The Denver North Star August 15 2021 Online Edition

Your Guide to Community, Politics, Ar ts and Culture in Nor th Denver DenverNor thStar.com

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Volume 2, Issue 11

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August 15, 2021 -September 14, 2021

Outdoor Festivals Return to North Denver

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ALWAYS FREE!

Catalytic Converter Thefts Plague North Denver — Now What?

By Bill Menezes

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SUNNYSIDE MUSIC FESTIVAL Next on the lineup on Sept. 11 is the Sunnyside Music Festival, which has an all day line up of music with proceeds going towards youth arts and music grants.

What started as a small music fest in the backyard of a neighborhood couple soon turned into an event drawing an estimated 12,000 people per day. In the last three years, Sunnyside has been able to raise nearly $10,000 per year to provide PAs, instruments, music stands, and more for a number of youth programs.

So when it came time to consider whether or not to host the festival in 2020, it was hard to let the idea go, said long-time board member Joe Michie.

Organizers got into conversation with Indie 102.3 who suggested a virtual, broadcasted event that would allow Sunnyside to continue showcasing local music.

Swallow Hill Music also jumped in with an offer to have musicians perform in their pedicabs.

With those creative solutions in hand, Sunnyside was able to offer a socially-distanced and virtual event during the pandemic last year with the slogan #festinyournest. So while the radio station was broadcasting festival favorites, musicians like Los Mocochetes and Chadzilla rode down 44th street in pedicabs.

“It was amazing. It was not 12,000 people in the park,” Michie said, “but there were moments that were more heartwarming, touching, inspiring.”

f you park your car or truck on the street or in a driveway on the Northside, the question seems to be not “if” someone will try to steal your catalytic converter, but “when.”

The answer to “How can we stop it?” will depend on a number of factors, ranging from possible revisions of Colorado laws regulating recyclers and salvage yards that buy the devices, to success at addressing a vehicle theft surge that Denver Police say appears to be worsening the converter theft wave.

The national, years-long epidemic of catalytic converter thefts has been going full throttle this summer throughout metro Denver. Rare is the day that Northside neighbors on social media don’t report that a thief has sawn through the exhaust pipe of someone’s car or light truck to steal the catalytic converter — an anti-pollution device the federal government has required on all new gas-powered U.S. cars and light trucks since 1975 — ostensibly to sell to a junk, salvage, or recycling business.

The experience of West Highlands resident Peter Richards was typical. Around 9:30 p.m. the night of July 19 he heard the sounds of metal cutting and went outside to see the miscreants flee in a black pickup truck with the catalytic converter from his 1995 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck. The process took perhaps two minutes. “I was more shocked than anything,” Richards told The Denver North Star.

Four days later a Sunnyside resident posted a photo on NextDoor of the man she wrote had attempted to steal her converter; a man Richards noted appeared to be the same as the one who got away with his. Residents in the same comment thread noted their own recent theft experiences, in Harkness Heights, West Highland, and Berkeley.

Denver Police statistics showed 287 converter thefts in District 1 as of the end of July.

The “why” of the thefts is clear: Catalytic converters contain precious metals such as platinum and palladium that have soared in price over the past several years as demand for them has risen for automotive pollution controls as well as for jewelry and industrial uses. Platinum, for example, was selling for about $600 per ounce in global commodities markets in May 2020; the price was nearly $1,046 as of July 30 of this year.

The problem isn’t new, either. One article on the archive website Science History noted a national wave of converter thefts back in 2014, during a surge in platinum prices to more than $1,400 per ounce.

The financial equation works better for successful thieves than for their victims. For a one-minute foray underneath an unattended vehicle with a

See FESTIVALS, Page 15

See THEFTS, Page 10

TRANSPORTATION

New EV Charging Stations PAGE 4

ARTS & CULTURE N. Denver Theaters PAGE 7

PHOTO COURTESY OF SUNNYSIDE MUSIC FESTIVAL

With outside event capacity limits lifted, festivals are returning to North Denver. While the 2020 Sunnyside Music Festival was virtual, this year they will be back in Chaffee Park as they were before the pandemic. Photo from 2019 Festival.

By Celeste Benzschawel

E COMMUNITY New Sloan's Lake Organization PAGE 9

COMMUNITY Gene Lucero, Plaza38 PAGE 12

POLITICS Update from Rep. Valdez PAGE 16

HEALTH & WELLNESS Suicide Prevention PAGE 17

veryone loves an excuse to dress up to theme and dance the night away – and North Denverites can with the return of festivals and fairs to the neighborhood this fall!

After a year off from large, outdoor gatherings, organizers are excited to announce the return of staple events like the Highlands Street Fair, Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, Totally Tennyson, and more. The wide array of bands, themed bar crawls, delicious foods, appreciation of culture, and celebration of community is sure to draw thousands of attendees to these events.

Not only will these outdoor gatherings give small businesses a chance to show off their work, they will give people a chance to do what they’ve missed most – enjoy a night with their neighbors and a good beer.

The festivals will largely look the same as any other year – just with more hand sanitizing stations.

Without an active mask mandate or COVID restrictions for events from the City of Denver, all open-air festivals have the green light. Organizers will be sure to adhere to whatever COVID restrictions may arise in the meantime, though they are hopeful things will remain clear.

HIGHLANDS STREET FAIR The first event to hit calendars is the Highlands Street Fair on August 28. This free event, running for its 38th year, commemorates the musicians, artists, vendors, and businesses in the West Highland neighborhood.

Aside from the decision to eliminate children’s bounce houses this year, the festival will look much like it did in 2019, said Jenny Apel, an HMA director and leader at Nostalgic Homes Group.

“It’s a big day for Highlands Square. It’s huge,” Apel said.

Highlands Street Fair spans multiple blocks between Perry and Irving Streets, where there will be 100+ vendors all the way from boutiques and apparel to food and fine arts.

Nine entertainers will also be taking to their two respective stages this year. Attendees can expect performances from folk artist Saint Valentine, singer-songwriter Bailey Elora, pop and country artist Alyssa

Ruffin, and country rock band The ThreadBarons at the Julian Stage. At the Osceola Stage, expect a workout with Spenga Rep & Revive, followed by music with bluegrass band Denver Burglar Alarm, young guitarist Dylan Miles, groove-rockers RADO, and reggae band Justus and the Limits.

“This is a celebration of neighborhood and the Highlands Square merchants struttin’ their stuff a little bit,” Apel said. “As well as these vendors – these street fair vendors – this is how they make their living. It matters a great deal for them.”

The Highlands Street Fair is located at Highland Square on West 32 Avenue on Aug. 28. Entertainment begins at 10 am and the fair ends at 7pm.

LETTERS FROM MISS JILL

K I D S & E D UCAT I ON

Online Freedom for All

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t is not a new subject for me to write about smart online behavior for kids as well as us adults who serve as examples for them. After some of JILL CARSTENS my articles were published, I was connected with a woman in our North Denver neighborhood who has been actively doing something about this.

Amanda McClernon runs a social media firm that she founded on principles of scrupulous internet engagement. One of the first phrases you see on the home page of her website reads: “If you believe in keeping social media social and kind, you’re in the right place.” Her goals in helping businesses include making social media real and authentic, condemning the use of bot-followers, thus reminding clients that the goal is to reach real people by engaging them thoughtfully.

Having had that basis for her professional life, McClernon experienced an “A-ha” moment after she moved to Denver a few years ago. Not knowing anyone yet, she turned to the Internet, where she had always found joy in connecting with people all over the world.

As time passed however, her online life became a replacement for meeting actual new friends in Denver. She found herself in a lonely place. Likening the situation to what an addict might go through when hitting rock bottom, she realized she needed a timeout from the Internet, a “re-set” she calls it, in order to set new boundaries for herself. She got outside, learned to be comfortable with silence and planned some real-person meet ups.

McClernon had a sense that she was not the only person who had gone through something like this. Especially for generations

growing up with social media, not using it can be a strange and difficult undertaking.

She wanted to help others navigate this dilemma and founded the organization, “Keep Social Media Social” TM, evolving out of the standards she created for her social media company, providing guidance through inexpensive workshops for young people, adults and parents who want to have a more intentional, balanced approach to using the internet.

Through her workshops and articles, she promotes the importance of creating a balance between online activity and in-person experiences. She emphasizes learning positive communication methods on and off line.

A fan of Brené Brown, McClernon echoes the awareness of the emotional impact of our words and the prevalence of online bullying, not just with young people, but among all users. She advocates active listening techniques, as simple as keeping eye contact and making relevant comments during a conversation for those who have perhaps spent a lot of time in front of screens.

Additionally, McClernon is reaching out to schools and parents to help foster curriculums and regular parenting routines to include preemptive online use, etiquette, and teaching awareness of basic, proactive communication skills. Sometimes it is as simple as reminding people of the Golden Rule.

As a teacher myself, I saw the deficit in communication skills growing since smartphones arrived on the scene. It was a struggle for me to set the priority for my son’s play dates to not include playing on a phone or iPad. When I mention it in passing, a lot of parents do not see the use in bringing up ap-

See FREEDOM, Page 5

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Coach Lonnie Porter to 2021 Porter-Billips Leadership Academy graduates, “Your work is not done.”

By Kathryn White

PHOTO BY SKIP STEWART

Coach Lonnie Porter (L to R) with graduates Steve Perez and Yanely Hinojos-Robles of Arrupe Jesuit High School, and Nova Salazar-Scott of Denver Montessori High School

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leven rising high school seniors from across the metro area sat together at the St. John Regis Chapel on August 11th.

Notes in hand, each would soon speak. They graduated that evening from a powerful and unique program: the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy (PBLA).

Program leaders described students’ growth over the years. And the students, smiling and holding back tears, recognized themselves. They pointed and giggled at younger versions of themselves in a slideshow. And then, one by one, each took the podium.

Nova Salazar-Scott of Denver Montessori High School shared that the pandemic meant more time to reflect. She spoke about growth—her own and her cohort’s— through the metaphor of a perennial. “We are bouncing back after a spring thaw,” she said. “Time spent in that little hole, it fueled growth.”

Earlier this summer—and for every summer since 3rd grade—Salazar-Scott and the other graduates spent three weeks on campus at Regis University.

PBLA brings over 200 students, rising 4th through 12th graders, to Regis’ North Denver campus annually in June. Students arrive promptly in the morning, some quickly dashing off to the grassy commons to kick a soccer ball around. Others find friends to catch up with. Before long they’re clustering off by grade and heading off with teachers toward various points on campus. Activities vary by age group and are excitingly outside the scope of typical schoolwork.

This summer, for example, rising 10th grade students had the chance to take apart and reassemble laptop computers through an IT certification program called CompTIA

We’ll make math a bright spot in your child’s school year.

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A+. Regis doctoral students of physical therapy ran each PBLA class through hands-on activities connected to their profession. Students had a chance to learn about leadership through studying Jackie Robinson’s life.

And Young Americans Center for Financial Education pitched in as part of a business skills class that resulted in the annual YouthBiz marketplace.

Lonnie Porter, longtime men’s head basketball coach at Regis University, created the program in 1996. NBA star Chauncey Billups, recently named head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers, joined Coach Porter in 2006. PBLA, now named in their honor, provides academic and leadership training to at-risk students from across Denver.

The program is cost-free, with students and families making a long-term commitment to attend every day, every summer.

Since its inception 25 years ago, 202 students have graduated from PBLA; and the program boasts a 99.5% on-time high school graduation rate. Of graduates, 158 have attended or are currently attending college, 61 at Regis. And Regis commits to helping every student who graduates from PBLA with scholarships to attend college.

As Salazar-Scott and fellow PBLA students arrived on campus those early mornings back in June, Coach Porter stood ready to greet them. He’s greeted PBLA students this way, with eye contact and a firm handshake, since 1996. He’s kept in touch with many over the years. Some return to teach in the program or visit classrooms to share about their careers. It seems Coach Porter and the many PBLA teachers, mentors, and students over the years have arrived at a powerful array of answers to that core Jesuit question, “How ought we to live?”

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K I D S & E D UCAT I ON

Denver Public Schools Resume Classes

By Ernest Gurulé

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or Denver Public School students, a return to normalcy is only a few days away. On August 23rd, DPS will resume K-12 classes–in real classrooms. No more remote learning for more than 90,000 DPS students. But ‘the ghost at the banquet,’ the pandemic that disrupted life all around the world, is not only still here, but now has a new relative, the Delta variant, that may also be present when the school bell rings.

