Sentinel Colorado 1.5.23

Get real: It’s not a matter of whining or joking, racism in every form hurts

Chivalry is dead.

I’m not talking about the fairytale cliche of some metal-clad guy lifting women over puddles. I’m talking about the code of decency most of us grew up with, rebuking wrongdoing and selfishness, especially in the form of “I got mine.”

That mercenary mindset gets no uglier than when it’s sported by white people indifferent to racism, or even worse, indulgent in it.

The last few weeks have pulled back the too-busy-to-notice facade on the seemingly endless problem of racism here in Aurora and, really, everywhere in the country.

The most worrisome part of racism here in Colorado isn’t that it remains so entrenched, it’s that so many white people either deny it even exists, or are just OK with it.

Be honest, those of us who are white have in the past and probably recently encountered some white person saying something outrageously racist and insulting without regret, reluctance or rebuke.

ra residents who insist that Sundberg’s videos might have been tasteless, but they were harmless.

Similarly, a few days after the Sundberg video debacle made the Sentinel and local media rounds, the Sentinel published “Growing Voices.”

The project was essentially a reprint of astonishing essays written by ninth graders at William Smith High School in Aurora, two years ago. The theme for each essay was, “The American Dream.”

Most of the essays were written by kids who were immigrants themselves, or children of recent immigrants. But not all.

DAVE PERRY Editor

I’m not talking about the tacky racist comments some white people often make, about routinely asking people of color where they’re from, but never asking the same question of white people. This isn’t even about white people recalling some mundane event, like standing in line for license plates “and this Black guy in front of me said he’d been in that line for the third time today.” Those kinds of remarks often stand out because the race of the guy in line too many times would never have been mentioned if he was white.

No, I’m talking about white people who shamelessly offer up hateful tropes as casually as weather observations about ridiculous things like the driving skills of Asian women, the eating habits of Black people, the thriftiness of Jews or that all Latinos are immigrants: “Where are you from?”

Even worse? There are endless numbers of white people who see those tropes as inconsequential comedy, not baleful racism.

They don’t believe that repeating those lies, or snickering at them, just among whites of course, is not just hurtful, but, as the Anti-Defamation League and others repeatedly point out, perpetuates and escalates an atmosphere of hatred, intolerance and discrimination.

It may not seem serious if you’re white. It’s deadly serious if you’re not.

All this became painfully apparent over the past few weeks after old self-made video “advertisements” on the restaurant Facebook page of Legends of Aurora manager Steve Sundberg were made public in a Sentinel story. Sundberg is also a city councilmember.

Several of the videos are, reportedly, misguided and failed attempts to humorously advertise the restaurant’s ethnic dishes by parodying and mocking Mexicans, Arabs, Blacks, Muslims, South Asians and others.

Outrage at the clearly racist videos has been loud and consistent from the region’s, and the nation’s, communities of people of color.

From white people? Not so much.

Comments on social media and from Sentinel readers have defended Sundberg, essentially saying, “it’s only a joke,” and that the minorities targeted are being too thin brown-skinned. They point out how “nice” Sundberg is, and how he regularly pushes Legends to donate

food to poor people and cash to local sports teams.

Others point out that his wife is a Black, African immigrant.

Being cantankerous and surly is not a prerequisite for being ignorantly or purposely racist.

One reader messaged the Sentinel to insist that Sundberg was by no means being racist in pitching enchiladas in pidgin Spanish, sporting a falsa blanket draped over his head like a poncho.

“Racism is only present if one of these tenets are present: 1) One race SUPERIOR over another race., 2) Racial LABELING, all __________ are ___________, 3) Inflicting emotional or physical harm to another based on their race, 4) Denial of Constitutional rights based on race, i.e. can’t live in this neighborhood, attend this school, eat at this restaurant,” Sentinel reader Robert Andrews said in a letter to the editor. “Unless one of these tenets are met you might be dealing with someone that is either a jerk or uses poor judgment, but not racism; there is a difference.”

No doubt that the video of Sundberg sitting on what appears to be a prayer rug, sporting a turban of some kind and a blackened beard, warbling in Arabic when he sees bacon, meets most of Andrews’ own criteria, which is meaningful only to people trying to defend the indefensible.

Racism is judging and belittling people based on their race and heritage. It’s a learned behavior, as numerous child development research and experts insist.Even more research makes clear that racism in the United States is pervasive and injurious to people of color, resulting in all kinds of inequities among white people.

This isn’t “debatable.” It’s a long understood and too often ignored fact. Despite what the Trump White House once tried to pull over on Americans, there is no such thing as “alternative facts.” Those would be lies and errors.

Despite that, there’s no shortage of Auro-

“Another problem my family and I deal with is social discrimination, not just in professional places, but sometimes when we are just having family time in public places,” writes Sariah Rose Amir. “My grandpa says that he was discriminated against his whole life. He told me that people in stores would yell at him to go back to where he came from, although he is from here. He is a fifth-generation Coloradan.”

Most of the essays talked about perseverance and advice from parents who said hard work and confidence are rewarded in America with the best-possible version of the American Dream. Reading these kids’ essays about their plights and dreams made me embarrassed about hand-wringing over my own relatively paltry tribulations, and underestimating my good fortune to have been born white in Colorado.

That’s not the same reaction all this provoked from some Sentinel readers and a bevy of social media trolls.

“Congratulations, race-baiters,” regular anonymous Sentinel commenter “Hypocrisy Monitor” said in a recent comment on the “Growing Voices” package of essays. “Through a public education system, you have convinced a vast population of children that they are oppressed victims of a land of opportunity. Sadly, they will march forward with their victimization mentality as an enduring excuse for any self-imposed failure in life. Society will pay the price.”

Ignoring local racism is dangerous enough, but trying to gaslight millions of people of color, and white people, into believing that racism doesn’t exist, and that everyone needs to quit blaming white people for the troubles of minorities is absolutely the worst.

This is what officials from Colorado’s Anti-Defamation League are talking about when they say this is part of an escalation of hate. It increases and ultimately justifies the hate of others. Unstopped, it ends in violence, and in the 1930s and 1940s, it led to the Holocaust.

History, unlike too many people, doesn’t lie. Our job right now, as grown-ups, is to keep our nation from repeating it. Follow

or reach him at 303-750-7555 or

Editorials Sentinel

Fixing Colorado’s vexed ‘red-flag law’ will only save lives

The state is awash in crises and issues demanding urgent attention by state lawmakers as they convene for the 2023 General Assembly, but addressing deficiencies in Colorado’s red flag gun law is job one.

For the past few years, Colorado’s Extreme Risk Protection Order has allowed police and family members to temporarily confiscate guns from gun-owners who clearly, and provably, are so distraught, mentally ill or unstable that being armed makes them a deadly risk to themselves or others.

But the process is often neither certain nor easy.

It’s clear the law failed in the case of Club Q mass-shooting suspect Anderson Lee Aldrich, according to police officials and reporting on the tragedy so far.

The Nov. 19 shooting killed five people and wounded 19 at Club Q, a Colorado Springs nightclub. Aldrich not only had a history of violence and mental illness, but law enforcement interventions the previous year most likely should have but did not prevent Aldrich from carrying out the Club Q shooting tragedy.

It’s clear there was an unsuccessful attempt by some officials to invoke the state’s red flag law against Aldrich after he threatened to bomb his mother’s Colorado Springs home last year.

What’s known so far about the case reveals a bevy of malfeasance by prosecutors in the case. El Paso County, a self-proclaimed “Second Amendment sanctuary,” may have used loopholes in state law to keep from ensuring Aldrich no longer had guns.

The three-year-old law allows police or family members to ask courts to remove guns and ammo from people who pose a threat to themselves or others. Colorado’s red flag law, passed in 2019, has been used more than 350 times, with initial petitions for protection orders being granted in nearly two-thirds of cases, according to state records.

But the red-flag law is by no means a mandate, and counties like El Paso can ignore the law. They, and other “sanctuary” counties and communities, clearly do.

El Paso County has the lowest approval rate for red-flag law petitions filed in the state, according to reporting and analysis last month by Kaiser Health News.

One current easy solution headed for the legislature would expand the list of those who can appeal to courts for intervention to include, possibly, health-care providers and school officials.

It’s unclear why anyone should not be able to begin the ERPO process, since applicants must provide proof to a court to begin the process. Substantial proof could easily come from neighbors, employers or fellow employees, shooting range officials or even gun-store clerks.

In addition to expanding the law, state legislators need to review the measure carefully for loopholes.

Some El Paso County police and political officials consider the redflag law anathema to their political interpretation of the Second Amendment.

County Republican officials there have long bragged about the county being a “Second Amendment sanctuary,” opposing the red-flag law and other common sense measures that seek to at least keep guns out of the hands of clearly and imminently dangerous people, like Aldrich.

El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder “has previously said he would only remove guns on orders from family members, refusing to go to court himself to get permission except under “exigent circumstances,” according to an AP story in December week. “We’re not going to be taking personal property away from people without due process,” Elder said as the law neared passage in 2019.

He and others have since backpedaled on some of the rhetoric. It’s clear, however, that state officials need to find ways to ensure complicit local law enforcement officials follow and carry out Colorado law, rather than interpret or outright dismiss it.

Other gun restriction proposals this year, such as age limits and an assault weapons ban will be expectedly controversial. Proven and sensible red-flag laws are easy, effective and come installed with checks and balances.

Gun-rights activists regularly insist that the plague of gun violence is primarily a mental health issue. We agree. And legislation that removes deadly weapons from the hands of mentally ill people makes only perfect sense.

TOM PURCELL, CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST

The shameful return of earmarks

Earmarks are back and they’re costing American taxpayers a bundle.

In case you’ve forgotten, earmarks, says FactCheck.org, “are government funds that are allocated by a legislator for a particular pet project, often without proper review.”

Often attached to the 12 large appropriation bills that Congress by law is supposed to pass each year to fund the federal government for the next year, earmarks tend to be concealed.

That way, members of Congress from both parties can slip in funding for pricy or dubious projects in their districts or states that benefit themselves politically and, for the most part, nobody notices.

People and the media especially don’t notice earmarks when Congress fails to establish a proper budget for each of the 12 separate appropriation bills — something it has managed to do only three times in the last 47 years, most recently in 1997.

What Congress usually does is wait until the last minute and then lazily bundle the 12 funding bills into a single massive “omnibus” spending bill, such as the stinker that was just passed to fund the government in fiscal 2023.

That $1.7 trillion monstrosity is 4,155 pages long and filled with 7,200 earmark projects costing $15 billion that, like the rest of the budget, nobody had time to review and question before hastily voting “aye!”

The spending on earmarks was less than 1% of the cost of the overall omnibus bill.

But the danger is that the earmarks can be used to persuade — bribe? — legislators to support massive bills that do spend ridiculous amounts of money and keep our $31 trillion in government debt ballooning.

