives of those who become the Coalition’s newest residents in 2023.”

The purchase was made possible through multiple funding commitments including American Rescue Plan funding allocated by the Denver Office of Housing Stability ($10.4 million), The Division of Housing, Colorado Department of Local Affairs ($10.6 million), and Adams County ($3.8 million). The Coalition’s financial partner Northern Trust provided loans to assist with the acquisition.

The Coalition said it plans to seek furniture and houseware donations so that units are move-in ready when clients arrive at their new homes. More information is available at coloradocoalition.org/supportus.

vide high school seniors across the globe with a unique opportunity to continue their education at one of the top-ranked national universities according to U.S. News & World Report," Kumar said.

Applications are currently being accepted for the Fall 2023 semester at regis.edu/apply.

For more information, please email ruadmissions@regis.edu or call 800.944.7667. Additional information about scholarships and financial aid can be found at regis.edu/scholarships.

New Year Goals for Wellness

Hey there and Happy New Year, neighbor!

is already true. “While I brush my teeth I do five squats.” Tape it somewhere you will see it as you're doing your cue habit. Mine’s on my bathroom mirror.

I’ve seen a couple funny social media posts bidding adieu to 2022. Not gonna lie, I am squarely in that camp. I am confident that someday I will look back and see only the lessons I was meant to learn, the resilience my family showed, and the gifts the past 12 months had to offer. Currently working in that direction! I am full of gratitude for excellent medical care as well as friends and family who gathered me up in a net of love and support this year and always.

ERIKA TAYLOR

But from where I'm sitting today, my overwhelming feeling about 2022? Well, let’s just leave it at practicing gratitude and looking forward. And, in case you're feeling similarly, that’s an okay place to be sitting.

I’m not really much for resolutions. I’m more of a “building sustainable habits over time” kinda gal. I’ve seen this approach work with clients from all walks of life and I've felt it work myself. Hey look, there's one of those lessons of 2022!

So many people jump into huge New Year’s resolutions. Motivation wanes, they don’t reach their goal, and they give up. A couple rounds of that is enough to put anyone off of goal-setting at all. So let’s forget it’s the new year and practice building achievable, meaningful, life-sustaining habits today—for everyday—in four simple steps.

Step 3. Do your thing. Arrive at work, fill your water bottle. Make a phone call, do 10 calf raises. Make your breakfast, eat a handful of blueberries. Shave, text your neighbor.

Step 4. Pat yourself on your back and say out loud, “Great work.” Or, any combo of physical and verbal celebration that works for you. I love a good hand clap paired with an, “Oh, yea!” It may feel silly at first but I promise you, it works! If you refuse to feel silly and your habit is in public, you can substitute a whistle or tongue click. A few days into it the new habit you’ve stacked on the old one will start to take hold.

Magic lies in manageability. If you skip your new habit, ask yourself if it was too much. If so, dial it back. One squat after you pee is a perfectly good place to start! If 20 ounces of water when your feet hit the floor in the morning is too much, start with 10. And if you are still skipping, maybe you’ve picked a goal you aren’t ready for yet.

Want to know the very best wellness habit to add to your routine? That’s easy, it’s the one you will do. Don’t give up!

Step 1. Choose a habit you want in your life and one action that supports it. It can be anything! Here are some I suggest first to most of my clients:

Hydrate: Drink 20 ounces of water first thing in the morning. Drink a glass of water every hour. Add lemon to three glasses of water a day.

Eat more fiber: Add high-fiber fruit to one meal a day. Take a fiber supplement. Eat three servings of high fiber foods a day.

Move: Make a date to walk with a friend. Do 15 squats a day. Put your walking shoes on every morning.

Connect: Text a friend. Write a letter. Meet a colleague for a walk.

Step 2. Pick a thing you already do: brush your teeth, make coffee, pee … This is your “cue” habit. It’s the one you will pin your new habit to. Write yourself a note as if the new habit

Want to know the very best wellness habit to add to your routine? That’s easy, it’s the one you will do. Don’t give up! It can take time to find the balance between what you know you need to do to be well and what you are willing to consistently do. That’s why this method works! It allows us to both practice learning new habits and uncover what’s stopping us from taking care of ourselves at the same time.

If you try this, I would love to hear how it goes, or other ways you’ve been able to add wellness to your life. One of the most positive things of 2022 for me was hearing from readers. I sincerely thank you for taking time to read our lovely local paper.

Wishing you wellness in the new year and today.

Erika Taylor is a community wellness instigator at Taylored Fitness, the original online wellness mentoring system. Taylored Fitness believes that everyone can discover small changes in order to make themselves and their communities more vibrant, and that it is only possible to do our best work in the world if we make a daily commitment to our health. Visit facebook.com/erika.taylor.303 or email erika@ tayloredfitness.com.

/// NEWS SHORTS ///

Denver Public Library Announces Winter Reading Program

By Denver North Star Staff

The Denver Public Library’s annual Winter of Reading program kicked off Jan. 1 and runs through the end of February. Participants are encouraged to complete at least five of the recommended activities to earn a prize.

Some of these activities include asking library staff for reading recommendations and downloading the newly launched Denver Public Library mobile app. Upon completion, participants may choose either a winter themed mug or a tote bag, then can submit a survey for the chance to win a $50 Tattered Cover gift card.

New this year, program materials will also be printed in Arabic and Vietnamese where these languages had only previously been available in PDF format. English and Spanish versions will also be available.