The start of school will also be the first school day in the DPS system for new Superintendent Alex Marrero, who took over the top job in Denver after serving in the same capacity in New Rochelle, New York, a New York City suburb. “It was incredible, a very desirable place to be,” he said of the job he left behind.

But it’s not that job that’s now his focus nor where he’s channeling his energy.

Marrero, a New Yorker down to his marrow, is in the first stage of acclimation to a whole new environment. He said he’s been drinking out of the proverbial fire hose as he tries to abIP STEWARTsorb everything he can about DPS, its history, Robles of culture, challenges, and anything else about h School the district that may fall in his lap.

But few challenges loom as large as getting a true assessment of what the pandemic took away from young minds, both academically and socially. “There are parallels,” he said, “that are common to all districts.”

Some students–he calls them ‘scholars’–won’t be academically impacted by the virus. But there are others, he acknowledged, “who’ve regressed tremendously.”

Despite DPS purchasing thousands of computers and internet connectivity for students to study remotely, a lot of students simply checked out or checked in only intermittently.

While the start of school will bring all students back to the classroom, teachers will probably determine early on those who logged on and kept pace and those who didn’t.

While Marrero has the job of overseeing Colorado’s largest school district, dealing with the sum of its parts goes to people like Vanessa Diaz Trussell, who’s taking on a new job as Principal of Swansea Elementary School. “It feels daunting to attempt measuring exactly what our students have lost during the pandemic,” she said. “Rather than looking to remediate lost learning, we need to focus on how we will accelerate learning. We will have to know where our students are and that will include baseline assessments.”

Diaz Trussel was a classroom teacher last school year during the district's fits and starts when the pandemic allowed schools to reopen. Along with her colleagues, they created new classroom tools and techniques to help children adjust to a once in a lifetime event.

“Our approach was to really get to know our students,” she said, while also addressing their emotional needs. New approaches included things she called ‘cozy corners,’ quiet spots in classrooms for those times when a student needed to escape.

Teachers also budgeted personal time to spend with certain students to not only talk to them but also to listen. Diaz Trussell believes in this approach and plans to continue with it while, at the same time, “being mindful to demonstrate empathy…rather than feeling sympathy for them.” The classroom veteran believes that feeling sorry for students can lead to “lowered expectations and excuse-making.”

While Diaz Trussell believes that students who may have fallen behind as a result of COVID can, over time, climb back to where they should be. Others who’ve shared the same vocation, do not share the same optimism. Retired primary school educator Evelyn DeHerrera Armijo believes the virus robbed students in Denver and everywhere else of essential classroom time that not even one-on-one mentoring may

fail to overcome.

“Some students need refresher classes when they go back after summer vacation,” said DeHerrera Armijo. “Can you imagine 18 months?”

At this stage of a young person’s educational journey, she said, lost classroom time can be devastating, especially for some students who

“It feels daunting to attempt measuring exactly what our students have lost during the pandemic,” she said. “Rather than looking to remediate lost learning, we need to focus on how we will accelerate learning. We will have to know where our students are and that will include baseline assessments.” were already slipping through the cracks. “I can remember when some of my students were out for several days. Some got their assignments in and some didn’t.” Individual parents or even close relatives of a student, she firmly believes, are absolutely crucial for getting these young minds back on track.

DeHerrera is not completely pessimistic about a student’s ability to bounce back. She also doesn’t hold those students responsible who, through no fault of their own, ‘checked out’ when the virus halted classes. But, she said, it will take a real commitment from teachers, parents, and the young person, too, to gain back what the virus stole. In a word, said the veteran bilingual teacher, “It will take ‘ganas.’”

Translation: Desire.

Denver’s new school superintendent understands the educational challenge the virus has left in its wake as well as the very real possibility that the emerging Delta variant could deliver an even more devastating aftershock. “I am one hundred percent concerned,” he said. “We need to reposition our (educational) targets,” Marrero said. “We can reimagine how we look at education in the future.”

But the self-described ‘kid from the Bronx’ said he did not come to Denver to be a caretaker. “Nothing is stopping me from knocking on doors,” if it will get parents involved. Marrero, a lifelong New York Yankees and New York Giants fan, has a game plan that accompanies his confidence that DPS students who may have fallen behind can be brought up to proficiency. Once back in the classroom, he said, he believes frontline teachers can do the job. “It should not take more than a year.”

There is one thing off the new superintendent’s ‘to do,’ list. Marrero had planned on conferring with the DPS teacher’s union on vaccinating against the virus before the start of school. But that issue was taken off the table when, earlier this month, the district implemented a 2021-22 mask policy that made them mandatory for all students, teachers, staff, and visitors on school grounds. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock also included mandatory vaccines for all city employees, contractors, and many non city workers in at-risk roles within Denver, including school teachers and staff at DPS as well as private schools.

While there may be some grumbling about masks, teachers, staff, and students in more than 50 DPS schools might also have something to say about returning to schools that still do not have air conditioning. That problem, said the district, will not be addressed for at least two years.

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August 15, 2021-September 14, 2021 | Page 3

T RAN S P ORTAT I O N

New EV Charging Station Coming to Smiley Branch Library

By Allen Cowgill

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he City of Denver will be building an electric vehicle (EV) charging station at the Smiley Branch Library near 46th Avenue and Utica St. this year as part of their push to build out electric car charging infrastructure in Denver. Mike Salisbury, Transportation Energy Lead for the Denver Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, Resiliency, detailed the new charging station, one of four that the city will be installing this year in Denver. It will be a Level 2 charging station. It is free to use and is capable of adding about 25 miles of range per hour of charging for a typical electric vehicle. The station can charge two cars simultaneously. It will be among one of the first public chargers in North Denver in addition to the many Level 2 chargers installed in newer office buildings along Platte St and a Level 2 Charger on the Regis University campus, according to plugshare.com. It also joins two groups of Level 3 Chargers bordering North Denver at the Target in Edgewater as well as the REI Flagship Store. For a fee, these high speed chargers are capable of charging most newer EVs from near empty to 80% full in 2040 minutes while their driver shops, dines, or goes for a walk nearby .

Salisbury said Denver is installing the charging station at Smiley because the city is “very focused on what they need to do across the economy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We see electric vehicles as one very important piece of the puzzle as far as reducing emissions from the transportation sector, the second largest source of emissions in the city of Denver and is growing unfortunately.

We obviously want to give Denver residents options to drive less with walking, biking transit, and active transportation. But recognizing that vehicles for better or worse- there are about 700,000 of them registered in the city of Denver- that people are going to keep

on using vehicles. So as much as possible, we’re trying to electrify those vehicles. We did an analysis a couple years ago, it shows a ⅓ reduction in emissions, for a new EV compared to a gasoline vehicle.” The city hopes to have 30% of vehicles be electric by 2030 and 100% be electric by 2050. Salisbury also noted that those electric vehicles will continue to get cleaner as Denver’s electric production gets cleaner and the electric grid transitions to more renewable energy sources. The city is trying to amplify the EV charging infrastructure to make it easier for people to make the switch. He mentioned that Xcel Energy has funding for business owners to install chargers, and that the Colorado Energy Office also has grants for businesses and nonprofits to install chargers as well.

He notes the cost of powering an electric vehicle is around one third of the cost of a gas powered vehicle, or the equivalent of paying about $1 per gallon.

Danny Katz, Executive Director of Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG), and Berkeley resident, applauds the city for putting in more charging stations around the neighborhood. He notes that most people fuel their EVs when they are at home. “In North Denver a lot of homes have garages, so a lot of people have access to charging their cars overnight if they do make the switch to having an electric vehicle. However, there are some people in the community that don’t have access to off street parking.” Katz says that we’ll really need to focus on putting in chargers at

libraries, businesses, churches, and schools to allow people without garages to have access to charge.

Katz echoes the city’s goals around electrification of cars citing, “There are two major reasons we should completely transition to an electric power transportation system. The first is pollution, electric vehicles have no tailpipes.

So all the pollution that comes from tailpipes, whether it is pollution that leads to climate change, or whether it's the pollutants that fuel our dirty air or ozone alerts. We eliminate that pollution.” Even taking into account some of the electricity for EVs being produced by coal and natural gas power plants, those indirect emissions still are less polluting than gas powered vehicles. Katz says that “the second major reason is that it’s way better for consumers in terms of cost.” He notes the cost of powering an electric vehicle is around one third of the cost of a gas powered vehicle, or the equivalent of paying about $1 per gallon. “And then you see huge savings in the maintenance, so there are just a lot less parts. We completely remove oil changes from the equation, so you don’t have to do oil changes anymore. So it’s not only really good for the environment, but it’s also much better for consumers strictly from the cost of driving.” Katz also mentions another benefit as more EVs means more money going into the electric grid. “There are studies to show that if we switch to a transportation system powered 100% powered by electricity, not only do individual consumers see a benefit when they use their vehicles, but we all see a benefit on our utility bill as the overall cost of your utility bill comes down.”

Despite the upside, Katz notes that we can’t meet our climate goals on a transition to EVs alone. “EVs have a lot of benefits, and there are a lot of reasons why we should fully embrace them and dive in, and as quickly as possible

PHOTO BY ALLEN COWGILL

Level 3 charging stations near Target on Sheridan Blvd. More charging stations are being installed across the region.

move to an electric vehicle future. But that is not the silver bullet, it is not the single solution. It’s one of many tools we need to use.

If we are thinking about climate change, it will not be enough to fully tackle our climate problem. We just have to reduce the amount of driving we are doing and allow people to get around without a car as well as switch to electric vehicles if we are going to tackle climate pollution in our transportation system.”

Katz asserts that the city should invest more in multimodal, and specifically public transit to hit climate change goals, so people can use transit to do more of their day to day trips.

“We need transit service in NW Denver where everyone is within a couple of blocks of a bus that comes every 10 minutes. And is moving us around the neighborhood to the places we love. That’s really what is missing.”

PAID ADVERTISING

U.S. Bank has returned to the Highlands The new branch, located at 3480 W. 38th Avenue, features the latest technology and design to elevate the banking experience for customers

I t ’s Back!

September 11 th

11am to 7:30pm Chaffee Park The event supports local youth music programs while bringing together thousands of North Denver neighbors for a day of world-class Denver bands, local food, craft beverages, kids’ activities, and community.

SMF is put on by a board of fun-loving neighbors, volunteering their time. This FREE, inclusive, event is sustained by generous donations from local businesses and beer sales (so please don’t bring your drinks).

Go to sunnysidemusicfest.org to sign up to volunteer or to sell your goods at the event. An exciting lineup of local artists will be announced in the next issue of DNS.

U.S. Bank previously had a location near 38th and Lowell that was razed in 2016 as part of a larger redevelopment project. We’ve retained the hand-drawn mural from the old branch, which depicts historic Highlands homes, but beyond that the new branch has several significant changes including: • A smaller footprint – The new branch is 3,600 square feet, compared to nearly 11,500 square feet for the previous building, reflecting advancements in digital banking that allowed us to remove the teller line and create a more engaging experience. Bankers equipped with mobile tablets can help customers throughout the many spaces of the branch, including customer support stations that provide space for one-on-one conversations or offices that are available for more indepth conversations.

• A new community room – This room can be used by customers, local businesses and non-profit organizations free of charge, and features its own restroom, kitchenette, dishwasher and outside entrance.

• A Digital Discovery Center that pro-

U.S. Bank team presents a $1,500 check to Lake Middle School

Page 4 | August 15, 2021-September 14, 2021

vides a space to educate customers on the latest in online and mobile banking technology, and an Interactive Teller Machine that allows customers to cash checks with their choice of denominations, make deposits, pay accounts online, and more.

• Exterior walkup ATM and driveup ATM for 24/7 convenience.

“We’re excited to The U.S. Bank branch lobby, featuring a circular framed continue to bring rendition of historic Highlands home increasingly more of these relationship-focused branch designs decades to come.” to our Denver customers,” said Patrina U.S. Bank is an Equal Housing Lender, Pettry, U.S. Bank Consumer and Business Member FDIC. Banking market lead for Denver. “These The exterior of the physical designs complement our digital new U.S. Bank offering and reflect how we’re seeing cusbranch facing tomers engage with branches.”