An omnibus bill also allows a lame-duck Congress to “pass” legislation it wanted to pass in 2022 but couldn’t — legislation that should be debated and voted upon in the light of day, but was not and never will be.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the omnibus bill included sizable changes to retirement savings rules, cosmetics regulation, Electoral Count Act reform, healthcare and goodness only knows what else.

To be sure, earmarks — euphemistically referred to by our government as “Community Project Funding” — can fund useful or worthwhile projects, such as improvement to medical care, education and other important services.

But they are just as likely to fund things they have

no business funding.

According to Reason magazine, the omnibus bill President Biden just signed earmarks $750,000 for fire alarm modernization at the Metropolitan Opera, funds the creation of a Ukrainian Independence Park, whatever that is, and will spend more than $3.6 million to build a Michelle Obama Trail.

Actually, I favor borrowing money to build such a trail, as it well may be our only opportunity to tell our legislators to take a hike!

You’d think Republicans — the party that pretends to be for fiscal responsibility and against wasteful spending — would understand the dangers of earmark bribery. You’d think they would vote to ban them.

In fact, Republicans did just that in 2011. But House Republicans voted to reverse their ban in March of 2021.

And this past November, House Republicans voted by a 158-52 margin against a bill that would have banned earmarks again in the new118th Congress, in which they will hold the majority.

I suppose the best we can hope for, then, is that House Republicans will be only slightly less reckless with earmark bribery than the 117th Congress, which was the most recklessly spending Congress in U.S. history.

But considering that Republicans were rewarded with almost half of the earmark largesse packed into the latest omnibus bill, I have my doubts.

.Purcell, creator of the infotainment site ThurbersTail. com, which features pet advice he’s learning from his beloved Labrador, Thurber, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. Email him at Tom@TomPurcell.com.

FIRST DAY

COLORADO OFFICIALS ARE RUSHING TO RECRUIT PRESCHOOL PROVIDERS BEFORE THE UNIVERSAL PRESCHOOL APPLICATION FOR FAMILIES OPENS ON JAN. 17

BY ANN SCHIMKE, Chalkbeat Colorado

Jennifer Piper, a longtime home-based child care provider in Loveland, is brimming with questions about how Colorado’s new universal preschool program will work when it launches next fall. She recently sent a bulleted list of 14 questions to local officials, including basic ones about teacher qualification and curriculum requirements.

The state needs to win over providers like Piper to meet its ambitious goal of quickly building a preschool program capable of serving every 4-year-old in the state as well as some 3-year-olds.

And there are early signs that they are ready to sign on. More than 250 preschool providers, offering a total of 12,000 seats, have signed up for the universal program so far, according to state officials.

Colorado’s universal preschool program is one of Gov. Jared Polis’ signature priorities and represents a major expansion of tuition-free preschool in the state. The $335 million program is slated to serve 30,000 4-year-olds next year and even more in future years, according to state estimates. It will replace a smaller state-funded preschool program that currently serves about 19,000 children from low-income families or who have other risk factors.

In addition to serving more children, the new universal program will provide more class time to most students and, in most cases, pay preschool providers a higher per-pupil rate than the current program does. The state’s early childhood department, which was created less than a year ago, will run the universal program, with early childhood councils or other groups administering it locally.

For many early childhood leaders and advocates, recent rapid-fire decisions on the new program have prompted excitement and hope that more Colorado children will benefit from high-quality preschool. When the preschool application opens for families on Jan. 17, officials hope to offer a variety of placement options — in schools, churches, child care centers and state-licensed homes.

But some key questions remain, including what quality standards universal preschool providers will have to meet. Those rules won’t be out until spring.

It’s a “building the plane as we fly it situation,” said Christina Taylor, CEO of the Early Childhood Council of Larimer County, which will run the preschool program in the county.

“I’m feeling optimistic but … this first year is kind of a crapshoot,” she said.

A key money question answered

One major question about the program has already been answered.

In mid-November, state officials released the per-pupil dollar amount they’ll pay to providers in the universal preschool program. The annual rates will play a major role in determining whether providers join the universal preschool system, and whether they’ll be able to pay their staff a living wage, as state leaders promised.

On average, providers will get $4,834 for preschoolers attending 10 hours a week; $6,040 for 15 hours a week; and $10,646 for 30 hours a week. Preschool classes will

run 9 months a year on a similar schedule to K-12 grades.

Generally, preschool providers are pleased with the rates, which vary somewhat by county or region.

“I do think some places are going to be able to increase pay for their staff with this funding,” said Diane Smith, director of the Douglas County Early Childhood Council, which will coordinate universal preschool programming in the county.

Mark Arbitrio, who owns Ivybrook Academy in Castle Rock, said the rates are about the same as the tuition he currently charges for 15 hours a week of preschool. He hopes to fill all 48 of his center’s 4-year-old seats as part of the universal program next year.

Arbitrio, whose own 4-year-old son will be in the inaugural universal preschool class, opened his Ivybrook franchise in 2020 after he got laid off from General Electric. He’s hopeful the offer of free preschool for 4-yearolds next year will boost enrollment for younger children too — potentially convincing parents to enroll the siblings of 4-year-olds who otherwise would have stayed at home because of the cost.

“We’ll get a lift from this,” he said.

Taylor said Larimer County providers have mostly been positive about the rate, which is more per child than what the state currently pays for 10 hours — although one corporate-run preschool leader told her it “wasn’t quite as attractive as they were hoping.”

But the bigger issue is finding enough staff to lead preschool classes, she said. Ongoing worker shortages, exacerbated by the pandemic, have forced some local preschools and child care centers to close classrooms even when they have enough children to fill them.

In rural Elbert County, all five school districts plan to participate in universal preschool, said Llan Barkley, executive director of the county’s early childhood council, which will coordinate universal preschool there.

But the county’s preschool rate — $4,724 per child for 10 hours a week — is less than what most of the districts there get for preschoolers in the state’s current program. Unlike the universal preschool rate, the current preschool rate is based on the K-12 school finance formula, which gives some small rural districts substantially more per-pupil funding than most urban or suburban districts.

Barkley said she’s emphasized to district officials that despite the lower per-pupil rate next year, they’ll be able to have preschool classes of 20 children instead of the

current 16, which will bring in additional funding. She expects most districts will stick with the current 10-hour-aweek schedule next year even though universal preschool rules allow 4-year-olds to get 15 tuition-free hours a week.

Schools in Elbert County, like those in many rural areas, operate only four days a week. Barkley said it will be more feasible for the districts to stick to a 10-hour-a-week preschool program so schools have time to offer morning and afternoon sessions.

Getting the message to parents

Colorado officials estimate that half of the state’s 4-yearolds will attend free preschool next year, but with the application set to open in less than a month, many Colorado parents know little to nothing about the program.

Barkley described a typical parent reaction this way: “What? What is this? Can you explain it? I don’t understand.”

She said local districts have sent informational fliers home in students’ take home folders, but it can be hard to answer parents’ questions when some details aren’t yet available from the state.

Piper, the home-based child care provider in Loveland, said the vast majority of her families haven’t paid much attention to universal free preschool because they already get free or nearly free child care. That’s because they qualify for state child care subsidies for low-income families. Some pay nothing. Others pay $24 to $240 a month, she said.

Leaders from the Larimer County early childhood council have already sent out postcards about universal preschool to all county families with 3- or 4-year-olds, and plan to send out another in January. State officials said they’re planning to launch a public awareness campaign about universal preschool in early 2023.

Arbitrio, of Ivybrook Academy, said, “I think our families are going to be thrilled.”

Sue Cornelius, the teacher for the You be You Early Learning pre-school program, goes over colors with some of the children at the daycare, which is held inside of a renovated bus, Nov. 17, 2021. File Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado

COVID hotline ending

The state will no longer staff a COVID-19 vaccine hotline beginning Jan. 1, citing a steep decrease in calls recently.

Instead, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is asking people to call the CDC’s free hotline (1-800-2320233) — which is in English, Spanish and many other languages — for information. Residents can also still visit covid19.colorado.gov/vaccinefinder for help finding provider locations, scheduling appointments and answers to other common vaccine questions.

The state started the hotline last January in an effort to boost vaccine rates. In the year since it started operation, CDPHE says the hotline assisted Coloradans for more than 30,000 hours, helped schedule 14,000 appointments and assisted more than 22,000 people with updating vaccine records.

“Our call center connected with Coloradans on more than 290,000 calls, providing critical COVID-19 vaccine information and resources over the course of nearly two years,”  Diana Herrero, deputy director, Division of Disease Control and Public Health Response, said in a statement. “The timing is right to transition this call center to other available resources, such as the federal vaccine hotline, with decreased call volumes over recent months and the existence of similar resources at the national level.”

— KARA MASON, Sentinel Managing Editor

EPA investigating Colorado air pollution

The Environmental Protection Agency is investigating whether Colorado’s regulation of air pollution from industrial facilities discriminates against Hispanic residents and other racial minorities, according to a letter released Wednesday.

That’s a level of scrutiny long sought by Lucy Molina whose daughter goes to school near Colorado’s only petroleum refinery. Three years ago Molina had just stepped outdoors when she noticed a coating of ash on her Nissan Altima that wiped off on her fingers. Then she received a message that her daughter’s school was locked down and panicked. She later learned the refinery had malfunctioned, spewing a clay-like material into the air. She’d heard of lockdowns for shootings, but never for pollution.

Since then she’s pushed for community air monitoring and stronger protections, but it all feels too late. She’s lived here for 30 years, and her kids are already young adults.

“If we would have known” years ago, she said. “We would have moved.”

Advocates say the Suncor refinery too often malfunctions, spiking emissions. They say Colorado rarely denies permits to polluters, even in areas where harmful ozone already exceeds federal standards.

Federal investigators said in the letter they will scrutinize the state’s

oversight of Colorado’s biggest polluters like the Suncor oil refinery in North Denver where Molina lives, and whether the effect of that pollution on residents is discriminatory.

Suncor did not respond to a request for comment.

The EPA launched its investigation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It has been going on since March but went little noticed until Wednesday’s letter, which explains its scope. The Act allows the EPA to negotiate agreements with states to promote equity. The Biden administration has stepped up its enforcement of environmental discrimination.

Colorado officials said they welcome the EPA review and more community participation, and are reviewing their permitting policies to ensure they are focused on environmental justice.

“We’ve always prioritized the health and wellbeing of every Coloradan no matter their ZIP code, but we know we have even more to do,” said Trisha Oeth, our Director of Environmental Health and Protection in a statement.

But the EPA has found those priorities lacking at times.

The agency scrutinized the state’s handling of Suncor. Colorado’s only oil refinery is roughly 90 years old and is a major emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the state.

In March, the EPA objected to a key air permit for the facility that state regulators were still reviewing 10 years after its original expiration date. The agency raised “significant environmental justice concerns” and said that the public wasn’t given enough opportunity to weigh in. The EPA didn’t object when the state issued a revised permit.

In July, the agency also said the state had issued permits for a mine, oil and gas wells and other small polluters even though they could contribute to violations of federal air quality standards. Colorado said it would improve its reviews, but balked at revisiting its permitting decisions.