Participants can pick up a Winter of Reading activity brochure by visiting any neighborhood library location. PDF versions of the brochure activities are also available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese,

and Arabic at: denverlibrary.org/winterofreading

Other Winter of Reading program highlights includes the Maker Challenge, which gives folks the opportunity to get creative and explore the library’s maker spaces called ideaLABs as well as the return of the popular program “Battle of the Books.”

The latter program features a panel of local, high profile figures making an argument for program goers to read their favorite book.

The panel includes James Mustich, author of “1,000 Books to Read Before You Die;” local author David Heska Wanbli Weiden; Westword staff writer Conor McCormack-Cavanagh; co-executive director of Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition Julie Reiskin; local author Ausma Khan; and the Denver Art Museum's curator of modern and contemporary art Rory Padeken.

The Winter of Reading program is celebrating its ninth year and provided participants with over 1,000 prizes in 2022 alone.

Hannah Evans is the senior librarian at the Smiley Branch of the Denver Public Library.

The Coalition said it plans to seek furniture and houseware donations so that units are move-in ready when clients arrive at their new homes.

Announces

Sources from 2022 Offer Inspiration for The New Year

KATHRYN WHITE

Iappreciate many things about writing this column and ranking high among them is the growing list of interesting people who have become my sources.

In 2022 I leaned on more than 30 people for my coverage and I’ve invited a few of them back as we enter 2023.

I asked the following individuals if there was a book or podcast they learned from last year—one that brought inspiration, new ideas or interesting information—that they’d recommend readers of The Gray Zone check out in 2023.

They responded with an incredible range. Enjoy!

Amy DelPo, Manager of Older Adult Services for Denver Public Library (August column), recommends “Poetry Unbound.”

“This podcast about poetry is nothing like studying poetry in school. Instead, host Pádraig Ó Tuama, an Irish poet himself, makes poetry feel visceral and gritty and highly relevant to our everyday chaotic lives,” DelPo said. “Each episode focuses on a single poem, which Padraig reads with a voice and accent that are an art in and of themselves. But then he explores the poem and opens it up for you like a gift.”

J.E. Thomas, the middle grade and young adult book author whose confidence was fueled at an early age by teacher Helen Yeager (centenarian, July), said, “I really enjoy the podcast ‘12 Hour Sound Machines.’ There aren't any words after the obligatory ads at the beginning. If you enjoy background noise, this podcast is awesome! I'm also a big fan of Oprah's ‘Super Soul Sunday’ podcast.”

Look for Thomas’ middle grade book “Control Freaks” coming in May 2023.

Stormie Foust, now annual giving manager for Christian Living Communities, was instrumental in my coverage of inclusiveness efforts to improve the experiences of LGBTQ+ elders in residential care settings (March).

“I am happy to recommend ‘Monarchs of the Sea’ by Danna Staaf, a funny and engaging look at the astounding 500 million-year history of cephalopods that led to our modern squid and octopus sea friends,” Foust said. “Cephalopods are bound up in the evolution of life on Earth, which started as life in the oceans. I promise you won’t look at a plate of calamari the same way again!”

Rabbi Dan Roberts, who spoke to me about men and aging (October), says “Jewish Sacred Aging” is a great podcast. Roberts recently read “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown, the story of the rowing team from the University of Washington that won the 1936 Olympics, and found it to be a page turner.

Readers can also check out Roberts’ two recently published books, “Once Upon a Kingdom: Parables of Morals, Values and Kindness” (for adults to read to children) and “After the Suicide Funeral: Wisdom on the Path to Posttraumatic Growth” (for suicide loss survivors).

Anne Button, program director of CU Denver’s Change Makers (November) said, “A book that absorbed me this year was ‘The 100-Year Life,’ by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott, about making the most of the longer lives we’re likely to experience. The linear three-stage life—education, employment, retirement—will be a thing of the past, as we’ll likely experience more transitions, experimentation, and reinvention. I loved this line in particular: ‘The longer your life, the more identity reflects what you craft rather than a reactive response to where you began.”

Janine Vanderburg, director of Changing

the Narrative (August) has two suggestions. Her first is Dr. Becca Levy’s “Breaking the Age Code.”

“Read this book and encourage your friends, family members, and book clubs to read it. This is THE book that will end ageism,” she said.

Next, Vanderburg recommends Aye Birsel’s “Design the Long Life You Love.”

“Despite the messages that society sends us, life is not over as we age,” Vanderburg said. “This book by a product designer pairs lessons learned from people who have lived a long life with practical exercises to help you design the long life you will love.”

Johnn Young, community resource navigator with the Center for African American Health (October) points to “a book that is a simple read but has influenced me: ‘The 5 Second Rule’ by Mel Robbins. I was stuck and not sure how to move forward. I had the ideal, the plan, but could not move, get off the pot! I asked the universe for guidance and then I ran across this book. It not only told me why I was stuck, but how to get (into action).”

Are there topics you’d like to hear more (or less) about in The Gray Zone? I’m currently following legislation impacting older adults in the Colorado General Assembly and, at the suggestion of a reader, looking into local endof-life topics and resources. Send your ideas to kathryn@denvernorthstar.com.

Kathryn has lived in North Denver since around the time the Mount Carmel High School building was razed and its lot at 3600 Zuni became Anna Marie Sandoval Elementary. She’s raised two children in the neighborhood, worked at several nonprofits, and volunteered with the Alzheimer’s Association Colorado Chapter.

Weekly composting will roll out this summer. Denver is expanding services to make it easier for you to reduce what goes to the landfill and protect the environment. The city is charging existing customers based on the size of their trash cart, so go small and save more. Go online now to create and manage your account and learn how we can be Better Together.

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