38th Ave. To celebrate our new Highlands branch, U.S. Bank donated $1,000 to neighboring Bienvenidos Food Bank and $1,500 to Lake Middle School. We also provided lunch from Jason’s Deli to 130 teachers and staff at North High School on May 7 in honor of Teacher Appreciation week.

“We believe in investing in helping our communities thrive in a variety of ways,” Pettry said. “We are glad to remain committed to the Highlands, and look forward to being part of this neighborhood for

The Denver North Star

Freedom

H E ALTH & W E L L NE S S

Continued from Page 2

COMMUNITY WELLNESS INSTIGATOR

5 Steps to Turning Procrastination into Action

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here are a million Brainstorm and write down as many ideas as things that you you can. Shoot for at least 10. You can edit could do right now. them later! Let’s choose “Walk 30 minutes a Work, emails, your to- day,” for example: do list, cleaning, laun- 1. Find my favorite walking shoes dry, making dinner, 2. Track how many steps I’m getting each day ERIKA TAYLOR calling your mom... But 3. Take some laps around the office between you’re just not feeling it. It’s not that you don’t meetings have dreams and goals. Or that you don’t 4. Research great places to walk in my value your commitments. Maybe you’re just neighborhood plain lazy.

5. Join a walking group No! Procrastinating has everything to do 6. Take a yoga class online with how our brains are designed – which is 7. Invite my neighbor for a walk to seek comfort and avoid stress. That’s right. 8. Find time in my day for 10 minutes of You were designed to procrastinate. walking A study by Amy Arnsten at Yale in 2009 9. Do a foot strengthening warm up revealed that stress causes chemical signals 10. Walk up and down the steps 3 times to your brain, which impair your prefronRemember, you may not complete all the tal cortex in order to reserve energy to deal steps you list, but that’s okay! Feel free to add with threats. This is and subtract, re-order convenient if you’re and re-do this list often. being chased by a saProcrastinating has ber-toothed tiger but STEP #4 not so much if the everything to do with how Commit to one threat is the prospect of our brains are designed – micro-step each day. writing an uncomfortCommit to one single which is to seek comfort micro action. If you’re able email or getting to the gym. A task outside still overwhelmed , and avoid stress. our comfort zone can that means it’s too produce those same large and you need to stress signals and send us straight into pro- break it down even more. Bonus Tip: Make tective procrastination. your commitment a part of your morning If only there were a way to rewire this same routine. Write down one single micro-step response into something that would help us each morning. Fully commit to that one miget those things we want to get done - done! cro-step and stay consistent. If you find that Procrastination, meet micro-steps and for some reason you aren’t able to complete mini-goals. the one you chose, pick another and complete Any time you achieve something, you it before bed. receive a hit of dopamine. This positive chemical feedback makes you want more. STEP #5 The trick here is to start off easy and let the Achieve your goal, celebrate and repeat. momentum build. That way, when the autoThat’s all there is to it. The golden ticket to matic prefrontal response to stress kicks in, being successful is consistency. Since you’ve we’ve got the habit built to circumvent it. got your list, you don’t have to think about it. Choose a micro step and act. After a while STEP #1 you will find yourself using this formula List at least 3 achievable goals. They don’t on projects and tasks of all kinds: Breaking have to be wellness-related but since that’s down that to-do list (which is really just full my jam - for example: of mini goals, right???) into micro steps and • Get 6-8 hours of sleep every night choosing which one you will take first.

• Walk 30 minutes a day three times a week And the best part is, you’ve used your • Drink half my body weight in ounces of wa- brain's ingrained protective measure of shutter everyday ting down the thinking in support of action, to continue to challenge yourself and grow, STEP #2 which is vital to living a healthy active life.

Choose one goal to work on first and circle it. If you’re having trouble deciding, pick Erika Taylor is a community wellness inthe one that excites you the most right now. stigator at Taylored Fitness. Taylored FitDon’t overthink it. You’ll get to all of your ness believes that everyone can discover goals soon and even add some more. small changes in order to make themselves and their communities more vibrant. VisSTEP #3 it facebook.com/erika.taylor.303 or email List out as many micro-steps as possible. erika@tayloredfitness.com.

propriate media use until their kids are older and have their own devices. BUT, so many young children play with their parents’ devices as early as toddlerhood and many children grow to prefer to spend their time with technology over real life experiences.

McClernon encourages parents to tap into the power of habit reflection and paying attention to emotional cues, routines, and reactions to random phone use, “What makes you pick up your phone?” she asks. “We need to remember it is a tool, not a part of our consciousness. Give yourselves and your kids space and grace and know that if you get to a place of silence or boredom, that is a good thing – it means that you have given yourself a mental break. I love technology and it is a huge part of my professional and personal life, but I need that healthy freedom from the

technology in my everyday life.”

There are many ways to implement healthier online practices besides just putting down the device. McClernon offers ideas such as advocating for a cause on your social media platforms to pay it forward in your community. Approach your online activity with intention for good; encourage someone, empathize with a difficult situation, or seek to educate. Check out her website, https://www. mclernonandco.com/event/ and consider enrolling your family in one of her workshops.

Jill Carstens taught for 30 years and now enjoys writing this column, connecting with North Denver merchants for ad sales for The Denver North Star and organizing neighborhood events supporting the local arts, community, and sustainable ideas.

You can see some of what she is organizing at CurateLocally.com or email her with comments or story ideas at jill@denvernorthstar.com.

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Elizabeth Clayton 303.506.3448 EClayton@NostalgicHomes.com The Denver North Star

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JeanSunn@NostalgicHomes.com August 15, 2021-September 14, 2021 | Page 5

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C OM M UN I T Y

Two Great Ethnic Festivals in Nearby Globeville

By Mary Lou Egan

T

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here are lots of cultural events ganza of ethnic food, drinks, and on Denver’s Northside, but desserts from Greece, Romania, there are two ethnic parish festivals Russia, Eritrea, Mexico, Serbia, in nearby Globeville that you won’t Italy, and Ukraine. Musical and want to miss. dance performances, craft beers, and Slivovitz! Crafts, art, iconogOn Sunday, August 29th, Holy raphy, books, and games for the Rosary Parish will host its bazaar children will keep everyone enterfrom 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. Check tained. Take a tour of the exquisite out amazing tacos, hot dogs, ham120-year-old Cathedral. One day burgers, flautas, enchiladas, churonly - don't miss it. ros, sodas, ice cream, snacks, and https://www.facebook.com/ordesserts. There will be games for thodoxfoodfestival the kids, face painting, the Wick School Irish Dancers, Matachines Mary Lou Egan is a fourth-generDancers, musical performances, ation Coloradan who loves history, raffles, and prizes. Tours of historespecially stories about immigrants ic Holy Rosary will be offered at in the West. She is a graduate of the 1:00 pm in English and 3:00 pm in University of Denver and a member Spanish. Holy Rosary can be found of History Colorado, Historic Denat 4688 Pearl Street. ver, and several organizations that https://w w w.facebook.com/ PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOLY ROSARY PARISH preserve immigrants’ experiences.

HolyRosaryChurchDenver She is working on a hisGet in touch with your inner The Holy Rosary Bazaar has performances, food, and tory of Denver’s GlobevSlav at the granddaddy of church games for kids! ille neighborhood. Her blog festivals: the Orthodox Food Fesdral at 349 E. 47th Avenue. Mark Saturday, contains tival and Old Globeville Days held at Holy September 11th on your calendar. From 11:00 http://globevillestory.blogspot.com Transfiguration of Christ Orthodox Cathe- am until 7:30 pm there will be an extrava- tidbits about the community.

Come read your writing at the

Sept. 3, 5-8 pm Art Walk North Denver!

Open Mics set-up throughout the. neighborhood.

To submit works ahead of time for booklet, email them to CurateLocallywithJill@gmail.com

by August 23

5 More North Denver Businesses You Might Not Know (But Do Now)

By Jill Carstens

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ALL SEASONS If you were over 60, would you start a new business right before the holidays during the pandemic? That daunting idea did not stop friends Lana Auten and Kathy Williams last October when they found out that the proprietors of Four Seasons indoor market were not going to renew their lease.

Auten sells local raw honey while Williams is an accomplished seamstress, creating oneof-a-kind aprons, face-masks, and other creations. Upon hearing that the market where they sold their wares would be closing, they commiserated and gathered up their resources. Through their deep community roots, they acquired a lease for a corner retail spot near West 38th and Teller.

They knocked down walls and scrubbed the 60-year-old floor until it was presentable.

They scavenged for baker’s racks for display using Facebook Marketplace and drove all over Colorado to purchase them. They recovered 23 of the 40 merchants from the original market and just 2 weeks after Four Seasons had closed, they opened their new market, All Seasons Holiday Market, on November 14, 2020, and have been going successfully ever since!

All Seasons features locally-made goods such as tie-dye clothing, home-made breads and jams, and a popular selection of fresh locally sourced eggs and goats milk. Continuing their community activity, Auten and Williams are also becoming leaders among other West 38th businesses, organizing events and fostering supportive business relations. These ladies have infectious energy and enthusiasm for what they do and it is clear when talking with them that they are proud of their accomplishments. 7200 W. 38th Ave. CARL’S PIZZA Once upon a time, North Denver had a vibrant and active Italian population that included a guy named Carl DiGiacomo, who came to Denver in the postwar years with a knowledge of pizza and sausage from his hometown of Chicago. Young Carl was rumored to make sausage in his bathtub and knew a good deal about cooking red gravy

Page 6 | August 15, 2021-September 14, 2021

from brief encounters with Al Capone himself, who supposedly frequented the place where DiGiacomo bussed tables.

He opened Carl’s Pizza in 1953 and, refreshingly, not much has changed since. John Ludwig, who got his first job there delivering pizzas in 1976, eventually moved into a management, then partnership position and, when Carl passed away in 2004, took over the place. He vehemently confirms that they still make the sauce and sausage just the way Carl did (sans the bathtub!)

During the worst of the pandemic, the restaurant survived well on their already established take-out. Other than traditional pasta fare, Ludwig recommends the sausage sandwich and any pizza. If you want an authentic old North Denver Italian experience, pop into Carl’s. 3800 W. 38th Ave. SUZIE’S CBD TREATS We have a lot of dogs in North Denver, so I suppose it would be predictable that we boast a bounty of some of the most fashionable, cutting edge pet shops and pet goods here.

Suzie’s CBD Treats creates some of those goods. CBD is becoming more and more popular for pets and I asked representative KT Cavanaugh about that.

The dog treats were created after founder Richard Squire experienced pain relief using CBD after back surgery. He decided to find a way to share this relief with his aging dog who was experiencing discomfort. When I asked if CBD is appropriate for dogs not experiencing pain, Cavanaugh confirmed that it can act as an overall preventative for inflammation as well as other issues such as allergies or anxiety.

These dog treats are made with a wide variety of organic ingredients such as oats, molasses, cinnamon, and pumpkin. As a dog owner myself, I wondered about these ingredients and found that they indeed were fine, if not also beneficial, for the doggie as long as offered in small amounts, such as in these treats.

Suzie’s is a small, independent company that only sells to small independent shops like, in North Denver: Lily's Bath and Biscuits, Dog Savvy, Leevers Locavore, Dingo Diner, and Urban Dogg Uptown.

SuziesPetTreats.com THE EDGEWATER INN When you’re in the mood for a simple,

neighborhood joint with some history, another Italian veteran of North Denver, The Edgewater Inn, is a great place to get a cold schooner of Coors and a slice. Situated in an unassuming spot west of Sloan’s Lake, this place has been serving their tried and true pizza and calzone recipes since 1953 and is still owned by the original DiPietro family.

I have a memory of dating a boy from Jefferson High School in Edgewater. He took me to the Edgewater Inn for pizza. I was enchanted by the cozy bar and the fact that my date seemed to know everyone. The Inn was a keen supporter of all of the sports at the high school, brandishing pictures of the Jefferson football team among their Broncos kitsch and bowling trophies.

You can get pizza and beer at a lot of places in Denver, but if you have a soft spot for old places, to go back in time for an hour or so, walk into the Edgewater Inn and say, “Howdy, Paisano!” 5302 W. 25th Ave., Edgewater LIVE EASY TATTOO Even before the pandemic, I was a little sad about the lack of art to be found during First Fridays on Tennyson. When I recently walked into Live Easy Tattoo, the pretty chandeliers and funky retro couch that greeted me caused me to forget I was entering a tattoo shop. Chris Yaws, part owner, has helped to create an aesthetically pleasing space that is also renewing the presentation of local art in a monthly rotation.