Nevertheless there are some signs the agency chose Colorado because it could prove a willing partner.

“Colorado has been one of the states that has been a leader in addressing environmental justice in the legislature,” said KC Becker, a former state legislative leader and the head of the EPA region that includes Colorado.

Colorado has strengthened air monitoring requirements. It increased funding for air permit reviews. The state’s greenhouse gas reduction plan aims to reduce pollution in overburdened areas. It also worked with the EPA to ensure inspections target the most polluted areas and when companies reach settlements for wrongdoing, they pay for projects that benefit communities.

These changes have “given EPA an opening to say, ‘well, if that is what you are committed to then let’s really test this out, let’s see

you prove your mettle here,’” said Jeremy Nichols head of climate and energy programs at WildEarth Guardians.

Nichols said Colorado is too deferential to industry. He wants to see the state deny permits much more often.

Ian Coghill, an attorney with Earthjustice that is challenging the Suncor permit, says the push and pull between the EPA and state hasn’t yielded major improvements. Revisions to Suncor’s permit, he said, “didn’t change a lot.”

He is hopeful the civil rights investigation will force the state to make changes and detail the cumulative effect of pollution from industry on residents of North Denver.

“I’m definitely optimistic,” he said.

— THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Construction worker killed in trench

An unidentified construction worker was killed last week when a 12-feet-deep trench he was working in collapsed, according to Aurora Fire and Rescue officials.

Rescuers were called to the worksite in the 17500 block of East Eastman Drive at about 1:30 p.m. after fellow workers called dispatchers.

“One worker was in the trench when it gave way,” fire officials said in a social media post. “Firefighters are working quickly and methodically to get to the individual.”

Despite the rescue efforts, “a deceased worker was uncovered and has been removed from the trench,” fire officials said in a later tweet.

“Our thoughts are with the friends and family members who lost a loved one today,” officials said.

Fire officials did not release the nature of the worksite.

— THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

2 dead in western avalanches

Two people were killed in New Year’s Eve avalanches in Montana and Colorado after heavy snow blanketed much of the West.

Forecasters with the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center say two snowmobilers from Washington were headed uphill near Daisy Pass north of Cooke City, Montana, when one of them triggered a large slide and was swept about 600 vertical feet (183 vertical meters).

The buried rider, who was covered in 5 feet (152 centimeters) of snow, was wearing an avalanche airbag backpack, but it wasn’t deployed. Both riders, whose names have not been released, had shovels and probes, but neither was wearing an avalanche beacon.

Another group of snowmobilers helped search for the missing rider and found his body about an hour later. The avalanche was about 2-4 feet (61-122 centimeters) deep, 500 feet (152 meters) wide and 600 feet (183 meters) long. It broke on weak snow near the bottom of the snow-

pack.

Also Saturday, a father and his adult son were backcountry skiing near Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado when they were caught in an avalanche, according to the Summit County Rescue Group. The father was able to dig himself out, but his son was buried.

A team with a search dog found his body about two hours later. His name has not been released. Saturday’s accidents marked the second and third avalanche fatalities this winter, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which tracks the deaths nationally.

— THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

More questions at Colorado River water meetings

Key questions resurfaced last month at a conference of Colorado River water administrators and users from seven U.S. states, Native American tribes and Mexico who are served by the shrinking river stricken by drought and climate change.

Who will bear the brunt of more water supply cuts, and how quickly?

What target goals need to be met for voluntary cutbacks in water use by the seven states that rely on the river before the federal government steps in?

What about controlling water evaporation once snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains enters the system and begins flowing to Mexico?

“I don’t have answers. I just have questions right now,” Ted Cooke, general manager of the Central Arizona Project, said during a Colorado River Water Users Association panel about the state of the river.

The agency manages canals delivering water to much of Arizona, and was the first to feel the effects last year of drought-forced cuts to water flow from the river.

The Colorado provides drinking water to 40 million people, irrigation for millions of acres of agriculture and hydropower in the U.S. Southwest.

“Collective painful action is necessary now,” Chuck Cullom, executive director of the Upper Colorado River Commission, said during the same panel.

The river serves four headwater states — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — and three socalled Lower Basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada. Tribes and Mexico also have water entitlements.

Talk at sessions focused on cooperation between users to solve shortages. But data showing less water flows into the river than is drawn from it has dominated over the conference. And after more than two decades of drought and climate change, the annual conference at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas has taken on a crisis vibe.

“The alternative to inaction is brutal and entirely obvious,” Cullom said of a domino effect of shortages

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HUGE US STUDY STARTS SHARING GENE FINDINGS WITH VOLUNTEERS

BY LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer

housands of Americans who shared their DNA for science are about to learn if they have some particularly worrisome genes. It’s part of a massive National Institutes of Health project to unravel how people’s genetics, environments and habits interact to determine their overall health. It’s unusual for study volunteers to get information about their personal health. But not everyone with the same gene will have a bad outcome, and sharing the information could spur additional discoveries that help explain why. Researchers aim to track 1 million people from all walks of life for at least a decade.

More than 155,000 Americans who shared their DNA for science are about to learn something in return: Do they have some particularly worrisome genes?

It’s part of a massive project to unravel how people’s genetics, environments and habits interact to determine their overall health. The National Institutes of Health said Tuesday it’s now starting to notify participants about some early findings — if they carry variants that can cause any of 59 inherited diseases or trigger medication problems.

Because everyone with the same gene won’t have the same health outcome, sharing those results may spur new discoveries.

“What are the drivers in that variability?”

Tasked Dr. Josh Denny, who heads the NIH’s “All of Us” study. “The way they change their behaviors in response to the findings, we’ll be able to look at that.”

All of Us is an unprecedented effort to reduce health disparities and end today’s one-size-fitsall care. Researchers aim to track 1 million people from all walks of life for at least a decade to better understand the complex combinations of factors that determine why one sibling gets sick and not another, or why a cure for one patient fails in another.

Volunteers share DNA samples, medical records, fitness tracking and answer health questions. About 560,000 have enrolled so far — importantly, nearly half from racial and ethnic groups historically left out of medical research.

Traditionally such studies are a one-way street -- scientists learn a lot from volunteers who get little personal information in return. But in an unusual move, All of Us participants get to decide if they want to learn health-related genetic findings, long before the study’s finished.

“I kind of shudder to think about what could happen if I hadn’t known this,” said Rachele Peterson, an NIH employee participating in the study.

An All of Us genetic counselor broke the news to the Philadelphia woman that she was at increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer because of a gene named BRCA-2.

Peterson, who volunteered for All of Us before recently becoming the project’s chief of staff,

didn’t realize that was a risk for her family.

The knowledge “allows you to take charge,” said Peterson, who plans to discuss options with her own doctor such as increased breast cancer screening or whether to consider precautionary ovary removal.

Denny estimated 2% to 3% of study participants will learn they have a well-known genetic variant that can cause certain cancers, heart conditions or other disorders. Many more will have genetic variants that affect how their body processes certain medicines.

For now, participants only will be given findings they can do something about, such as seeking earlier diagnosis or switching medications. They’ll be offered free confirmatory testing, genetic counseling and help with sharing the information with their physicians and family members.

But there’s a lot more to learn. For example, the vast majority of disease-linked genes were discovered by studying people of European ancestry. Very different variants may play a bigger role for other ancestries, said Baylor College of Medicine genetics expert Eric Venner.

His team is using the diverse All of Us genetic database to start teasing apart which differences matter most to which populations.

If new findings affect study volunteers, “we’re going to keep things up to date,” Denny said. “That’s the power of being able to talk to our participants, partnering with them for potentially decades.”

Tools used for DNA testing are pictured in a DNA lab at the forensic science center of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation in Edmond, Okla. on Aug. 1, 2014. AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

Little Women, The Broadway Musical at the Lakewood Cultural Center

scene & herd

Free Day at the Denver Botanic Gardens and Chatfield Farms

National Western Stock Show at the National Western Complex

Jan. 7-22, 8 a.m. til the last rodeo of the night. 4655 Humboldt St. Denver, CO 80216. Visit www.nationalwestern.com for more information.

Howdy cowpokes. Welcome to 2023, and we have no idea what to expect. That said, one tried and true standard remains. With the turn of the calendar, the new year ushers in the “best 16 days in January,” with the 117th National Western Stock Show. An event that has such an impact on the metro region, longtime residents leave their Christmas lights up through the entirety of the stock show, as is the longtime tradition.

Yoga at The Lume

8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas St. Aurora, CO 80010. $30. Visit www.showclix. com/tickets/yoga-at-the-lume-colorado for more information.

Jan 6 - 22 with performances on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. 470 S. Allison Pkwy, Lakewood, CO 80226. Visit www.performancenow. org/little-women for more information.

Jan. 16 during normal business hours. 1007 York St. Denver, CO 80206 and 8500 W. Deer Creek Canyon Rd. Littleton, CO 80128, respectively. Visit www.botanicgardens. org/events/free-days for more information.

Once a month the Denver Botanic Gardens and Chatfield Farms open their doors to the public giving everyone the opportunity to take in the natural beauty of both of these locations, without the burden of an entry fee.

There are no restrictions to ground access during these free days, so you can go knowing that you won’t be missing anything you might see were you to pay for entry. Both of these spots are well worth checking out. And if this month isn’t convenient, they offer a free day every month of the year. The 2023 calendar is already set, and you can find the perfect date at the link above. Reservations are required for the free day, so make sure you go to the site post haste and select the best time for you. January’s free day also happens to fall on a federal holiday, so it’s kind of almost kismet that you go this month.

The event offers free days, a bevy of events such as rodeos, petting zoos, sheep shearing contests, cattle auctions and really anything that you could imagine, so long as it is farm and ag related. More than 550,000 people attended last year, and it is a personal favorite of this long in the tooth jerk, who’s attended it nearly every year since he transplanted here in the early aughts.

Admission to the stock yards is always free, but if you would like to enter any of the buildings, depending on the day, the price will vary. More information can be found at www.nationalwestern.com, including schedules of events and ticket prices.

Cockpit Demo Day at Wings over the Rockies Air & Space Museum

A classic novel in musical form is what we have here. The Tony winning performance based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott is making its way to the metro region, showing for two weeks at the Lakewood Cultural Center, and performed by the Performance Now Theatre Company.

Based on the novel, this adaptation focuses on the sisters with little vignettes inserted of how their lives unfold with several short stories that Jo inserts herself and her sisters into, by sharing their experiences of growing up in the Civil War era.

The musical has been praised by critics in its successful adaptation of the novel. Tickets start at $20 and are available for purchase at www. performancenow.org.

Writing in the Museum at the History Colorado Center

Yoga on a warm beach or in a tropical rainforest sounds pretty good right about now. You won’t have to book an all-inclusive resort stay to get it though, thanks to the immersive art experts at The Lume, located in Stanley Marketplace. The people who’ve helped create the Dalí Alive exhibit and other recreations of famous art are bringing zen scenes to the exhibit while Vibe Yoga + Wellness instructors help you reach total relaxation. This $30 yoga class is a 360-degree multi-sensory experience. Motion-designed digital art surrounds yogis, so it’s actually like you’re really in some luxurious locale. Buy tickets at www.showclix.com.

The Pond Ice Rink at Southlands Mall Now until Feb. 26 with hours varying based on the day. 6155 S Main St, Aurora, CO 80016. Visit www.shopsouthlands.com for more information.

Jan. 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 7711 E Academy Blvd, Denver, CO 80230. Visit wingsmuseum.org/ events/cockpit-demo-day-1 for more information.

Very rarely, if ever, will you arrive to an event at Wings and be disappointed. There’s no risk here either. Our favorite local air and space museum is hosting the public for an up close and intimate preview of the cockpits of some pretty incredible machines.

You’ll get the opportunity to look inside a variety of aircraft at the museum with plenty of information to learn about these air vessels along the way, including their history, how they operate and a look at the controls and instruments that get these birds off the ground.

Prices vary and max out at $18. Plus you aren’t just restricted to the airplanes with their cockpits open. Feel free to tour the entire museum while you are there.

Jan. 12, 1-3 p.m. 1200 N. Broadway, Denver, CO 80203. Visit www. historycolorado.org/events for more information.

Welp, it’s a new year. That time where we make promises to ourselves for betterment. Eat better, be more responsible, take on new hobbies… The list goes on. And while it is often abandoned come February, it’s likely best to tackle the new hobby while we are still in January.

That said, the History Colorado Center is hosting a creative writing workshop, and we here at this fish wrapper think you should go.

The class is taught by professional writers, who will be available for assistance throughout the workshop. And here’s a fun little addition — some sessions will take place entirely within exhibits. So you may be able to pull a little inspo from the storied history of our great state.

Tickets are $15, and the purchase of the workshop tickets also grants you access to the entire museum. There are only 20 slots available for the workshop, so don’t dally if this piques your interest. You can purchase tickets at www.tickets. historycolorado.org/event/writing-in-the-museum/tickets

Just because the holiday season has come to an end doesn’t necessarily mean winter activities are following suit. The season itself has only just begun. Plus, we did just get more than a couple of fresh inches of the white stuff, after all. The Pond skating rink is still rockin’ and rollin’. The skating rink is located in the town square of Southlands Mall in southeast Aurora, just outside of the movie theater — the perfect location if you want to get to the cinema to check out some end of year films, and then why not wrap your day with some laps around the rink.

It’s the quintessential winter time activity so you’re going to want to do yourself a favor and check the

Preps

Right: Javon Lowman and the Vista PEAK boys basketball team earned eight wins prior to winter break, including a notable 58-50 victory over Lewis-Palmer, a state champion last season.

Middle: Delainey Miller (15) has helped the Cherokee Trail girls basketball team get off to a 9-1 start after winning 10 games total last season.

Below: The Cherry Creek co-op and Regis Jesuit ice hockey teams have met once already in the early part of the season and the Bruins came out on top as part of their 5-1 start.

Like everything else, prep sports took its holiday hiatus and now is set to resume as the calendar has flipped over to 2023. For some in the midst of the winter prep sports season — athletes and teams in boys and girls basketball, boys and girls wrestling, girls swimming and ice hockey — there has been much to revel in with their performances in the opening weeks.

over Lewis-Palmer, which came in ranked No. 4 in 5A and was last season’s 4A state champion. The Bison also have wins over both of 4A’s top two teams (Holy Family and Eagle Ridge Academy) to their credit in the early portion of a season which will see them make their debut in the City League (formerly Denver Prep League). Transfer Carson McDonald leads an incredibly balanced lineup.

Ready to return WINTER SPORTS

For others, there is a chance to evaluate and attempt to fix things that haven’t gone as expected with the key stretches of the season upcoming.

Here’s a breakdown of what happened in the early going for Aurora teams and where things stand going into the second half of the season:

BOYS BASKETBALL

BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor

Some quality early hoops took place in late November and early December, which could set up some Aurora teams for dividends at the end of the campaign.

Smoky Hill won its first four games and rose to as high as No. 3 in CHSAANow.com’s last Class 6A coaches poll before the break. Coach Anthony Hardin’s Buffaloes split four games at the Visit Mesa Challenge in Arizona and also resumes the season out of state with four games in California. Senior Rickey Mitchell has been 6A’s most dynamic scorer thus far with a classification-leading average of 27.3 points, highlighted by a 40-point explosion in a notable road win at Valor Christian. Around Mitchell, a talented group of young players continues to develop.

Vista PEAK has had a notable start as well with a city-best eight wins before the break. Coach Keenon Clement’s team went into the hiatus with a 58-50 win

Eaglecrest is out to a 6-3 start as the sophomore duo of Garrett Barger and LaDavian King have had major impact, while Grandview has matched its win total from last season during a 5-3 start. The Wolves finished a 3-1 run in Las Vegas at the Tarkanian Classic (with the lone loss coming in double overtime) and freshman twins Gallagher and Gavin Placide

Also of note thus far: Gateway went 1-20 last season, but is 5-5 so far this season and Cherokee Trail is 1-5 under new head coach Brandon Brown, but four of the five losses have come by two or fewer points (including two in double overtime) and senior Keean Lloyd is one of the state’s top scorers with an average of 18.7 points per game.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

It has been a good start to the season for Aurora girls basketball team, as eight of the city’s 11 squads took .500 or better records into the break and five already had earned six or more wins.

Cherokee Trail is at the forefront of the good start with a sparkling 9-1 record — on the heels of a 10-win season in 2021-22 — that includes just a single loss while at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas. Coach Tammi Traylor-Statewright’s team sat No. 4 in the last CHSAANow.com’s 6A coaches poll before break and also counts wins over Highlands Ranch and Regis Jesuit to its credit. Junior Damara Allen and sophomore Delainey Miller have been tone-setters for an unselfish group.

PHOTOS BY COURTNEY OAKES/SENTINEL COLORADO

Eaglecrest started 0-3 at a California tournament, but has since won seven consecutive games. Coach Robbie Gabrielli’s Raptors have a veteran lineup that includes seniors Nia McKenzie (who has averaged 17 points per game in the early going), Laci Roffle and Anjolene Ramiro as part of a deep group that plays exceptionally hard.

Regis Jesuit went into break with a big win over previously undefeated Monarch and is ranked No. 5 in 6A despite a 5-4 record. Coach Jordan Kasemodel’s Raiders — who also lost by just seven to top-ranked Valor Christian — have a pair of double-digit scorers in Hana Belibi and Coryn Watts.

Defending state champion Grandview is ranked No. 7 in 6A and is 6-3 coming out of the break after a 3-1 showing in Phoenix at the Nike Tournament of Champions. Coach Josh Ulitzky’s Wolves have been growing around sophomore Sienna Betts, who has a 21.0 points per game average that currently ranks second in the top classification.

Also of note: Rangeview is 6-2 at the break after a road loss at No. 1 Valor Christian, Overland is off to a 6-3 starter after winning three games all of last season and Vista PEAK finished 3-1 in Las Vegas prior to break to get to 5-5.

BOYS WRESTLING

There is a lot that will change in January in a sport that allows for some extra weight, while a greater level of fitness is achieved on the other side of the winter break. Grandview and Eaglecrest sat Nos. 6 and 8, respectively, in On The Mat’s last set of rankings before winter break. Both teams competed in the Reno Tournament of Champions and are on track to square off in a Centennial League dual Jan. 26.

The Raptors and Wolves each have one wrestler ranked No. 1 in their respective weights by On The Mat, which has Eaglecrest senior Dorian Ervin (a finalist last season) atop the 5A 113-pound group and Grandview senior Max Kibbee No. 1 at 190. Also, Adonias Cantu (who placed sixth in his weight in Reno) is ranked No. 4 at 106 pounds for coach Javier Quintana’s Raptors, who have seven total ranked wrestlers, as does coach Ryan Budd’s Wolves.

Regis Jesuit team has just two ranked wrestlers, but they are both in the top three in senior Dirk Morley (No. 2 at 285 pounds) and sophomore Garrett Reece, who is No. 3 at 138, while Vista PEAK has 4A’s third-ranked wrestler at both 190 pounds (Ezekiel Taylor) and 215 (Oscar Valdez).

Left: Regis Jesuit senior Sophia Frei won the 100 yard backstroke at The REX Coaches Invitational prior to winter break with the time that is the fastest of the season so far in the Class 5A girls swimming ranks.

Middle: Vista PEAK’s Oscar Valdez has earned the No. 3 ranking in Class 4A boys wrestling at 215 pounds according to On The Mat through three weeks of the season.

Below: Eaglecrest’s Chasey Karabell, center, has moved up to No. 2 at 100 pounds in On The Mat’s girls wrestling rankings after she finished as the runner-up at her weight at the Reno Tournament of Champions.

GIRLS WRESTLING

With three weeks of competition in the books, Eaglecrest — which just competed at the Reno Tournament of Champions — holds the No. 7 spot in On The Mat’s rankings.

The Raptors got a repeat All-American performance from senior Blythe Cayko, who won her bracket again and is ranked No. 1 at 190 pounds, while Reno runner-up Chasey Karabell is up to No. 2 at 100 pounds. Coach Horacio Vialpando’s Eaglecrest team has eight ranked wrestlers.

Regis Jesuit’s Alexis Segura is ranked No. 2 at 125 pounds, Vista PEAK’s Leilani Caamal is No. 3 at 155 and Overland’s Vianca Mendoza holds the No. 7 spot at 125 to lead other Aurora programs.

GIRLS SWIMMING

Regis Jesuit posted a runner-up finish to Cherry Creek among Class 5A teams at The REX Coaches Invitational prior to winter break and the two teams hold the same spots in PrepSwimCo.com’s first rankings of the season issued Jan. 3. The Raiders feature 5A’s fastest 100 yard backstroker thus far in senior Sophia Frei, who also ranks No. 2 in the 100 butterfly. The Raiders also have three of the eight divers with the best scores so far this season led by Sarah Mann in second.

Grandview is No. 5 and has the top diver thus far in Addison Campbell, who won the Coaches Invite, while senior Paige Dailey has been the second-fastest in the 100 breaststroke. Both of the Wolves’ freestyle relays rank in the top four as well. In the No. 9 spot is Cherokee Trail, which features the third-fastest 200 yard freestyle relay group in addition to at least one top-20 performer in six of the eight individual swim events. Powered by freshmen Cameryn Walkup and Mia Noffsinger, Smoky Hill sits No. 19.

ICE HOCKEY

The Cherry Creek co-op team got off to a 5-1 start in the early portion of the season, which put coach Jeff Mielnicki’s team atop the 5A Metro Division in points in the early going. The Bruins’ wins include a victory over Regis Jesuit, which is 3-1-1 thus far in its first season under new head coach Terry Ott, a longtime assistant who took over for original coach Dan Woodley. Boosted by a five-goal game, the Raiders’ Michael Manville shares the division lead in points with nine, same as teammate Carter Schick.