Yaws and partner Geno Somma had both worked at a Lakewood tattoo shop that closed as a result of the pandemic. Growing up in the metro area, Yaws knew of the possibility for cultivating a vibrant community experience on Tennyson Street, so when the opportunity came up to rent a location there, they jumped on it. They have filled their shop with a veteran collective of tattoo artists, many with up to 25 years experience, and established customers.

Despite challenges presented with the pandemic, Yaws and Somma felt the community acceptance they desired when they moved in and are becoming leaders in resurrecting the art walks again. “We’ve got such great display space and it is a win-win to have the artists exhibit their art here each month,” says Yaws. Whether it be for a tattoo or to check out the artsy space, stop in!

Live Easy is located at 3923 Tennyson St.

The Denver North Star

A RTS & C ULT URE

North Denver Theaters ‘Keep The Arts Alive’ This Summer and Beyond

By Rachel Lorenz

A

lex Weimer hangs a large, black curtain above the stage at The Bug Theatre while, in record-breaking heat, workers put the finishing touches on the building’s new roof. A year and a half after the coronavirus pandemic shut down Denver, theaters are alive with activity.

“It's really exciting to have everything starting back up again after such a long darkness,” Weimer, executive artistic director and custodian of the theater, says.

The performing arts are back for three theaters in North Denver, though perhaps with changes.

The Bug Theatre on Navajo Street in Highland officially re-opened in June with the return of live events such the Emerging Filmmakers Project and the comedy show, The Grawlix. It’s hosting live performances of “Boeing, Boeing” by Shark Box Theatre Company this month and has another theatrical production scheduled for November.

At the moment, the 160-seat theater can operate at full capacity, Weimer says.

Just two and half miles west, the Historic Elitch Theatre has wrapped up both another phase of renovations and its role as host to The Curtain Playhouse’s summer camps, which culminated in a outdoor performance of “Godspell” the last weekend in July, board member Greg Rowley says.

The all-volunteer, six-person board of directors for the 130-year-old theater found that the pandemic enabled them to consider what their organization needs for long-term success.

“COVID kind of allowed us to slow down and be a little more deliberate about what we’re doing,” Rowley says.

The board plans to grow, perhaps up to

The Denver North Star

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HISTORIC ELITCH THEATRE

Some venues have already reopened and others are planning to reopen in the coming months. Many staff and volunteers haven't gathered together since before the pandemic started 15 members, and has made a list of the skill sets it’s looking for in future applicants.

Marketing and fundraising are at the top since the board will be guiding the theater through two more phases of restoration in coming years.

For Theater 29, in the corner of West Highland, the pandemic became an opportunity to broaden its mission. Founded in 2018 as a place to showcase the work of Colorado playwrights, the small theater has not held an indoor, in-person event since December 2019. However, it met the challenges of 2020 by moving online and expanding to include other forms of story-based art such as audio plays, poetry, and animation. For example, each month, a multi-art playlist focused on a theme is compiled on the theater’s website for users to pursue.

“When the pandemic came, we started

thinking of more things we could do outside of the theater,” Lisa Wagner Erickson, co-founder and creative director of Theater 29, says. “That's been fun, so we can keep those going.”

Theater 29’s latest production told a story of corporate scandal through documents, images, and voicemails that participants received over a seven-day period through email, social media, and the postal service.

A graphic artist and three playwrights, including Erickson, collaborated remotely to bring the project to life.

Erickson hopes to add more in-person components to the virtual productions as time goes on. The past 17 months have given her a “broader idea of what the theater could accommodate,” and now she also envisions

See THEATERS, Page 19

August 15, 2021-September 14, 2021 | Page 7

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The Denver North Star

C O M M UN I T Y

Sloan’s Lake Park Foundation First Latina State Historian Rallies Community to Wants Youth to Learn History Save Sloan’s Lake

By Mike McKibbin

H

By Basha Cohen and Dennis Ryerson

PHOTO BY BASHA COHEN

Emily Zeller (far right), Youth Program Administrator from Denver Parks and Rec, provides work opportunity for youth to educate them on the park system. The team from Lincoln Hills Cares launched the first survey about Sloan's Lake on August 9 and 10.

L

akes don’t get COVID but, in lake terms, the toxic algae bloom that glows green on the water’s surface is equally as dangerous to Sloan’s Lake as well as its fish and other inhabitants. It can be harmful to humans and pets as well. On July 22, the Denver Parks & Recreation department issued an edict; “Warning Sloan’s Lake Deadly Algae. Due to the health risk posed by increasing blue-green algae bloom, Sloan’s Lake is temporarily closed until further notice. All recreational water activities are prohibited. Park visitors should not allow their children or pets in or near the water.”

Rising heat, shallow depth, – an average of a little more than three feet – and poor hydraulics resulting in an inability of the lake to flush itself clean have combined for the illness affecting the body of water we all enjoy so much.

Despite repeated attempts to define the problems and potential solutions including dredging, structural improvements like forebays at storm outfalls to filter incoming water, detention of high velocity storm flows for a slow release allowing heavier solids to settle out before the water enters the lake, and removal of bottom sediment, the lake still faces challenges. One of those is that all solutions take both money and neighborhood muscle.The lake continues to suffer from unhealthy street runoff – its major source of water. No remedy will fix the lake until the runoff problem is addressed, say water quality experts. Complicating matters, the majority of the watershed feeding the lake – six-square miles – is outside of the city of Denver: Edgewater, Wheat Ridge, and other parts of Jefferson County.

If you are interested in getting involved at a grassroots level, you can start with one lake advocate: The Sloans Lake Park Foundation (SLPF). Established in 2019, the non-profit foundation’s goal is to “ensure the environmental health, sustainability and beauty of one of Denver’s top urban natural assets. Our focus is on water quality that supports the lake ecosystem as well as a variety of recreational uses.

The result will be the preservation of Sloan’s Lake for generations to come.”

The Foundation’s first effort is to build awareness of the issues facing the lake, followed by generating public support for the long-term and costly remedies necessary.

It is off to a great start with many initiatives underway to save our lake. You can do your part by participating.

• On August 9, Denver Parks & Recreation launched a survey with 15 students from Lincoln Hills Cares to understand the lake’s primary usage, constituents, and needs. Based on information gathered, SLPF and the Denver Parks and Rec Department will host educational community meetings during the fall at Sloan’s Lake RNOs and local businesses to educate neighbors on simple ways they can help through water usage and environmentally friendly products in their homes, and other ways to get involved. Emily Zeller, Youth Program Administrator for Denver Parks & Rec,

The Denver North Star

noted, “Our job is to make our youth stewards of the land by educating them about the lake habitat, wildlife and dangers of global warming. Our goal at Parks & Rec is to be more proactive about solving the lake problems in the long-term, versus band aid solutions.”

To weigh in on the survey go to https:// www.surveymonkey.com/r/7YWGK3T • On August 14, Little Man Ice Cream held a “Campout for a Cause... to Save Sloan’s Lake” including Old Fuss & Feathers’ bluegrass band, boozy shakes, a silent disco, and silent movies

by CiferNoiseProductions that raised money in support of the cause.

• September 18 brings Jamming on the Jetty, the foundations’ signature event launched in 2016 by A.J. Steinke, an SLPF founder and board member. Bands, food, drink, and fun will ensue from 2 to 7 p.m.: Yoga kicks off the day with Orange Theory, followed by entertainment from Lake Middle School student D.J. Noellz, The Sugar Factory, Optyc Nerd, and headliner band, The Brothers of Brass.

Food from Edgewater Marketplace, beer and other beverages from Joy Ride Brewing, Oasis Brewery, Barquentine, and La Diabla. Games and a Kids Zone make it a family-friendly affair. Admission is as inexpensive as it can get: FREE. For more information on Jamming on the Jetty, check out the cover story in this month’s issue.

The foundation’s initial fundraising goal is $50,000. The community has rallied with support raising over $32,000 to date through sponsorship donations from Jenny Apel of Nostalgic Homes Group/Compass Real Estate, Sooper Credit Union, Workshop Colorado, Exact Title, Central Bank & Lending, Nava Development, Edgewater Marketplace, Little Man Ice Cream, and Hatch Realty among others.

The foundation appreciates recent work by Denver Parks and Recreation in water quality testing, lake-depth studies, the installation of a test water aerator, and the survey of lake users to determine their level of awareness of the lake issues, their usage patterns, and their home cities. All will be helpful in planning for the future.

Old Thomas Sloan didn’t know what he was doing when in 1861 he dug a hole for a well, tapping an underground spring that was the beginning of a 20-acre body of water that is a huge part of our neighborhood. The lake has seen an amusement park, a gun club, ice skating, and multi-level cruise boats come and go.

Sadly, in not too many generations the lake itself will go as well if steps aren’t taken now to rescue our treasure.

The Sloan’s Lake Park Foundation is seeking community involvement, donations, and volunteers for Jamming on the Jetty, lake clean-ups, and future events. Be part of the movement to save our lake by contacting the foundation at www.sloanslakeparkfoundation.org or email info@sloanslakeparkfoundation.org.

Basha Cohen and Dennis Ryerson are members of the Sloan’s Lake Park Foundation board.

elping people learn more about the history of North Denver, such as Globeville, and encouraging youth to ask about their family history are two areas Colorado’s latest state historian hopes to focus attention on.

Dr. Nicki Gonzales, a professor of history and Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion at Regis University, began a one-year term as the official state historian on Colorado Day, Sunday, Aug. 1. The position was established in 1924 and Gonzales is the first Latina to hold it.

As a child, Gonzales said she was drawn to history and American historical figures and questioned her grandparents about her family’s history. She is a native of Denver and her family has deep roots in Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico.

“I was more interested in things like that than I was in fantasy or other things kids are into,” she added.

Later, while working toward an English degree at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Gonzales took part in the Center of the American West, which offers an 18-credit undergraduate certificate program in Western American studies.

“Those classes helped me understand my own family’s stories,” Gonzales said, and in her senior year, she decided to become a history professor.

The Globeville area of North Denver is one with stories to tell, Gonzales said.

“My mom and dad both grew up there and there’s a large history of Globeville that’s incredibly diverse,” she said. “People who lived there came from all over the globe, so it earned its name. I think it’s one of the richest neighborhoods in terms of history and stories in the Denver area.”

Gonzales was not sure she would have re-

mained a history professor if she had not been able to advocate for underepresented communities.

“Latino history is diverse, but I feel some of it is pushed to the wayside,” she said. “There’s real power in these stories.”

Gonzales also wants to help nurture intergenerational conversations between younger people and their elders, much as she did as a child with her grandparents.

“Once kids know about their family roots, they become more grounded and resilient,” Gonzales stated. “Maybe that’s one thing that can help Colorado survive its problems.”

One way to encourage kids to learn about history is through History Colorado’s History Buffs program, Gonzales said. It offers free admission for 4th graders and their families to 10 museums and historic sites History Colorado oversees.

The state historian has been part of a five-person council since 2018, when History Colorado established the State Historian’s Council to focus on different perspectives and reinforce the collective foundation of history and storytelling. The council rotates its leadership position annually on Colorado Day. Gonzales’ research interests include the land grant movements of Southern Colorado and the experiences of Chicano Vietnam Veterans. Her historical expertise has focused on Chicano history and Southwest social and political movements.

“History is something that can really be a tool to help ground ourselves when we ask ‘how did we get here’,” Gonzales stated. “Not only where we are, but where we’ve been and to help prepare us for conversations we all should have to help create a society we all want to live in.”

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August 15, 2021-September 14, 2021 | Page 9

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New Development Underway Replacing Two Homes on Tennyson Street

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hat will likely be the first redevelopment on Tennyson St since the design overlay encouraging more mixed use development went into effect is underway. Construction fencing has gone up around two homes on the 4100 block of Tennyson.

The overlay, created by Councilwoman Amanda P. Sandoval and passed by council, doesn’t specifically require ground floor retail with housing above, but it makes that design one of the easiest options to build.

Concept drawings for the lots show a single four story building with what will likely be ground floor commercial uses and 3 additional floores of housing above. Osage Properties

Group, whose banner is hung on the fencing, was not available to discuss the project in time for publication.

Readers have requested more development updates such as this one, and we hope to bring you more information about upcoming projects, especially in highly trafficked areas, in future editions.