PHOTOS BY COURTNEY OAKES/SENTINEL COLORADO

›› WINTER, from 10

CAPITOL GAINS

Democrat controlled Legislature looks at pushing through blue agenda

BY SENTINEL STAFF

Reports of a purported “red wave” during the 2022 midterms were unfounded in Colorado, where Democrats picked up seven seats in the state legislature, keeping control of both the House and the Senate, and every statewide office.

While history would predict that Democrats will continue to have to bring Republican legislators on board for controversial bills, Dems are navigating both the destination and the path for a host of measures this session.

Look to several Aurora state lawmakers to play prominent roles in the 2023 General Assembly, which begins Jan. 9.

Rep. Iman Jodeh (D-Aurora) will serve as majority co-whip in the House, which will have 46 Democrats this session and just 19 Republicans.

“Whipping the votes of 46 people is going to be a lot different than 41 people in our last term,” she said. “While that may not seem like a huge gap, I think legislatively it is when you’re in that chamber.”

She and the other Aurora area Democrats say they hope their electoral success this fall will allow them to continue to make progress on their agenda.

“It looks like Colorado’s spoken and we have a mandate from the people to bring legislation,” said Rep. Naquetta Ricks, an Aurora Democrat.

Now that Colorado is “a quote-unquote ‘blue state,’” Ricks said the next challenge will be determining if the state has enough tax revenue to meet the demand for services that voters want.

“I think there’s going to be a delicate balance of doing that under the restrictions of TABOR,” she said. “How do we get enough funding to do all the things that we need for the people of Colorado and to make this an equitable, just state? Those are the issues we’re going to be wrestling with as a legislature.”

Gun law reform

Given that Congress isn’t poised to make another big push to address gun law reform in 2023 — last year marked the biggest legislative package in three decades — states are largely on their own to take up the issue in the year ahead.

In Colorado, lawmakers will grapple with the aftermath of the Club Q shooting, which killed five and wounded 19 in Colorado Springs in November, and calls to strengthen the state’s “red flag law,” which allows law enforcement to take a person’s firearms if a court deems the person is a danger to themselves or others.

The Club Q shooter had previously threatened to blow up his mom’s house with a homemade bomb. A judge dismissed the 2021 case and remarked that the shooter had “clearly… been planning for something else,” according to court transcripts obtained by The Associated Press. Still, no order to remove their weapons was made.

The red-flag law, passed in 2019, has been used more than 300 times, but following the Club Q shooting the law’s advocates say more needs to be done.

“We’re having a discussion now with local law enforcement, with state legislators about what holes exist in extreme risk protection orders and how we can better make sure that we have a system that works to keep people safe across Colorado,” Gov. Jared Polis told Kaiser Health News in late December.

It’s possible that the state could expand the law to include more people eligible for petitioning the process. Polis hinted on national news it would be a possible legislative effort in 2023. On NBC’s “Meet The Press,” Polis said he’d be open to amending the law.

“What can be used to better publicize, make available, add different parties to make sure that it’s used when it should

be used?” he said.

Colorado Capitol watchers are also anticipating a bill to raise the age from 18 to 21 to buy all types of guns. Sen.-elect Tom Sullivan, who previously served in the House, told The Sentinel he would carry the proposal.

“Two out of the four years I’ve been in the House, we weren’t even allowed to run gun legislation,” the father of Alex Sullivan, who was killed in the Aurora theater shooting in 2012, said. “I’ve had heated conversations with the last two speakers of the Colorado House as to why bills aren’t put up. These aren’t even monumental (bills)…. This is like, lost and stolen firearms, raising the minimum age of buying an assault rifle. It’s been 22 years since Columbine and we don’t even have a definition of assault rifle.”

This fall, a group of lawmakers formed the Gun Violence Prevention Caucus. Sullivan said he hopes that will help foster more conversations about legislation.

“... We believe that gun violence is a public health crisis and we pledge to prioritize legislation that addresses gun violence with proven, equitable, and scientific measures that save lives and make our communities safer,” the group of legislators said in announcing the new caucus. “Our Caucus represents a state that has seen too much heartbreak inflicted by gun violence. And it is up to us to do what we can to enact sensible measures to protect public health and our communities. We look forward to productive discussions in the 2023 General Assembly and beyond.”

Upon the 10-year anniversary of the Aurora theater shooting, Sullivan, a Democrat, said he wants Coloradans to look at the legislature and know that work on the issue is happening at the Capitol, just like transportation or education. Even if a bill doesn’t pass on the first try.

“I can learn from that,” he said. “But

I’m running out of time.”

Other members of the Aurora delegation voiced a desire to do more on gun safety as well. Jodeh said she hopes that the fact that the Democratic party had such a good year in the midterms will help the legislature make more progress on the issue.

“The Democratic caucus has a supermajority in the House and I think we have an opportunity to really navigate this issue for Colorado in a way that we may not have had before,” she said.

Consumer protections

Two years ago, amid the early panic of the pandemic, grocery store shelves were empty of hand sanitizer, toilet paper and other essentials. Colorado lawmakers quickly realized the state was one of only a few that didn’t have a law prohibiting price gouging during a disaster.

A law that year, passed along party lines, fixed the oversight, said Aurora state Rep. Mike Weissman, who sponsored the bill, but two years later, “the prices are still high.”

“It shouldn’t be okay and it’s not okay for bad actors to engage in price gouging years after a disaster,” Weissman, a Democrat, told The Sentinel. He plans to introduce legislation that takes that 2020 bill further.

The 2020 law, enforceable by the state attorney general’s office, applies to items and services such as building materials, gas, medical supplies, repair services and consumer food items. The disaster period is defined as 180 days from the date when a disaster declaration begins. Weissman said his legislation, still in the drafting stages, would prohibit price gouging outside of that six-month time window. It’s particularly important now, he said, because inflation has already increased the costs of many goods and services.

Gov. Jared Polis addresses lawmakers during his State of the State address at the Colorado State Capitol building in this 2019 file photo.

Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado

Ricks, who has focused on consumer protections throughout her time in the House, said she has more bills on that topic in the pipeline for this session including more legislation around accountability for homeowner’s associations (HOAs) and support for Coloradans experiencing medical debt.

Health and mental health Health and mental health continue to be topics of interest for the Aurora delegation.

“Mental health continues to be a big issue for people in Colorado, and we’re trying to see if we can close some of those gaps,” Ricks said.

The Behavioral Health Administration was launched last year as a new cabinet member led agency inside the Colorado Department of Human Services designed to improve the state’s response to behavioral healthcare. As that continues to get off the ground, Ricks said she is working on a bipartisan bill to help close some of the gaps that exist in mental health treatment.

Dafna Michaelson Jenet, who formerly represented House District 30 and was elected this fall to represent the redistricted House District 32, said she will continue to work on expanding mental health treatment for kids and adolescents. She was one of the sponsors of a bill in 2021 that allowed young people to access up to three free mental health sessions through the state’s “I Matter” program.

This session, she said she will be working on a bill to allow for mental health screenings to be given at school starting at the middle school level. The screenings would be done by an outside evaluator, and from there students could be referred to the I Matter program or to a provider that took their insurance.

The evaluator would not be connected to a school, but by offering the screenings at the school would increase accessibility which Jenet said would help with being proactive about youth’s mental health needs.

She also will be working on a bill that would provide funding for schools to store glucagon pens in the case of a diabetic emergency, which is similar to an epi-pen and treats severe low blood sugar for people with diabetes.

Some kids have their own pens that they bring to school, but this would allow schools to purchase pens not designated for any particular student. This would benefit students with diabetes because the pens are prohibitively expensive for many families, Jenet said.

“If you are a kid who has diabetes who is not upper middle class, don’t have an extra pen to leave at school for emergencies,” she said. “This would allow kids who would not be able to afford to have a pen at school to have one.”

Legislators said they also expected there to be more bills focused on access to reproductive healthcare in this session following the reversal of Roe v. Wade in June. During the last session the legislature passed the Reproductive Health Equity Act, which guarantees the right to an abortion under state law.

Jodeh, who has focused on healthcare during her two years in office, said she thinks reproductive rights will continue to be a focus for the legislature this session. With 51 out of 100 seats, she noted that this is the first time the Colorado :egislature will have more women than men.

“I’m excited to see how all these policies will happen under a majority women legislature,” she said.

Crime victims

After a year of rising crime in Aurora, local lawmakers say they’re also bringing forward a slate of bills designed to help crime victims.

Aurora police reported a roughly 21% increase in motor vehicle thefts between 2021 and 2022, along with a 19% increase in murders, according to statistics current as of Dec. 25. Property crime in general increased 9.4%, and violent crime increased 13.7%.

Republicans rallied around the impacts of Colorado’s “crime wave” during their unsuccessful campaign for the governorship and other statewide offices in 2022.

While they blamed bail reform and other Democratic policies for increases in certain crimes, which took place as the country was exiting the most intense phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, Democratic lawmakers this year are proposing several bills advancing public safety.

Violent crime is personal for Sen. Rhonda Fields. In 2005, her son, Javad, and his fiance, Vivian, were shot to death in retaliation for her son’s decision to testify in a murder trial.

This year, Fields received an unwelcome shock when one of the people named as an accessory to the 2005 murders, Percy Carter, was released from prison and settled again in Aurora.

According to Fields, by the time her family was notified of the possibility of Carter’s release, the 62-year-old was already free. Fields later asked for and was granted a restraining order against Carter.

The senator previously ran bills to fund the state’s automated crime victim notification system and amend Colorado’s Victim’s Rights Act to codify the ability of victims to attend court proceedings remotely.

In 2023, she hopes to run a bill that would create a notification schedule for crime victims, who would be given a heads-up when an offender is ready to be released from prison.

“We do have a victim notification system, but it’s not enough,” Fields said. “I had no advance notice. I had no idea if I was going to run into (Carter) at the grocery store, or the gas pump, and I would have been startled.”

Fields also said she plans to introduce a bill aimed at reducing the prevalence and impact of motor vehicle theft.

Rising rates of auto theft prompted new legislation by the Aurora City Council in 2022, including mandatory minimum sentences for the crime when charged in municipal court and resolutions directing city management to research the costs of the city setting up a fund to reimburse victims of property crime as well as setting up a city impound lot to store stolen cars.

Right now, Aurora contracts with a private company, M&M Towing, to impound stolen vehicles that have been recovered by police. The arrangement means members of the public have to pay around $200 to retrieve their cars, which numerous lawmakers have said adds insult to injury for victims.

“No person who has been victimized should have a double-whammy of that bill for storage,” Fields said. She plans to introduce a bill that would set aside funding to reimburse theft victims and help police departments purchase technology such as license plate readers.

Fields also hopes to build on the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity Act by proposing legislation that would limit or ban the use of no-knock warrants, which allow police to force their way into

a home without first announcing themselves. In recent years, no-knock warrants have been blamed for numerous deadly confrontations between homeowners and police.