Sheridan Blvd. Development Given 2nd Chance After Council Approval

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wo years ago, Denver City Council shot down a proposal for more density on Sheridan near 17th Ave. Earlier this month, council approved a rezoning on four continuous properties (3 single family homes and 1 duplex) that will pave the way to a new 60 unit complex.

The differences between the proposals, according to supporters, is that the new proposal utilizes different zoning codes that will result in an increased setback and tree canopy along Sheridan. That will make development more appealing and a better addition to the neighborhood than the previous attempt.

Additionally, a proposed project there will offer surface parking instead of a parking garage, which should result in lower unit costs for the rentals at a time when housing prices continue to increase.

The change was not without protest; some community members noted that the complex will have fewer parking spaces than units, which means that if all residents have a car, it could impact parking on nearby Zenobia Street, especially if developers don’t include guest parking. Increased traffic, sight lines, and community character were also mentioned.

Thefts Continued from Page 1

However, homeowners who confront thieves caught in the act are taking an unnecessary risk, Herrera added. In at least five such cases the theft turned into a robbery.

Ford related the tale of one Berkeley-Regis resident who the thief came after with the same battery-powered Sawzall he was using to steal the converter. “Take pictures, call us, but don’t go after them,” Herrera said. “These people are dangerous.”

Herrera said police saw a distinct slowdown in converter thefts in July after District 1 and 4 officers arrested members of an auto theft crew in west Denver, part of a crackdown led by the city’s auto theft task force. “The people who steal the cars are the same who steal the ‘cats,” he said. Penalties for auto and auto parts thieves can be stiffer as well. Theft of a converter worth $150 is a misdemeanor, while a vehicle or parts worth more than $1,000 can be a felony with up to three years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Further progress may require addressing the “demand” side: the businesses that pay for recycled converters. Colorado law currently requires scrap yards, junk yards, salvagers, and other purchasers of so-called commodity metals — generally those worth more than 50 cents per pound for recycling purposes — to take ID information and keep photographic records of sellers (with several exceptions, such as those selling items such as soda cans).

Law enforcement is able to inspect these records, but the law only requires the data to be kept for six months. Further, violations of the recordkeeping statute are only misdemeanors unlikely to get much attention from local prosecutors. Also, as Herrera notes, thieves can sell the converters in other states that may not have Colorado’s ID and recordkeeping requirements.

Programs in place to curb thefts encourage citizens to spray paint their converter and etch their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the device, to make it readily identifiable as stolen. What may increase the effectiveness of such a deterrent would be penalties for businesses that buy such marked converters or incentives for them to report attempted sales of them.

battery-powered Sawzall, the thief who makes a clean getaway might get $150 or more for the catalytic converter from a local salvage yard or recycler.

As for the vehicle owner? Eric and Heidi Schneider of Berkeley returned from a Fourth of July weekend trip on July 6 to find the converter missing from their 1992 Toyota pickup, parked along the curb in front of their house.

An auto repair shop quoted them a converter replacement price of about $1,200, for a vehicle worth perhaps $2,500 given its age and mileage. The repair also was less than the cost of their deductible, so insurance did not cover the cost.

While some insurers offer catalytic converter theft riders on their auto policies, not all of them do. And not all policies fully cover the cost of replacement, given deductibles that must be paid. “Many of us, like myself, have to just pay out of pocket,” said Stan Ford, owner of Treasures Outlet in the Berkeley-Regis neighborhood who lost the converter on his 1998 Ford Econoline van to thieves who sped off in an Audi with no license plates.

What are authorities doing to blunt this crime wave? Officer Jacob Herrera of District 1 said Denver Police are treating the converter thefts as part of a larger surge in thefts of vehicles, auto parts, and vehicle contents.

Herrera said year-to-date car theft reports as of the end of July totaled 1,045, double the amount at the same period last year. Although police will investigate converter thefts when the victim requests that officers come to the premises to take a report — as opposed to thefts reported online — Herrera admits that arrest rates for such crimes are low.

Homeowner reports are critical, especially when there’s an eyewitness or evidence such as doorbell or surveillance camera video, which can help establish theft patterns. But most of the thefts occur unnoticed in the late evening hours, and they happen quickly.

“We’d have to be right on top of it to be there while they’re cutting the ‘cat’ off,” he said.

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August 15, 2021-September 14, 2021 | Page 11

C O M M UN I T Y

North Denver Coming Full Circle: Eugene Lucero Inducted Into Author Inducted Chicano Music Hall of Fame

By Kathryn White Into Authors' you doin’?” Eugene Lucero says, Before Boulder, though, it “ Hall of Fame How’re nodding toward the postal carrier who’s was North Denver from the

By David Sabados

N

orth Denver’s own “Godfather of Chicano Noir” Manuel Ramos is already known to many, but his most recent recognition may introduce him to readers for generations to come. Ramos is one of twelve living authors inducted into the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame in 2021.

Ramos, the author of eleven published novels and numerous other writings, is a 40year resident of Denver’s Northside, which is reflected in his stories that take readers from Denver to Pueblo and the Eastern Plains. “It’s quite an honor to be in something that’s a hall of fame,” Ramos said in an interview with The Denver North Star. Ramos’ most recent book “Angels in the Wind,” came out earlier this year and follows the story of protagonist Gus Corral, a felon turned private eye.

PHOTO BY STEVEN ABEYTA

Manuel Ramos (left) and Ricardo LaFore (right) surprised CALMA members with the announcement that Ramos was to be inducted into the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame.

Ramos’ works not only utilize North Denver as a setting, but you’ll find long-running themes of change and growth coursing through them, seen through the perspective of vibrant, dynamic Chicano characters. No longer a practicing attorney, Ramos’ first career as a lawyer also provides him the foundation for crime-themed fiction.

“The Authors' Hall of Fame honors and promotes the works of outstanding published authors from all genres and generations to ensure their legacies will not be lost,” reads their mission statement. The Hall is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization started in 2014.

Each odd numbered year, they induct a new group based on nominations.

“I think it's important that writers of color are included,” Ramos explained. “One of the responsibilities that we writers have is that the reading public is aware of writers who might be marginalized or unheard of,” adding that he’s “gratified to see the hall of fame is looking that direction.”

For more information on Ramos, you can visit his website http://www.manuelramos. com, check out the March 2021 edition of The Denver North Star where he was featured alongside other North Denver writers, or listen to the June 28th episode of the CityCast Denver podcast where you can hear Ramos read a selection from his recent novel.

You can find Ramos’ novels at several North Denver bookstores, at Denver Public Library locations, and probably online sellers, though, of course, we recommend purchasing from a local business or borrowing from the library.

breezing through the food hall at Plaza38. Lucero sits, relaxed in his flat cap, overlooking the bar—his bar—on a quiet afternoon. Beyond the beer tap handles is a view of West 38th Avenue, a street Lucero has seen from many angles during his time in North Denver.

A row of stunning black and white photographs sits high above Lucero on the wall over his right shoulder. Ten images, curated by local artist Jeremy Silas Ulibarri, known as “Jolt,” tell a Northside story: a close-up of sonrisa cookies at Panadería Rosales, a nighttime shot of the neon Tilt-a-Whirl sign at Lakeside, a group of children eyeing a piñata. Above the photos, a mural by the internationally acclaimed Emanuel Martínez.

But it’s another wall, deeper into the place, that helps explain why Lucero is Su Teatro’s most recent inductee into its Chicano Music Hall of Fame. To Lucero’s brother Ervin, “The wall represents a historical musical archive of how a courageous Chicano promoter dared to introduce and promote jazz, Latin jazz, and salsa in a market that had never witnessed such artistry live. The endeavor represented an unprecedented new stop between the west and east coasts for notable artists like Tito Puente; Bob James; Ray Baretto featuring flautist Dave Valentin; Cal Tjader featuring renowned conguero Pancho Sanchez; Gato Barbieri, Flora Purim and Airto; Ronnie Laws; Tierra; and international star Jose Jose. Just as relevant was the exposure for local groups to open for these major national and international acts in venues they could only dream about.”

Su Teatro launched its Chicano Music Hall of Fame in 2002, though Lucero’s impact on the local music scene began well before that.

He started putting events together in high school. And then, from 1980-1985, he produced high-profile concerts through EL Pro Premieres, a business venture that started as a project for a college marketing class. Lucero’s cousin Karen Gonzales remembers making the drives from North Denver to Boulder to enjoy his productions at CU Boulder with her friends.

beginning. Lucero’s childhood was spent alongside brother Ervin and sister Elisa at the Lucero family home near 47th and Tejon. His dad Raymond Lucero convened family picnics in the summertime at Rocky Mountain Lake Park and Berkeley Lake Park, with the uncles joining cousins for games of volleyball and horseshoes.

By the time Lucero graduated from college in 1978 PHOTO PHOTO BY JAMES BACA he had also already taken on Eugene (Gene) Lucero, early days in business. his first bookkeeping clients.

His studies in business and accounting took Grill. In a few months they’ll be joined by him into tax preparation and bookkeeping, Adrian Grace’s What’s Happening Cafe (now then into real estate. Always self-employed, a popular food truck).

Holding down the northeast corner of the he undertook these businesses with a keen understanding of his clients’ needs and cir- room he’s sitting in is the stage where the cumstances. At each step, his business was full circle Lucero referred to comes alive. informed by what he saw his clients and his He hosts live music most nights, with bands community experiencing. When predatory like Melodius Thunk, Jakarta, Latin Sol, and lending practices targeted Spanish-speaking Ritmo Jazz on the schedule for August. The home buyers, he stepped in with a mortgage monthly line-up blends newer acts with others lending business and fought for fair business you might’ve come across “back in the day” at practices within the real estate industry. “Fair places like Ziggies.

Lucero points to the Bar at Plaza38 logo. housing concerns are up again,” he points out.

Decades later, he still works personal- “What does this look like to you?” he asks ly with some of his original bookkeeping with a smile as he traces the irregularly shaped clients; and he recently helped close a sale white outline on a black background. It’s not for a longtime client that sets them up for a quite a square, with its extra little piece jutting out in the top left corner, and its right hand comfortable retirement.

When asked about being inducted into the border sloping leftward toward a straight horChicano Music Hall of Fame, Lucero scans the izontal bottom. There’s a gold star roughly in room and thinks for a minute, “It’s a full circle the middle.

If you’ve lived in North Denver a while— kind of thing, I’d say. Like the bar.”

Live music is back at the center of Lucero’s or run in political circles—you’ll recognize it life in this latest endeavor, The Bar at Pla- right away. It’s Denver’s City Council District za38. His former building at West 38th Ave- One. And the Northside.

Like bold lines on a map, focusing our atnue and Lowell Boulevard has given way to a 30,000 square foot retail center topped by 322 tention on the place within, Lucero’s work apartments. The food hall and bar share an over the decades—and in this latest chapter— open-format space along 38th where you can makes visible the artists and entrepreneurs, find Milky Way Ice Cream (and coffee), Taco communities, families, and businesses that Connection, and Aladdin Mediterranean have made this place.

Latino Authors Celebrate, Promote, and Preserve the Written Word

By Kathryn White

T

he Bar at Plaza38 genre imaginable vibrated with enwas represented. ergy the afternoon And the books by North Denver writmembers of Coloraers Rudy Garcia do Alliance of Latino (Death Song of the Mentors and Authors Dragón Chicxulub) (CALMA) met in perand Mario Acevedo son for the first time.

(Luther, Wyoming) Founded in March that were men2020, CALMA protioned in the North pelled itself onto the Star’s March issue local literary scene are now available purely through Zoom, PHOTO BY STEVEN ABEYTA at local bookstores. email, a website, and Halfway around good old-fashioned CALMA founders, members: (L to R) Ricardo LaFore, Arturo Jiménez, Kimberly the circle, former COVID19-safe net- Sánchez, Karen Gonzales, Christina Montoya, Ricardo Bogaert-Álvarez, Frank Davila.

State Senator Polly working. Their vision: to celebrate, promote and preserve the writ- summed it up, “We’re sharing about our own Baca took a turn, sharing about the meaningten words of Latino authors in Colorado. people in our own voices.” Then, Manuel ful process of researching family and regionIt might’ve been CALMA’s first in-person Ramos, North Denver Chicano noir writer, al history as she wrote her memoir.