Aurora’s City Council voted to ban noknock warrants in 2020, citing their role in the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was shot to death during a police raid in Louisville, Kentucky.

Disability rights

Disabled renters in the Denver metro area face a scarcity of accessible housing, with just 7% of housing units accessible to people with mobility problems, according to U.S. Census Bureau data compiled by rental website Apartment List.

Rep. David Ortiz, who in 2020 became the first person using a wheelchair to be elected to the General Assembly, said the majority of House Democrats will be focusing on housing and renters in 2023.

Ortiz plans to contribute legislation that would require a certain percentage of new condominiums, apartments and townhomes be built with accessible features, along with any of those housing units undergoing major renovations.

He said the bill would also make it easier for seniors to stay in their homes as they navigate the health problems that come with getting older.

“It’ll give them a safe place to age,” he said.

Ortiz’s arrival at the capitol building pushed staff to make changes to the building so that he (and any future disabled lawmakers) could enter the House chamber and reach his desk on his own. Other proposals being brought by Ortiz this year would improve accessibility in government facilities as well as outdoor spaces.

He also hopes to amend the state’s anti-discrimination laws to ensure people have the right to litigate violations in addition to any administrative processes.

“We have a huge majority so people should keep an eye out for transformative legislation,” Ortiz said. “And people should reach out if they want something done.”

Rep.-elect Ruby Dickson also said she is interested in bringing bills that would encourage the construction of denser housing and alternative housing options such as tiny homes.

Other priorities for Dickson include strengthening guarantees of abortion access included in the Reproductive Health Equity Act, running a bill to restrict permits for new coal-fired power plants and running legislation to help workers who may be impacted by the transition to green energy.

“I would definitely say my priorities in

2023 are affordability, reproductive freedom, climate change and keeping communities safe,” she said. “I’m just really excited to be in a position to be able to make change.”

Back to class

Education issues will again be pressing for legislators this year. Lawmakers are expected to grapple with funding issues along with narrowing the learning loss gap left by the pandemic.

Chalkbeat Colorado reports that a new school funding formula may be on the way. For the last five years, the interim committee on school finance has been working to re-write the finance formula, and in November the group succeeded at beginning work on the proposal. This issue specifically could see more movement this year, as Rep. Julie McCluskie is both chair of the committee and incoming speaker of the House.

Local legislators will run a bill focused on helping adults finish high school-level education. Rep. Mike Weissman and Sen. Janet Buckner, both Aurora Democrats, plan to carry the legislation.

“The reality is that a lot of life circumstances can bear on a person’s ability to obtain formal education,” Weissman said. “In a city as diverse as ours, Sen. Buckner and I think it’s important to achieve other options for obtaining education.”

Retired teacher Eliza Hamrick was elected to represent House District 61 this fall, and will be serving on the education committee. After 32 years teaching at Overland High School education is something she remains passionate about, and she said she hopes to do work in the legislature to help support teachers.

A shortage of education funding has been a longstanding source of frustration in Colorado, and Hamrick said she hopes to be able to work with local districts to find ways the legislature can help.

“We’re really going to have to try to be more creative with education funding,” she said.

Two specific policies she’s interested in are bringing back stipends for teachers who are becoming national board certified. The certification used to be covered but the funding expired, and it needs an act of the state legislature to come back. If it can’t be covered for teachers everywhere in the state she hopes funding can be earmarked for teachers in rural districts, so they can use it as an incentive to recruit and retain staff.

She also said she hopes to put together some sort of portal where high school students can explore their options after school, including trades and industry opportunities for those interested in something other than a four-year degree.

Sen. Janet Buckner, center, and other lawmakers make their way into the house chambers of the Colorado State Capitol, before the 2019 State of the State address in this 2019 file photo.

Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado

that would be borne first by entities with junior water rights advancing to those with senior standing. “We agree all states, sectors and tribes must play a role.”

Deadlines about what to do are fast approaching, along with a deadline next Tuesday for public comment on a federal Bureau of Reclamation effort expected to yield a final report by summer about how to save about 15% of river water now distributed to recipients.

David Palumbo, the Bureau of Reclamation deputy commissioner of operations, told the conference panel with Cooke and Cullom Thursday he hoped for answers. Those include assumptions about the amount of water flowing in the river; effects of changing river flows in the Grand Canyon; how officials should administer reductions; and considerations about public health and safety.

Limiting population growth was not discussed as an option. Cooke said market forces, not the government, should dictate who moves where.

“People have the right to make a good choice or a bad choice,” he said, “and that includes moving to a spot that might not have water.”

READ MORE OF THIS STORY AT WWW.SENTINELCOLORADO.COM

— ASSOCIATED PRESS

POLICE

Police shoot, wound man

An Aurora police officer shot and wounded a man in the leg early Jan. 1 during a  domestic violence dispute in north Aurora, according to police.

“We have had an officer discharge his firearm and strike a suspect at a domestic violence call in the 1200 block of North Chambers Road,” Aurora interim police Chief Art Acevedo said in a tweet at about 12:30 a.m. Acevedo had been with patrol officers during DUI enforcement planned previously for New Year’s eve.

Police later said that officers

were called to the home after a woman there called 911 to report “a domestic violence situation,”

Aurora police spokesperson Sgt. Faith Goodrich said in a statement.

“When officers arrived on scene they found multiple people at the home, some of whom were uncooperative with the investigation.”

Investigating officers determined there was probable cause to arrest Juan Ruiz-Reta, 38, in connection with the domestic violence complaint.

“As officers tried to place him under arrest, he was uncooperative,” Goodrich said. “During that time, another male became involved, and one of the officers fired their weapon, striking that man in his lower leg.”

Police applied a tourniquet to the man’s leg and called an ambulance, police said.

Neither shooting victim nor the officer were identified.

“The man who was shot was transported to the hospital for medical care,” Goodrich said. “One officer and Ruiz-Reta were also evaluated medically for minor medical complaints.”

Part of Chambers Road was closed during an investigation and the Arapahoe County Critical Incident Response Team was called to investigate. The outside agency investigation is mandated under state law.

The officer who fired a gun was placed on administrative leave, which is the protocol for officer involved shootings.

— SENTINEL STAFF

Pedestrian struck on I-225

An unidentified man attempting to cross I-225 near East Sixth Avenue at about 10 p.m. Dec. 31 was struck by a car and killed, according to Aurora police.

The driver of the car and other motorists called 911 to report the incident, which apparently involved just one car.

Police said the driver of a GM SUV was northbound on the interstate when they struck the unidentified man attempting to cross.

“The driver of the SUV attempt-

ed to avoid the pedestrian but was unsuccessful,” Aurora police spokesperson Sgt. Faith Goodrich said in a statement. “The driver remained on scene and has been cooperative with the investigation.”

Police did not provide details about the driver and crash victim, nor why the man was attempting to cross the interstate.

The highway was closed for several hours during the investigation.

Anyone with video footage or information about the crash is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

—

SENTINEL STAFF

Police searching for tattoo shop shooter

Aurora police are seeking the public’s help in finding a tattoo shop shooting suspect with a distinctive tattoo on his face.

Police said Norberto “Robert” Flores, 41, is suspected of shooting two people Dec. 21 inside an Aurora tattoo shop, 13990 E. Mississippi Ave. Channel 7 News reported that the shooting victims were injured but not killed.

Flores is 5-feet 7-inches tall, 200 pounds and has tattoos on his head, arms, hands and fingers.

A tattoo on his left cheek says, “ready to die.”

Police said he was last seen in Lakewood and Denver, and that he has family ties in San Antonio.

Police said they believe Flores is armed.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911.

—

SENTINEL STAFF

Murder-suicide suspect made threats

A man who police believe fatally shot his wife and then himself outside a worship hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in suburban Denver had threatened to kill her and shoot a union representative after losing his job as an electrician last year, according to a court filing by his former employer.

Enoch Apodaca, 46, and Melissa Martinez, 44, were members of the congregation, police have said.

In an application for a protec-

tion order against Apodaca filed in December 2021, a representative of Sturgeon Electric Company Inc. wrote that Apodaca told a union representative he would shoot Martinez and the union representative, and then “will come after the people responsible” at the company for he and his wife losing their jobs. The application, first reported by The Denver Post, noted that Apodaca had been fired in June 2021 but did not say why.

After Sunday’s suspected murder-suicide, the Adams County bomb squad responded to the worship hall, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 68 building and a home believed to be Apodaca’s to check for explosives, said Adams County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Adam Sherman. Three incendiary-style devices were found at the site of the Christmas Day shooting but were rendered safe, police have said.

Sherman on Wednesday referred questions about the other locations to Thornton police. A phone message was left with the police department seeking more details.

The Post also reported Wednesday that police in nearby Westminster had received seven calls to respond to Apodaca’s address since September 2021, including one in which a person warned police that Apodaca was threatening violence, using drugs and withdrawing from his family after he and his wife lost their jobs. In the service records provided to the newspaper for three of those calls, there was no record that the cases progressed past the initial call, it said.

COURTS

Voter tampering suspect ‘incompetent’

A man accused of tampering with a voting machine during Colorado’s primary election in Pueblo  is mentally incompetent and cannot continue with court proceedings, a judge ruled last week.

At the request of Richard Patton’s lawyer and prosecutors, Judge

William Alexander also ordered that Patton undergo outpatient mental health treatment in hopes of making him well enough so he can be prosecuted.

The judge’s ruling followed an evaluation by an expert who found that Patton was mentally incompetent. To be considered legally competent to proceed, people accused of crimes must be deemed able to understand proceedings and help in their own defense by being able to communicate with their lawyers.

Patton’s lawyer had requested the evaluation but no details about why have been released. Patton has not been asked to enter a plea yet and the case against him will not resume until he is found to be competent.

Patton was arrested Nov. 3 and later charged with tampering with voting equipment, which state lawmakers this year made a felony punishable by up to three years in prison. It was formerly a misdemeanor offense with a penalty of up to 364 days in jail.

According to his arrest affidavit, Patton showed up to vote in person on the last day of the primary election, June 28. He made some poll workers nervous after asking about what kind of security there was at the voting center because of threats that had been made against election workers. An election worker escorted Patton to a voting machine, showed him how to use it, and he was able to use it to fill out a ballot and print out a marked paper ballot to cast, investigators said.

After Patton voted, a person who went to clean the voting machine discovered an error message saying that a USB device had been detected, according to the affidavit. Other election workers said the security seal on the machine was either damaged or had been tampered with and a USB port pulled out, it said.

Patton denied any wrongdoing in an interview with The Pueblo Chieftain in November. He said he requested help from an election worker when he voted because he is dyslexic and accused the worker of inserting something into the machine.

— THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Honest Journalism

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Join our mission. Every donation of $25 or more includes a subscription sent to your home, office or as a gift for someone else. Access to Honest Journalism for everyone depends on you.

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— THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Because the people must know

COMBINED NOTICE -

PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0508-2022

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On September 30, 2022, the undersigned

Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s)

DONALD R STOLTZ

Original Beneficiary(ies)

ABN AMRO MORTGAGE GROUP, INC.

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, as Trustee for the benefit of the Freddie Mac Seasoned Credit Risk Transfer Trust, Series 2019-4

Date of Deed of Trust

December 30, 2003

County of Recording

Arapahoe Recording Date of Deed of Trust

January 23, 2004

Recording Information (Reception No. and/ or Book/Page No.)

B4015049

Original Principal Amount

$196,000.00

Outstanding Principal Balance

$162,445.09

Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust and other violations of the terms thereof THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

LOT 2, BLOCK 4, VILLAGE EAST UNIT 2, 8TH FILING, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO.

Also known by street and number as: 11671 E COLORADO DR, AURORA, CO 80012. THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST. NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 02/01/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication 12/8/2022

Last Publication 1/5/2023

Name of Publication Sentinel IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED; DATE: 09/30/2022

Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

By: /s/ Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Anna Johnston #51978

Ryan Bourgeois #51088

Joseph D. DeGiorgio #45557

Randall Chin #31149

Barrett, Frappier & Weisserman, LLP 1391 Speer Boulevard, Suite 700, Denver, CO 80204 (303) 350-3711

Attorney File # 00000009561960

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

©Public Trustees’ Association of Colorado

Revised 1/2015

COMBINED NOTICE -

PUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0522-2022

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On October 7, 2022, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s)

George Kofa

Original Beneficiary(ies)

Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as Beneficiary, as nominee for USAA

Federal Savings Bank, its successors and assigns

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt

Lakeview Loan Servicing, LLC

Date of Deed of Trust

June 11, 2018 County of Recording Arapahoe Recording Date of Deed of Trust

June 13, 2018 Recording Information (Reception No. and/ or Book/Page No.)

Principal Balance

Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the Deed of Trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE

A FIRST LIEN. LOT 16, BLOCK 5, HIGHPOINT SUBDIVISION FILING NO. 10, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO. Also known by street and number as: 4274 S Fundy Way, Aurora, CO 80013.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST. NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 02/08/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication 12/15/2022

Last Publication 1/12/2023

Name of Publication Sentinel IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE

A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED;

DATE: 10/07/2022

Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

By: /s/ Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Amanda Ferguson #44893

Heather Deere #28597

Toni M. Owan #30580

Halliday, Watkins & Mann, PC 355 Union Blvd., Ste. 250, Lakewood, CO 80228 (303) 274-0155

Attorney File # CO-20014

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

©Public Trustees’ Association of Colorado

Revised 1/2015

COMBINED NOTICEPUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103 FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0535-2022

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On October 14, 2022, the undersigned

Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s) David H. Fikes and Meghan E. Seabury

Original Beneficiary(ies) Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as Beneficiary, as nominee for Freedom Mortgage Corporation, its successors and assigns

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt Freedom Mortgage Corporation

hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the Deed of Trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

Lot 3, Block 8, Stratus at Eagle Bend Subdivision filing No. 1, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado. Also known by street and number as: 7611 South Yakima Ct, Aurora, CO 80016.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 02/15/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication 12/22/2022

Last Publication 1/19/2023

Name of Publication Sentinel

IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED; DATE: 10/14/2022

Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

By: /s/ Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Amanda Ferguson #44893

Heather Deere #28597

Toni M. Owan #30580 Halliday, Watkins & Mann, PC 355 Union Blvd., Ste. 250, Lakewood, CO 80228 (303) 274-0155

Attorney File # CO11900

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

©Public Trustees’ Association of Colorado

Revised 1/2015

COMBINED NOTICEPUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0552-2022

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On November 1, 2022, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s)

Bryce Collin Hansel

Original Beneficiary(ies)

Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as beneficiary, as nominee for Loandepot.com, LLC, its successors and assigns

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt loanDepot.Com, LLC

Date of Deed of Trust

June 29, 2020

County of Recording

Arapahoe Recording Date of Deed of Trust

July 02, 2020

Recording Information (Reception No. and/ or Book/Page No.)

E0080916

Original Principal Amount

$303,200.00

Outstanding Principal Balance

$299,343.47

Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the Deed of Trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

LOT 40, BLOCK 1, PARK PLACE VILLAS SUBDIVISION FILING NO. 1, ACCORDING TO THE RECORDED PLAT THERETO FILED FOR RECORD IN PLAT BOOK 111 AT PAGE 26, RECEPTION NO. 167883 OF THE RECORDS OF ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO, SUBJECT TO THE DECLARATION RECORDED ON OCTOBER 20, 1995 IN BOOK 8152 AT PAGE 689, RECEPTION NO. 110781,

OF THE RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF THE CLERK AND RECORDER OF ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO. Also known by street and number as: 4642 S Abilene Cir, Aurora, CO 80015. THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 03/01/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication 1/5/2023

Last Publication 2/2/2023

Name of Publication Sentinel IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE

A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED; DATE: 11/01/2022

Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

By: /s/ Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Amanda Ferguson #44893

Heather Deere #28597

Toni M. Owan #30580

Halliday, Watkins & Mann, PC 355 Union Blvd., Ste. 250, Lakewood, CO 80228 (303) 274-0155

Attorney File # CO-20367

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

©Public Trustees’ Association of Colorado

Revised 1/2015

COMBINED NOTICEMAILING CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0514-2022

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust:

On September 30, 2022, the undersigned

Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s) Hyun Jun AND Margarita Falcon

Original Beneficiary(ies)

MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. AS NOMINEE FOR GUILD MORTGAGE COMPANY, ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS

Current Holder of Evidence of Debt

COLORADO HOUSING AND FINANCE

AUTHORITY

Date of Deed of Trust

October 31, 2018

County of Recording

Arapahoe

Recording Date of Deed of Trust

November 01, 2018

Recording Information (Reception No. and/ or Book/Page No.)

D8108118

Original Principal Amount

$164,900.00

Outstanding Principal Balance

$157,357.18

Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the deed of trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN. SEE ATTACHED LEGAL DESCRIPTION.

LEGAL DESCRIPTION

CONDOMINIUM UNIT NO. 37, BUILDING

C, BERKSHIRE PLACE CONDOMINIUMS, ACCORDING TO THE RECORDED MAP THEREOF, AND ACCORDING AND SUBJECT TO THE CONDOMINIUM DECLARATION FOR BERKSHIRE PLACE

CONDOMINIUMS, RECORDED IN BOOK

2162 AT PAGE 698 OF THE ARAPAHOE COUNTY RECORDS, AND ANY APPLICABLE SUPPLEMENTS OR AMENDMENTS THERETO, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO. APN: 1975-05-2-08-031 Also known by

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 02/01/2023, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication 12/8/2022

Last Publication 1/5/2023

Name of Publication Sentinel

NOTICE OF RIGHTS

YOU MAY HAVE AN INTEREST IN THE REAL PROPERTY BEING FORECLOSED, OR HAVE CERTAIN RIGHTS OR SUFFER CERTAIN LIABILITIES PURSUANT TO COLORADO STATUTES AS A RESULT OF SAID FORECLOSURE. YOU MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO REDEEM SAID REAL PROPERTY OR YOU MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO CURE A DEFAULT UNDER THE DEED OF TRUST BEING FORECLOSED. A COPY OF SAID STATUTES, AS SUCH STATUTES ARE PRESENTLY CONSTITUTED, WHICH MAY AFFECT YOUR RIGHTS SHALL BE SENT WITH ALL MAILED COPIES OF THIS NOTICE. HOWEVER, YOUR RIGHTS MAY BE DETERMINED BY PREVIOUS STATUTES.

A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE FILED PURSUANT TO SECTION 38-38-104 SHALL BE FILED WITH THE PUBLIC TRUSTEE AT LEAST FIFTEEN (15) CALENDAR DAYS PRIOR TO THE FIRST SCHEDULED SALE DATE OR ANY DATE TO WHICH THE SALE IS CONTINUED;

A NOTICE OF INTENT TO REDEEM FILED PURSUANT TO SECTION 38-38302 SHALL BE FILED WITH THE PUBLIC TRUSTEE NO LATER THAN EIGHT (8) BUSINESS DAYS AFTER THE SALE; IF THE SALE DATE IS CONTINUED TO A LATER DATE, THE DEADLINE TO FILE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO CURE BY THOSE PARTIES ENTITLED TO CURE MAY ALSO BE EXTENDED; IF THE BORROWER BELIEVES THAT A LENDER OR SERVICER HAS VIOLATED THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT IN SECTION 3838-103.1 OR THE PROHIBITION ON DUAL TRACKING IN SECTION 38-38103.2, THE BORROWER MAY FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE COLORADO ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE FEDERAL CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU (CFPB), OR BOTH. THE FILING OF A COMPLAINT WILL NOT STOP THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS.

Colorado Attorney General 1300 Broadway, 10th Floor Denver, Colorado 80203 (800) 222-4444

www.coloradoattorneygeneral.gov

Federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

P.O. Box 4503 Iowa City, Iowa 52244 (855) 411-2372

www.consumerfinance.gov

DATE: 09/30/2022

Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

By: /s/ Susan Sandstrom, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Alison L Berry #34531

N. April Norton #34861

David R. Doughty #40042

Nicholas H. Santarelli #46592

Lynn M. Janeway #15592

Janeway Law Firm, P.C. 9800 S. Meridian Blvd., Suite 400, Englewood, CO 80112 (303) 706-9990

Attorney File # 22-028430

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose.

©Public Trustees’ Association of Colorado

Revised 1/2015

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

As required by the Colorado Liquor Code, as amended, notice is hereby given that an application for a Retail Liquor Store License has been received by the Local Licensing Authority for the granting of a license to sell at retail, malt, vinous and spiritous liquors for consumption off the premises only. Kennedy Wine & Spirits, Inc. dba Parker Wine & Spirits for a location at 3116 South Parker Road, Unit B, Aurora, CO 80014 filed the application on October 11, 2022. The Corporate officer resides in Colorado.

A Public Hearing to consider the application has been scheduled to be held virtually before the Local Licensing Authority on January 18, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. via Webex from the Aurora Municipal Center, 15151 East Alameda Parkway, 5th Floor, Tax and Licensing Office, Aurora, CO 80012.

Provided either the applicant or protestant(s) desire to use petitions to prove the needs of the neighborhood, and the desires of the inhabitants, the petitions may not be circulated before December 4, 2022 and must be returned by 12:00 noon on December 22, 2022, for review and verification by the City of Aurora Liquor Licensing staff.

Information as to the application, procedures, or remonstrances, may be handled with the Liquor Licensing staff up to and including the date of the public hearing.