And now CALMA has launched a mentogathering, but the room exuded familiarity was beckoned to the front of the room for an and welcome. In its inaugural 16 months, announcement. They’ve just learned that Ra- ring program. “It’s a chance,” says Sánchez, CALMA grew from 6 founding members to mos is being inducted into the Colorado Au- “to give back what was—or was not—given 38 author/members. They hosted virtual ev- thors Hall of Fame. Ricardo LaFore, CALMA to us.” Sánchez and poet Ricardo Bogaert-Álerything: a holiday book fair, several writing founding member and the man behind Ra- varez are the first CALMA members to and publishing how-to roundtables, and the mos’ Hall of Fame nomination, beams as he take on mentees, with more matches to be Words of Love poetry event. Their website hands Ramos the first-ever CALMA baseball made in the coming months. An application for prospective mentees can be found at features an online bookshelf and blog, as well cap and says, “You lift us all.” as author pages and YouTube interviews— Authors were invited to introduce them- www.calmaco.org.

Learn more about CALMA at www.calmcompliments of La Gente Legacy—introduc- selves. And so, attendees shifted into a wide ing CALMA members and their works. circle to hear and applaud one another. aco.org and at the CALMA Fall Book Fair At the recent mixer, Kimberly Sánchez, Ramos and fellow Northside author Artu- on Saturday Sept 25th, 2-6pm, at Raices one of CALMA’s six founding members, ro Jiménez joked across the room. Every Brewing Co.

Page 12 | August 15, 2021-September 14, 2021

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August 15, 2021-September 14, 2021 | Page 13

C OM M UN I T Y SHAPING OUR FUTURE BY REMEMBERING OUR PAST

What is The City But The Parks?

D

enver remains unique in American cities because of its Mountain Parks system.

If Denver's leaders had not acted when they did DENNIS GALLAGHER way back in 1912, all of VICKY COLLINS OWNER, the land which now makes up the jewels of BUCKET LIST the Queen City's crown, the Denver Mountain COMMUNITY Parks, would be developed with more ugly arCAFE chitectural monstrosities bulging with asphalt and cement. This puts more pressure on all of August 26th 6-8 pm at us to support the efforts to retain the Park Hill Westward Gallery Golf Course as open space.

(44th & Tennyson St.) With the mountains always to the west of us, we who live in Denver tend to take open Food and beverages from space for granted. We may be a city short of North Denver favorites! park space, but thank goodness we can all visit the mountains.

CELEBRATE Historians have left us a wonderfully illusCOMMUNITY trated account of how Denver got its mountain JOURNALISM parks, Denver Mountain Parks: 100 Years of with David Sabados the Magnificent Dream. As Tom Noel, recently and our friends at retired professor of history from University of Colorado at Denver, points out in his outstandThe Denver North ing foreword to this book, other cities have Star, 9News' Jeremy mountain lands they call parks. But Denver's Jojola, and 850 mountain park space includes its own ski area, KOA's Jerry Bell.

Winter Park; and a burial place for Buffalo Bill, once the most famous American known to the Get to know whole world. What other city has its own fouryour community teener, Mt. Evans 14,264 feet above sea level with the highest paved road to its peak. What journalists and help other city in America can proudly boast of not us better serve you. one but two buffalo herds? And they are growing in numbers every year.

Take the Bucket List Community Can any other city boast of Red Rocks AmCafe survey and be entered in phitheater, the only place in Colorado where our drawing for a prize from the famed Beatles played to adoring ColoStretchLab Lohi. radoans of all ages back in the 1960's? Have CMD_summerjoy_9.625x7.75_a.pdf 3:45 PM you ever driven the renowned Lariat Trail Join us and bring your friends. 1 6/1/21

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developed in 1913?

And did you know Mayor Speer wanted street cars built through Jefferson County to take Denver residents to our own mountain parks? Jefferson County officials did not cotton to that idea much. Today they remain resentful of Denver acquiring more open space around Red Rocks Park. The Jeffco County Commissioners were allowing residential building permits to encroach on the park. Thank you, Ned Burke, for helping Mayor Wellington Webb.

John Brisben Walker, no stranger to our Highlands neighborhood in Denver, bought all the land between the Platte River and Sheridan Boulevard, Clear Creek to Colfax for $1000. He christened his land Berkeley Farm, with a residence near Berkeley lake. His other home was located at W. 34th and Newton Street, made of hand chipped Indiana limestone brought to North Denver by horse and wagons from Union Station. A graduate of a Jesuit high school in Washington, D.C. in 1887 he gave 40 acres to the Jesuits to open what is now called Regis University and High School between Federal and Lowell. Did you know the land south along Clear Creek between Lowell and Federal was originally called "Jesuit Acres"?

John Brisben Walker's original plan for Denver's Mountain Parks system called for over 41,000 acres of mountain lands, covering eight square miles ranging from Turkey Creek Canyon on the south to Mt. Vernon Canyon on the north with Bear Creek Canyon in the center, "all within 10 miles of the city." This quote is from the Denver Post, October 30, 1910.

So Denver's Mountain Parks Charter Amendment was passed by a thoughtful citizenry in may of 1912. There have always been naysayers to using tax dollars to purchase mountain lands near Denver for park space.

Some argued that Denver was simply building park land for Jefferson and other counties.

And should not these lands be developed into strip malls, big ugly box stores, huge cement and asphalt parking lots?

Denver's mountain parks now number 23 with more on the horizon. John Fielder's magnificent pictures of our mountain parks history text. Ericka Walker, granddaughter of John Brisben Walker, is one of the authors of this must-have text. Lois Harvey of West Side Books near 32nd and Lowell can order you a copy.

If you wish to contribute money to help the buffalo in the Denver Mountain Parks in Jefferson County, you can send a tax deductible donation to the Denver Mountain Parks Foundation, PO Box 201652, Denver, Colorado 80220-7652.

Whenever Denver's finances look shaky, short-sided wags around city hall often suggest that we just sell off our mountain parks. I remind you what I said in August 2002 in Westword about that hair brained idea. "Denverites were able to hang onto the mountain parks during the Great Depression, and selling them now would be a betrayal. It would be like selling Sloan's Lake to Edgewater and Washington Park to Glendale."

And selling off Park Hill Golf Course for development in place of keeping it open space would be a betrayal of all the thoughtful leaders who brought us the inestimably valuable gift of Denver's Mountain Parks.

The Honorable Dennis Gallagher is a former city auditor, city councilman, state senator and state representative. He’ll be sharing thoughts and stories from North Denver’s past and future in his reoccuring column in The Denver North Star.

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Festivals

Continued from Page 1 Now the festival is entering its 19th year, and the hardest part about bringing it back full swing was finding sponsors. Michie said that some of the restaurants they’ve partnered with in the past are no longer around, and the few that are hanging on are hanging back. For the companies that are thriving, it’s competitive to get donations since everyone else is asking too.

Luckily, Sunnyside was able to find some grants and other resources to sustain the festival. They hope to pay it forward to help keep the small businesses alive, Michie said.

The biggest change this year is, again, rethinking the children’s area. Instead of providing bounce houses, Sunnyside will have an instrument petting zoo as well as some kid performers.

For adult entertainment, besides the beer sales and fitness event, there is a full lineup starting with dance-inspired music from Gumbo Le Funque, Pick & Howl, Cast Iron Queens, Los Mocochetes, and Shakedown Street.

“Let’s pretend we were away from music and everything we love for a long time, which we were. We stumbled out of this cave, and what do you want to do?” Michie said. “I think we all said dance.”

Sunnyside Music Festival takes place for free on Sept. 11 from 11am-7:30pm in Chaffee Park at 44th & Tejon.

“We’re at rock bottom in my eyes,” Steinke said. “Since our foundation in this event is to bring awareness and raise funds to change that path, that’s also another component as to why our fundraising success has flourished. People want their lake back.”

Aside from working towards revitalizing the lake, one of the biggest challenges in bringing the festival back this year is that organizers didn’t get the green light to move forward with planning until March or April 2021, leaving them only a few months time instead of what would historically be about a year to plan, Steinke said.

Because of this lag time, it was difficult to obtain things like restrooms and stage equipment, and even musicians and sponsors when everything was in such high demand.

Yet Jamming on the Jetty was able to assemble some of the largest sponsorships than they’ve ever done, Steinke said, which he attributes to the fact that folks are dying to get back out there.

“Reengaging the community and reconnecting it has been wonderful,” he said. “We’re no stranger to challenges and are ready to go Sept. 18.”

Attendees can expect to hear a lot of diverse genres of music this year in comparison to others. After a fitness event, music will move

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE EVENTS' ORGANIZERS

Despite the current closure of Sloan's Lake, Dragon Boat Festival organizers are optimistic about returning this fall

producer of the burlesque show Carnivale de Sensuale, to the ring. After being involved with Totally Tennyson the last few years and working closely with previous owner Lauren Wolf, Happel was prepared to take over operations while ownership remained with the original group.

After the pandemic hit, it made sense for Happel, someone well versed in entertainment ownership and operations, to take over completely after JAMMING ON THE JETTY that lapse in time.

Seven days later on Sept. 18, Jamming on From an atthe Jetty will be at Sloan’s Lake. While this tendee standpoint, festival is also focused on music, games, and Totally Tennyson outdoor activities, it has an ulterior motive. should appear the This year’s mission is to bring awareness same as it has in to the environmental health of the lake, said the past. Happel founder A.J. Steinke, who also sits on the said that most, if Board of Directors at Sloan’s Lake Park Founnot all, of the vendation. ues that people are Totally Tennyson is totally back. Break out your best 80s outfit On July 22, Denver Parks and Recreation and party! used to stopping temporarily closed the lake due to a presence at will be particiof poisonous blue-green algae blooms. All rec- from a middle-school-aged DJ, to poli-technic pating, and the night will end with a perforreational activities are prohibited, including music, to New Orleans jazz band Brothers of mance by party band 6 Million Dollar Band boating, fishing, wading, kayaking, canoeing, Brass. Check the Jamming on the Jetty website at the Oriental. and paddle boarding. for the official lineup announcement.

On the back end, the festival will no Jamming on the Jetty is on Sept. 18 from longer be based on raising money for area 2-7pm at Sloan’s Lake. schools. Given the last year, Happel feels that proceeds for this year might better TOTALLY TENNYSON serve the bars, restaurants, and businesses If you’re as sick of this year as 2020, involved in the event that might have been thankfully Totally Tennyson will allow you struggling, he said. In the future, the misto throw it back to the 70s, 80s, and 90s with sion of the festival might shift, but for now a bar crawl, costume contest, and concert at the focus remains on supporting businesses.

The OrientalTHTheater on Sept. 25.

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the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival (CDBF) – the largest in the country. This festival’s mission is to celebrate and showcase the culture, contributions, and accomplishments of Colorado’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

Aside from the competitive races, there are numerous land activities to enjoy to commemorate AAPI culture, like food courts, performances, educational opportunities, marketplaces, beer gardens, and other interactive activities like live art demos.

The biggest change that was planned for 2021 regardless of the pandemic is the addition of fencing along the perimeters of the festival.

“Before we were just very open, no fencing surrounding the perimeter, but this year just to kind of add that extra layer of safety, especially with the last year and a half to two years of what’s been going on with the AAPI community, we just want to make sure that everybody feels very comfortable coming to an outdoor large event,” Colorado Dragon Boat executive director Sara Moore said.

Another benefit to the fencing is that attendees will now be allowed to carry around alcoholic beverages throughout instead of having to be secluded to designated beer gardens.

This year, the festival’s theme is #respresentASIAN. There is even more of an emphasis on coming together to celebrate diversity after not having that ability last year, Moore said, which was a big blow to the AAPI community.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to have our voices heard and for us to just be present and say, ‘hey, we’re here, we’re strong, we matter, this is our culture, come learn about it, come ask us questions,’” Moore said.

While Sloan’s Lake was temporarily closed at the time of publication, Moore was working closely with the lake and park, and they are confident the lake will be open again in time for the festival.

Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is a two day event on Sept. 25 & 26 at Sloan’s Lake. Check the website for updates on times and schedule.

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Council Considers More District Seats, Eliminating At-Large Positions

By The Denver North Star Staff

T

he Denver City Council Finance and Governance Committee forwarded a proposal to the full council to change the body’s makeup from 11 district representatives and 2 at-large members to 13 district representatives. The proposal was created by an unusual coalition who don’t often align. Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca led the proposal in front of the council with the support of Councilmen Clark and Flynn, who joked about the unlikely team.

CdeBaca and other supporters pointed to Denver’s rising population as a primary reason for wanting more district offices. The council size was last increased in 1968. Prior to 1968, council had 9 districts. She also forwarded an argument that cities with more at-large members are less likely to elect people of color. According to CdeBaca, in the 50 years that Denver has had at-large members, only two of the 15 councilmembers to serve at large were people of color.

With redistricting around the corner and both current at-large members term-limited, proponents said the timing was perfect and unique.

Opponents of the move included the two current At-large members. They, along with advocates for the current system, claim that at-large members have more capacity to look at big issues the city is facing and are more likely to forward legislation that benefits the entire city instead of a single area.

The proposal passed 4-3 and will now go to the full council for debate. If they support the effort, it will appear on this November’s ballot for voters to decide.

E LE C T E D O FFI C I AL U PDATE

Clean Air is a Right I

recently had a friend visit me in Denver for a few days. As we moved about the city he began coughing and complaining that his REP. ALEX VALDEZ nose burned. He asked me why he couldn’t see the mountains and why the air was filled with haze. I found myself not only embarrassed but angry that, yet again, I was having to explain why we as Denverites have to live with horrible air quality day after day, week after week, and month after month. As I write this, I am looking at the cover of a paper that explains Denver is breaking records for consecutive days of hazardous air pollution and that disgusting unbreathable air is our new normal. I do understand that we all must take responsibility for the toxic combination of ground level ozone and never ending wildfire smoke that is almost completely our doing. But as a State Representative and lifelong metro area resident, I beg to differ.

In 2017, I launched my campaign in Globeville and Elyria-Swansea on a promise to do everything I could to improve our environment and take the lead on the generational fight for clean air in the metro area. While I have passed many bills that address this problem, our environment and communities only continue to become more polluted.

Why? The answers are complicated. Though we have made significant efforts to curb emissions from Colorado’s dirty legacy oil and gas industry, we have made little progress on improvements to the transportation sector. Too many believe there is a reason we can’t have an electric vehicle that doesn’t destroy our air. And although we live in 2021, the thousands of stop lights forcing our cars to idle is a massive contributor to pollution.

As we modernize our city, a connected traffic system must be a priority.

We have to face the fact that if we are going to fix our air quality issue we are all going to have to adjust. I don’t mean giving up your car (I personally couldn’t imagine life without my ride) but rather switching the source of fuel for your car to electricity. I bought an used EV, which was less expensive than its gas powered equivalent.

Yes -- the myth about EVs being more expensive is also false. It’s PHOTO BY DAVID SABADOS not just changing car sources; we must do the same for lawn equip- Electric cars at a car show hosted by the city of ment. Most lawn mowers pollute Denver in 2019. far more than most of us realize. Besides, it's climate change, in turn making fires more annoying to go buy gas right? Oh, and when common and more severe. Your children, we buy gas that is where ozone primarily your pets, and you all deserve better. Dencomes from. You know that lovely gas smell ver needs more leaders who prioritize these you get while filling up? That's unburned gas problems. At the end of the day nothing else and when it reacts with the summer sun it be- matters if you or your family are sick. comes ozone, which is terrible for our health.

Let’s embrace the future by taking a look Those highway signs announcing an in the mirror and asking what we can do ozone alert are simply not effective. How right now to turn this tide. I believe we can, many of us can answer the question of what I believe my election shows we have the will, ozone is or how to prevent it? What’s worse and I believe good public policy can allow is the Trump Administration called out us to take control of this situation. I believe Colorado for our ozone problem. Yes folks, in Denver. Oh, and if you want recommenit’s really bad when Trump says you have dations on a good EV call me -- I’m a geek a problem. who can talk for hours about how to look Back to my visitor. He has returned to the cool while saving the world. clean air of New York, while I on the other hand am stuck here with you -- hacking, Alex Valdez is the elected state repembarrassed, and frustrated. All that said, resentative for House District 5, which I'm excited to go back to work making sure includes parts of the Chaffee Park, Sunwe pass laws that reduce ozone and make nyside, Highland, Jefferson Park, GlobevEVs a reality. Pollution is death and it is ille and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods. shortening our lives, period. The same is- You can reach him at (303) 866-2925 or sues that are wrecking our air are causing alex.valdez.house@state.co.us.

There’s no place like hope.

BECOME A CASA VOLUNTEER. Children in foster care who have a CASA volunteer are more likely to succeed in school and adjust to change. And they’re half as likely to re-enter the foster care system later. As a volunteer, you can make all the difference for a child who has experienced abuse or neglect in your community. Get involved, and change a child’s story.

www.coloradocasa.org Page 16 | August 15, 2021-September 14, 2021

COLORADO

The Denver North Star

H E ALT H & W E LL N E S S

Expert Encourages Direct Communication: It’s Okay to Ask, “Are You Having Thoughts of Suicide?”

By Kathryn White National Suicide Prevention Month, September, provides us with the opportunity to access resources and better understand the roles we can each play in preventing suicide—from one-on-one conversations to bolstering public health initiatives.

F

rom the sidewalk, under a tuft of grass, on West 32nd Avenue, a picture of a man appearing to be in his 30’s looked up at me. I walked on. A few steps further and I was remembering my brother. Was that a memorial card on the ground, like Tom’s?

I retraced my steps and picked it up. “In Loving Memory” for the 35-year-old who is now buried at Crown Hill Cemetery.

Later that night my son picked up the young man’s memorial card, which I had set next to my computer, and asked, “Who’s this? He looks like Uncle Tom.” I was curious too, so I typed the man’s name into the search bar on my laptop. I scrolled through dozens of photos and touching memories described by friends, family, and his fiancé. I came to know his favorite music, his go-to beers, and his politics. My brother died young from a lung disease, but he outlived this fellow by over 15 years. What took this man? I searched for clues.

And then I came to it, a breadcrumb: “In lieu of f lowers the family asks that you donate any contributions to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.”

“You call it a breadcrumb,” says Dr. Stacey Freedenthal from the other end of our Zoom interview. “I see it as a megaphone.”

Over the last decade Freedenthal, an associate professor at the Graduate School of Social Work at DU and a psychotherapist in private practice, has seen these kinds of brief references more and more. Families are chipping away at the silence created by the stigma and taboo of naming suicide.

I brushed up against this stigma when I learned, just weeks ago, that the founder of the company my dad worked for—George Eastman of the Eastman Kodak Company—died by suicide in 1932 at age 77. I don’t recall a single mention of it during my dad’s tenure with the company from the mid-1940’s until well into the 1980’s.

I began to wonder if the same taboo that keeps us from naming suicide as a cause of death also keeps us from offering support to loved ones who could be struggling with suicidal thoughts.

“Yes,” says Freedenthal, confirming my suspicion. And the consequences of this silence are devastating.

In the U.S., 44,834 people died by suicide in 2020. 1,294 of these deaths were in Colorado; 152 in Denver. And as of 2018, suicide was the second leading cause of death for age groups 10-14, 1524, and 25-34. (National Health for Health Statistics, CDC).

Freedenthal delved into ways to break the interpersonal silence aspect of this larger public health issue in her March 2021 article for The New York Times, “How Meghan Markle Has Already Changed the Way We Talk About Suicide.”

“To many people, suicide is unspeakable,” she wrote. “Even mental health professionals sometimes do verbal gymnastics to avoid saying the word.” But when Meghan Markle spoke openly about her suicidal thoughts in an interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year, Freedenthal saw the potential for a new openness in talking about suicide.

I confessed to Freedenthal that when I mentally role-played the idea of broaching the topic directly with someone, I started to feel nervous that I could say the wrong thing. Or introduce a dangerous idea. “It’s a high stakes conversation, right?” I asked.

The Denver North Star

She acknowledged my hesitance but was quick to dispel a myth: It’s not true that talking with a loved one about suicide makes suicidal thinking more likely.

Freendenthal gives us these ways to, in her words, “weaken the walls of silence” around suicide: • Name it. Ask the question, “Are you having thoughts of suicide?” or “Do you have thoughts of ending your life?” If you are nervous, couch the question: “A lot of people who feel the way you’re describing think of suicide. Do you think of killing yourself?”

• Frame suicidal thoughts as the mind’s understandable attempt to stop hurting.

This can help alleviate shame or embarrassment. For example, you might say, “It makes sense that that’s where your mind goes. We’re biologically wired to avoid pain. But there are other ways to stop the pain, and let’s brainstorm those.” You can

“It’s a high stakes conversation, right?” I asked.

She acknowledged my hesitance but was quick to dispel a myth: It’s not true that talking with a loved one about suicide makes suicidal thinking more likely. empathize with the suicidal wish without validating suicide as an option.

• Don’t panic. Don’t call 911 unless the person is clearly in danger of acting on suicidal thoughts this instant.

• Respond with curiosity, not judgment.

Ask questions that invite the person to tell their story. “Tell me more.” “What’s happening that’s made you feel so bad?” Don’t respond with clichés, false encouragement or guilt.

• Connect. Offer emotional support, and help the person find professional help.

And if you’re worried, like I was, about finding the right words: Freedenthal encourages us to do our best with what we say, but don’t let the barrier of finding the perfect words keep us from starting the conversation. Listening can be as important. So too is connecting with professional support. In Colorado, Freedenthal says one place to start—in addition to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 (TALK)—is a Colorado Crisis Services (CCS) 24/7 walk-in center.

Closest to North Denver, there is a CCS Walk-in Center in Wheat Ridge at 4643 Wadsworth Blvd.

National Suicide Prevention Month is recognized by organizations across the city as a way to help everyday people, as well as our elected officials and mental health care providers, better understand the broader landscape surrounding suicide in our state.

The Colorado Health Institute’s January 2021 report Suicide in Colorado: Complex Issues in a Diverse State points out, for example, that “Many people who have died by suicide in Colorado were reported as having a current depressed mood or a diagnosed mental health problem like depression, anxiety, or other conditions such as schizophrenia. But less than a third were identified as currently receiving mental health care. And “people of color in Colorado who died by suicide were less likely to have mental health treatment than white Coloradans, even though similar percentages of all groups were reported as having a current depressed mood.”

The report, which can be found at

www.coloradohealthinstitute.org details a range of risk factors and protective factors, and highlights initiatives across the state that we can all plug into.

The report notes substance use as one risk factor of note for Coloradans. Alcohol and marijuana are the top two substances detected among suicide deaths. “From 2014-2018, 30% of suicide deaths among youth ages 15-19 had marijuana present, an increase from 19.8% during 2009-2013.

Alcohol was present in 12.1% of suicide deaths among 15- to 19-year-olds between 2014-2018, which is similar to past years, but still raises concerns over access to substances among youth.”

The report goes on to describe unique risk factors for men, veterans, people of color, youth (and specifically LGBTQ+ youth) and for adults over age 65, but it ends on the same note of encouragement I received from Dr. Freedenthal.

Suicide is preventable. A great majority of people who have thoughts of suicide do not die from suicide. And this statistic shows that many have reached out for help: over the last decade, more than a third of Coloradans who lost their lives to suicide had disclosed their intent in the month prior to their death.

So while it’s powerful to understand risk factors and protective factors, Freedenthal reminds us that when we’re sitting in conversation with someone who is having thoughts of suicide, the most important thing is the support and listening we can provide for that person, in that moment, for their unique circumstance.

SUICIDE PREVENTION RESOURCES National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-8255 (TALK) Crisis Text Line at 741-741 The Trevor Project 866-488-7386 TrevorLifeline for LGBT youth, 24/7 www.thetrevorproject.org Trans Lifeline 877-565-8860 Peer support by people who are themselves transgender https://translifeline.org/ Copline 800-267-5463 Peer support by retired police officers, 24/7 www.copline.org Resources gathered by Dr. Stacey Freedenthal speakingofsuicide.com/ resources/

August 15, 2021-September 14, 2021 | Page 17

NE W S S HO RTS

Denver Animal Shelter 2022 Pet Calendar Contest is Open!

By The Denver North Star Staff

C

alling all runway model pets! Do you have the goofiest grin? The most hilarious head tilt? The sweetest smile? If so, your human should enter your photo in Denver Animal Shelter’s 2022 Beautiful Paws calendar contest.