Miranda Garcia Licensing Officer 303-739-7214

Publication: January 5, 2023

Sentinel PUBLIC AUCTION REPORT 01/13/2023

ACUR 2HNYD18632H529635

Or Click on: https://judicial.webex.com/ meet/D18-ARAP-Div34

Join by phone Tap to call in from a mobile device (attendees only)

+1-720-650-7664 Access code: 2594 408 0614 then press #, # (no attendee ID is needed

Date of Notice: December 28, 2022

/s/ NDH for Shana Kloek Clerk/Clerk of Court

Publication: January 5, 2023

Sentinel BEFORE THE COLORADO GROUND WATER COMMISSION DETERMINATIONS OF WATER RIGHT KIOWA-BIJOU DESIGNATED GROUNDWATER BASIN AND NORTH KIOWA BIJOU GROUND WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICTARAPAHOE COUNTY

TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to section 37-90-107(7), C.R.S., and the Designated Basin Rules, 2 CCR 410-1, Andrea Manos and Philip J. Deter, Co-Trustees of the Administrative Survivor’s Trust under the 1997 Deter Revocable Trust dated October 3, 1997 have applied for determinations of rights to allocations of designated groundwater from the Laramie-Fox Hills and Arapahoe aquifers underlying 2,472.5 acres of four noncontiguous parcels generally described as follows:

Area A containing 1,650.5 acres and generally described as the W 1/2, SW 1/4 SE 1/4, E 1/2 SE 1/4, and SE 1/4 NE 1/4 of Section 22; the NW 1/4 and E 1/2 of Section 26; that portion of Section 27 lying northeast of the lands conveyed to the State of Colorado for US Highway 40 and Interstate 70; and that portion of the E 1/2 of Section 34 lying northeast of Interstate 70; all in Township 4 South, Range 60 West of the 6th P.M.;

Area B containing 121 acres and generally described as that portion of the E 1/2 of Section 34 lying between Interstate 70 and the right-of-way for US Highway 40, Township 4 South, Range 60 West of the 6th P.M.;

Area C containing 81 acres and generally described as that portion of the SW 1/4 of Section 27 lying south of the right-of-way for US Highway 40 and that portion of the NE 1/4 of Section 33 lying north of the right-of-way for the Union Pacific Railroad, all in Township 4 South, Range 60 West of the 6th P.M.; and

Area D containing 620 acres and generally described as those portions of Sections 33 and 34 lying south of the right-of-way for the Union Pacific Railroad all in Township 4 South, Range 60 West of the 6th P.M.

The applicant claims ownership of this land and control of the groundwater in these aquifers underlying this property.

The groundwater from these allocations is proposed to be used on the described property for the following beneficial uses: domestic, irrigation (indoor and outdoor), agricultural, commercial, industrial, stock watering, fire suppression, replacement, and fish and wildlife.

In accordance with section 37-90-107(7), the Colorado Ground Water Commission shall allocate groundwater from the above aquifers based on ownership of the overlying land. Only a 1,946.25-acre portion of the Overlying Land is underlain by the Arapahoe aquifer (Reduced Overlying Land). A preliminary evaluation of the application finds the volume of water available for allocation from the LaramieFox Hills aquifer underlying the Overlying Land to be as follows: 34,700 acre-feet for Area A, 2,360 acre-feet for Area B, 1,580 acre-feet for Area C and 12,600 acre-feet for Area D. A preliminary evaluation of the application finds the volume of water available for allocation from the Arapahoe aquifer underlying the Reduced Overlying Land to be as follows: 1,910 acre-feet for Area A, 206 acre-feet for Area B, 138 acre-feet for Area C and 1,050 acre-feet for Area D. These amounts are subject to final evaluation, and subsequent to issuance of the determinations, adjustment to conform to the actual local aquifer characteristics.

In accordance with section 37-90-107(7) (a), well permits issued pursuant to subsection 107(7) shall allow withdrawals on the basis of an aquifer life of one hundred years.

In accordance with Rule 5.3.6 of the Designated Basin Rules preliminary evaluation of the applications finds the replacement water requirement status for the aquifers underlying the above-described property to be nontributary for the Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer and not-nontributary (actual impact replacement requirement) for the Arapahoe aquifer.

Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer or located on the 1,946.25 acres of Reduced Overlying Land for the Arapahoe aquifer.

Any person wishing to object to the approval of these determinations of rights to allocations must do so in writing, briefly stating the nature of the objection, the name of the applicant, a general description of the property, and the specific aquifers that are the subject of the objection.

The objection, including a required $10 fee per application being objected to, must be received by the Colorado Ground Water Commission by close of business February 5, 2023. Objections should be sent via email to DWRpermitsonline@state.co.us, upon which the objector will be emailed an invoice for paying the fee online. If the objector is unable to provide the objection via email please contact 303-866-3581.

First Publication: December 29, 2022

Final Publication: January 5, 2023 Sentinel DISTRICT COURT, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE

SUMMONS RE: PETITION FOR DECREE OF DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE WITHOUT CHILDREN

Case No. 22DR31067

In re the Marriage of Petitioner: Oscar Luis Velasco and Respondent: Maribel Rico

TO THE RESPONDENT NAMED ABOVE, this Summons serves as a notice to appear in this case.

If you were served in the State of Colorado, you must file your Response with the clerk of this Court within 21 days after this Summons is served on you to participate in this action.

If you were served outside of the State of Colorado or you were served by publication, you must file your Response with the clerk of this Court within 35 days after this Summons is served on you to participate in this action.

Your response must be accompanied with the appropriate filing fee. After 91 days from the date of service or publication, the Court may enter a Decree affecting your marital status, distribution of property and debts, maintenance, attorney fees, and costs to the extent the Court has jurisdiction.

If you fail to file a Response in this case, any or all of the matters above, or any related matters which come before this Court, may be decided without further notice to you.

This is an action to obtain a Decree of: Dissolution of Marriage.

Notice: §14-10-107, C.R.S. provides that upon the filing of a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage or Legal Separation by the Petitioner and Co-Petitioner, or upon personal service of the Petition and Summons on the Respondent, or upon waiver and acceptance of service by the Respondent, an automatic temporary injunction shall be in effect against both parties until the Final Decree is entered, or the Petition is dismissed, or until further Order of the Court. Either party may apply to the Court for further temporary orders, an expanded temporary injunction, or modification or revocation under §14-10-108, C.R.S.

Automatic Temporary Injunction – By Order of Colorado Law, You and Your Spouse are:

1. Restrained from transferring, encumbering, concealing or in any way disposing of, without the consent of the other party or an Order of the Court, any marital property, except in the usual course of business or for the necessities of life. Each party is required to notify the other party of any proposed extraordinary expenditures and to account to the Court for all extraordinary expenditures made after the injunction is in effect;

2. Enjoined from molesting or disturbing the peace of the other party;

3. Restrained from removing the minor child of the parties from the State without the consent of the other party or an Order of the Court; and

4. Restrained without at least 14 days advance notification and the written consent of the other party or an Order of the Court, from canceling, modifying, terminating, or allowing to lapse for nonpayment of premiums, any policy of health insurance, homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, or automobile insurance that provides coverage to either of the parties or any policy of life insurance that names either of the parties or the minor children as a beneficiary.

Respectfully submitted, on August 22, 2022.

INVITATION TO BID

The Sky Ranch Community Authority Board (hereinafter called the “Owner”) will receive sealed Bids for the Sky Ranch CAB Filing 5 Wet Utilities Project (the “Project”) via electronic submission to Independent District Engineering Services (IDES); 1626 Cole Boulevard, Suite 125, Lakewood CO 80401 by 1:00 P.M. on January 26th, 2023. Electronic copies of the bid documents are to be sent to StanFowler@idesllc.com (please copy BarrettMarrocco@idesllc. com).

A description of the Work to be performed includes but is not limited to: Utilities and any and all other work necessary to complete the work in accordance with Contract Documents including the plans and specifications.

Complete digital project bidding documents will be available for download online after 9:00 A.M. on January 5th, 2023 at www.questcdn.com. You may download the digital documents for $15.00 by inputting Quest project number 8259234 on the website’s projects search page.

No pre-bid conference will be held. Bids shall be made on the forms furnished by the Owner and endorsed with the name of the Bidder. Also, Bidders shall submit in electronic form the Bid Documents, including a working file of the Bid Schedule (Excel format). Bidders must supply a list of Subcontractors and Suppliers providing $10,000 or more in labor and/or materials to the Project. If not provided earlier, Bidders shall be required to submit a completed AIA A305 Qualifications Contractor Statement, or equal, including all attachments. The Owner will not provide the form.

Attention is called to the fact that Bidders offer to assume the obligations and liabilities imposed by the Contract Documents.

The Successful Bidder for the Project will be required to furnish a Performance Bond, a Labor and Materials Payment Bond and Warranty Bond in the full amount of the Contract Price, in conformity with the requirements of the Contract Documents. These are not due with the Bid but will be required by the Successful Bidder with the signed Agreement.

All Documents and Addenda that were provided with the above said Bid Package shall apply to this bid and will be provided with the above-mentioned Contract Documents when applicable.

Bidders are hereby advised that the Owner reserves the right to not award a Contract until ninety (90) days from the date of the opening of Bids, and Bidders expressly agree to keep their Bids open for the ninety (90) day time period. Owner reserves the right to reject any and all Bids, to waive any informality, technicality or irregularity in any Bid, to disregard all non-conforming, nonresponsive, conditional or alternate Bids, to clarify contract terms with the Successful Bidder, to require statements or evidence of Bidders’ qualifications, including financial statements, and to accept the proposal that is in the opinion of the Owner in its best interest. Owner reserves the right to accept any combination of Bids which in Owner’s sole, and absolute judgment will, under all circumstances, best serve the Owner’s interests. Owner also reserves the right to extend the Bidding period by Addendum if it appears in its interest to do so. The Owner reserves the right to award multiple contracts to multiple Bidders. Additional Bidder requirements are included in the Contract Documents.

All questions concerning this bid shall be directed in writing to:

Stan Fowler, PE Independent District Engineering Services, LLC Engineer for Sky Ranch Community Authority Board 1626 Cole Boulevard, Suite 125 Lakewood, CO 80401

Phone: 314-225-8530

E-mail: StanFowler@idesllc.com

Please copy Barrett Marrocco, PE at BarrettMarrocco@idesllc.com on all correspondence.

Contacting the Design Engineer, District Representatives, Local Jurisdictions, or others involved in the development of the Project shall be reason for the Bidders Bid to be rejected. Responses to questions and clarifications shall be by written Addendum only, verbal responses are nonbinding.

Publication: January 5, 2023 Sentinel

NOTICE AS TO PROPOSED 2022 BUDGET AND HEARING GREEN VALLEY RANCH EAST METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 10

You

Upon Commission approval of determinations of rights to the allocations, well permits for wells to withdraw the allocations shall be available upon application, subject to the conditions of each determination, the Designated Basin Rules, and approval by the Commission. Such wells must be completed in the aquifer for which the right was allocated and must be located on the 2,472.5 acres of Overlying Land for the

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a proposed budget has been submitted to the GREEN VALLEY RANCH EAST METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 10 for the year of 2022. A copy of such proposed budget has been filed in the office of CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, 8390 East Crescent Parkway, Suite 300, Greenwood Village, Colorado, where same is open for public inspection. Such proposed budget will be considered at a hearing at the organizational meeting

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