Not only will your entry help homeless pets at the Denver Animal Shelter, but you’ll also be eligible for weekly prize giveaways and the top 13 animals will win a professional photoshoot and be featured in the 2022 calendar!

Fees for photo entries and votes 2021 Beautiful Paws Pet Calendar also help Denver Animal Protection (DAP) continue their life saving work. each. Visit bit.ly/das2022calendar for dePhoto submission is $25 and residents tails. The contest runs from now through can cast as many votes as they like for $1 August 28.

Council Unanimously Approves ADU Rezoning for Sloan’s Lake Neighborhood

By David Sabados

T

he Sloan’s Lake (or Sloan Lake, depending on who you ask) neighborhood has been rezoned to allow more accessory dwelling units (ADUs). ADUs are smaller, secondary homes, sometimes attached, but often carriage house-style, detached dwellings.

Property owners can use them for housing for a family member, a rental property, or other uses.

Councilwoman Amanda P. Sandoval, who represents nearly PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER the entire area, sponsored the reAn example of an ADU. ADU's are a small zoning with the support of Counsecondary housing unit on a single family cilwoman Jamie Torres, who also residential lot. represents a few homes in the area.

The rezoning affects roughly 1400 prop- live in this wonderful city, ADUs are a soluerties across 230 acres, including some areas tion that creates gentle density while retainwith historic designations or other zoning ing the beloved character of our residential restrictions. New ADUs built must still com- neighborhoods and allowing homeowners ply with historic or other requirements. to invest in their properties. I am incredibly

...I am incredibly excited to bring this rezoning forward for the Sloan’s Lake community and extend my gratitude to all those who shared their voices in this process.”

While the city said they received 10 letters in opposition to the rezoning, the neighborhood appeared to be mostly supportive. According to survey results from Councilwoman Sandoval earlier this year, 73% of respondents said they supported the effort with 20% opposed (7% were at the time undecided).

“ADUs are simply a win-win,” said Councilwoman Sandoval. “As we figure out how to welcome future residents who want to

excited to bring this rezoning forward for the Sloan’s Lake community and extend my gratitude to all those who shared their voices in this process.”

Sandoval noted during the council meeting that while the rezoning covers the entire neighborhood, not all properties are eligible due to their lot size. She is working with city agencies and hopes to see minimum lot sizes, as well as ADU building costs, addressed in the near future.

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ARTS & CU LTU R E CHECKING OUT

Checking Out:

No One Is Talking About This

W

riting accurately about the internet feels like an impossible task – the endless stream of information that is increasingly hard to decipher or curate; HANNAH EVANS the extreme vulnerability alongside a lack of authentic connection; the unexplainable and constantly morphing weirdness. With that being said, Patricia Lockwood’s novel, “No One Is Talking About This” (Penguin Random House, 2021), takes all of the vulgarity, seeming randomness, and existential dread of the internet and manages to successfully depict a world where “a person might join a site to look at pictures of her nephew and five years later believe in a flat earth.”

“No One Is Talking About This” follows an unnamed narrator, a woman who becomes famous on social media (referred to as “the portal”) by posting “can a dog be twins?” Her internet fame leads to invitations all over the world to speak to crowds “about the new communication, the new slipstream of information.” The vast majority of her day-to-day life is spent looking at the portal, posting to the portal, and occasionally pondering questions such as “why do we talk like this?” or “how will we explain this to our grandchildren?” Jumping between reactions of laughter, guilt, disgust, and confusion, the narrator regularly flip flops between thoughts and opinions, with observations such as “after you died…you would see a little pie chart that told you how much of your life had been spent in the shower arguing with people you had never met. Oh but like that was somehow less worthy than spending your

time carefully monitoring the thickness of beaver houses for signs of the severity of the coming winter?”

Split into two parts, the novel’s first half focuses on this relationship to the internet and modern life. Made up entirely of short, loosely connected (or, more frequently, unconnected) blurbs that are anywhere from a sentence to a couple of paragraphs, the narrative reads like scrolling through a social media timeline – much is shared in each post, but a cohesive plot or overall connection doesn’t appear present. Part two takes a dramatic shift – while still maintaining the same general structure, the narrator’s focus zeroes in after receiving two urgent texts from her mother.

Her sister’s pregnancy faces serious complications, and the narrator is yanked from the online world and abruptly dropped into the physical world around her.

While the seriousness of a family emergency to bring someone into the present moment could easily take the turn for the trite in a fictional story, the shift in “No One Is Talking About This” feels authentic – the heaviness of the situation is very present, but it’s met with love, humor, and sincerity. Writing about the internet proves to be challenging, but so does writing effectively about the world around us. In her new novel, Patricia Lockwood achieves both.

Check out “No One Is Talking About This” at your closest Denver Public Library location or as an ebook or eaudiobook through denverlibrary.com.

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

Overdose Awareness Day: August 31

By Kathryn White

N

early 30 community organizations— ranging from Servicios de La Raza to Denver Health and the Harm Reduction Action Center—are getting the word out that August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day. “This is a day to mourn those that we have lost and raise awareness,” says Lisa Raville, Executive Director of the Harm Reduction Action Center. Overdoses in Denver increased from 225 to 367 between 2019 and 2020. Nationally, deaths by overdose grew by 21,000 (nearly 30%) to 93,331.

The public is invited to tour the Harm Reduction Action Center any time between 1:30 and 3:30 to remember and grieve, to join discussion, or to simply learn more about the harm reduction model. If you have lost a friend or family member to overdose death, you are also invited to add your loved one’s name or a framed photo to a memorial wall.

According to the Associated Press’s July 14, 2021 article “US Overdose Deaths Hit Record

93,000 in Pandemic Last Year,” the synthetic opioid fentanyl—over 80 times more powerful than morphine—has now replaced both heroin and prescription painkillers as the leading driver of the US overdose epidemic.

“What’s really driving the surge in overdoses is this increasingly poisoned drug supply,” said Shannon Monnat, an associate professor of sociology at Syracuse University who researches geographic patterns in overdoses. “Nearly all of this increase is fentanyl contamination in some way. Heroin is contaminated. Cocaine is contaminated. Methamphetamine is contaminated.” CDC data shows that fentanyl was involved in more than 60% of overdose deaths in 2020.

In the harm reduction approach, drug overdose can be prevented by providing supervised drug use sites where interventions like fentanyl test strips and naloxone (medicine that rapidly reverses opioid overdose) are available.

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Page 18 | August 15, 2021-September 14, 2021

Denver North students responded to neighborhood speeding and DWI issues with this call-to-action art collaboration. Hosted by The Corner Custom Framing, the mural was planned during the spring semester and painted over the summer.

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CO M M U N I TY THE GRAY ZONE: STORIES CONNECTED TO NORTH DENVER’S OLDER ADULTS

Bingo! Winnings for North Denver Players Extend Beyond Prizes

W

hen the a f t e rnoon’s session shifted from rounds of regular bingo to what KATHRYN WHITE my tablemate referred to as “the specials,” I started to panic. There were just two cards in front of me, yet I found myself struggling to focus. I turned my hearing toward Dorothy, the dedicated caller at the front of the room, while scanning my cards for matches and bingos. I leaned over to Mary, who works with residents at The Gardens at St. Elizabeth, “Is this the Postage Stamp?” “No,” she replied with a smile, “it’s a Postage Stamp when the PHOTO BY KATHRYN WHITE four covered spots are in the upper Two shy of a blackout. right corner.”

Bingo required a level of concentration I adapt their clues and approach to various hadn’t given it credit for. Just as I was start- settings and audiences where the game is ing to hope this game—that has hung onto being played. popularity for centuries—would wither away My attention snapped back into the large before I retire, I found myself intrigued. room at Highland and I scanned the lit Improved concentration turns out to be board on the wall to catch up with the game. one of many benefits derived from playing Wait—I have a bingo! “BINGO!” There was the game. something wholly satisfying about yelling While not widely studied, a handful of re- the word and anticipating a prize. I strolled searchers have uncovered cognitive benefits over to make my selection: a canister of for those who play routinely: greater atten- stacked potato chips. Yes! As I sat back down, tion span, better concentration, faster mental the player to my right pointed out she hadn’t speeds, and boosts in short-term memory. won yet. We all wished her luck and hoped Regular players are more active and ener- her moment would come soon. She got up to getic outside bingo as well. And minor ad- swap out two of her cards for ones with betjustments to the materials and game setting ter numbers. The social benefits of the game

While not widely studied, a handful of researchers have uncovered cognitive benefits for those who play routinely: greater attention span, better concentration, faster mental speeds, and boosts in short-term memory.

e synthetic ore poweraced bothcan retain bingo’s appeal for people living rs as thewith dementia. epidemic. A few days after hauling home my winoverdosesnings (two dimes and a York Peppermint upply,” saidPattie) from The Gardens, I was back at a essor of so-bingo table. This time, at the Highland Rec researchesCenter. Bingo was one of the first in-person Nearly all ofgroup activities to resume in older adult seton in sometings across Denver, and I was starting to get ine is con-to the bottom of why. ontaminat- At Highland we sat a little further apart, as involvedyet players also knew each other by name. s in 2020. Alice, a regular, warmly oriented newcomdrug over-ers. Richard chimed in, “If you win more supervisedthan three times, we let someone who hasn’t ke fentanylwon get the prize.” We played four cards each hat rapidlyfrom an assortment of sturdy vintage cards made with built-in transparent red sliders le.

112 E. 8thto cover each number. Alice leaned over to make sure I had what I needed.

The prizes—an assortment of grocery items—were displayed on a table off to the side of the room. This meant that if you won, you got to stretch your legs briefly before settling in for the next game.

As I sat with my four cards, enjoying the cool room and friendly banter, my concentration waned. My mind veered to the times I’ve played lotería. This game, sometimes referred to as Mexican Bingo, comes with a similarly long history. And I suspect even more cognitive benefits. In my experience, the relationship between players, caller, and the 54 numbered and colorfully illustrated D SABADOScards is extremely dynamic. The caller might sues with say the selection by name, but often provides g, the a short phrase or clue instead. Players puzmer. zle out which image is the match. Callers

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began to dawn on me.

And if you think I’m exaggerating about bingo’s cognitive load, try scanning four bingo cards for arrays like Layer Cake, Avalanche, Kite with a Tail, and Cross in the Middle.

Dorothy, The Gardens’ volunteer bingo caller, helped me make my way to the elevator after that first time playing there. Life wasn’t easy for residents who were cooped up in their rooms for many months. But she’s seeing the glass half-full. She read a lot and did puzzles.

Steve, who joined us walking down the hall, reported a touch of exhaustion balancing everything. Most activities are back on the calendar now. Long-time residents lean on their keen scanning abilities to recognize and properly welcome newer residents whom they had only seen wearing masks up until now.

And renovations to the building made a new challenge out of navigating the place.

But residents are taking it in stride. I wonder if bingo is making an impact, or if folks are simply so relieved to be back together that everything else feels easier.

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 facilitates a Caregiver Support Group for the Alzheimer’s Association Colorado Chapter.

Do you have story ideas for The Gray Zone? Email Kathryn@ DenverNorthStar.com.

Theaters

Continued from Page 7 continuing to use multiple platforms to enrich the stories Theater 29 tells — even after live performances in the building are the norm again.

Before the pandemic, Erickson and co-founder Ellen K. Graham were working with a group of playwrights to develop and produce their work. When coronavirus reached Colorado, feedback, coaching, and readings of the plays moved online. But production of the pieces, originally slated for 2020, has been delayed.

Performances are tentatively planned for next summer. If not in Theater 29’s building, then possibly outside in the adjacent parking lot, Erickson says.

“The good thing is that they can be postponed,” Erickson says. “They're not going to be just sidelined forever.”

Fundraising is up next for the Elitch Theatre. Upgrades to the lighting and sound systems will allow the building to truly be a theater again, Rowley says.

But it’s hard to make plans this year. Rowley doesn’t want to see volunteers put a lot of

PHOTO BY BRIAN MILLER

The Never Summer by Ellen K. Graham time and effort into an event only to cancel it because of a change in health guidelines related to the coronavirus. However, he anticipates the return of summer movies on the lawn and other programming, including an event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Tony Awards, next year — and, hopefully, indoor, in-person theater productions in 2023.

PHOTO BY RACHEL LORENZ

The historic Elitch Theatre is looking to upgrade their lighting and sound systems.

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August 15, 2021-September 14, 2021 | Page 19

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