Sentinel Colorado 10.2.2025 by Sentinel Colorado

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Trump winning the racism to the bottom with lies about equity, compassion

My epiphany hit last week while I was trying to push a neighbor’s old Chevy Tahoe off the streetscape median.

I was walking home from the grocery store Saturday afternoon and I saw two guys struggling to push the hulking SUV backward off the raised median. I could see my elderly neighbor behind the wheel. I’d never met him but I’d seen him outside his house, a few blocks from mine, for years.

Another man, and his wife and his dog, out for a stroll, crossed the street to avoid the car chaos, not making eye contact with the guys in a fuss or me.

“It won’t go in reverse,” my neighbor told me through his car window as I approached to see what was up.

The two guys pushing couldn’t heave hard enough to get the car off the median and back into the street. I couldn’t help but think what good friends my neighbor had that would help him with what was clearly an awful task. I joined the two guys, and the three of us heaved and groaned and finally got the car far enough into the street so my neighbor could drive it forward and park it.

We had our guy moment, fist-bumping our physical prowess. I’d check for soreness later, I figured.

The two guys weren’t my neighbor’s friends. They were strangers. They saw the old man and the stuck car and just came over to help. One guy spoke only Spanish. He was on a rental scooter delivering groceries when he saw the dilemma.

DAVE PERRY Editor

The other stranger was just walking out for a beer and saw what looked like trouble and stopped to help.

It was a random act of kindness.

I’m from Manzanola, in southeast Colorado. I was raised to offer help to people who needed it, without thinking, whether they were strangers or friends. People who are beset with some encumbrance or issue warrant extra or specialized help, because they need it, because something is holding them back.

I never dreamed I’d live in a place where that kind of compassion and tolerance would be struck down by the government and maligned as “racist” or “woke.”

During the last few decades, the United States has taken a long, hard look at who’s equal and who’s not here. Not very long ago, women couldn’t get credit cards unless they’re husband helped get them one.

And it is indisputable that minorities, especially people of color, have languished and even suffered hugely in this country, and they still do. If you don’t believe that, you’re either ignorant of the inescapable truth and reality, or, as a bigot and a racist, you are the problem.

This all became critically worse in January when President Trump and his army of bigots rolled into power, undermining and even outlawing issues linked to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which is nothing more than a new name for a decades-long push toward realizing the mercurial goal of American equality.

Trump has bastardized the grail and says his gutting anti-racism programs and policies is actually “ending racism.”

In reality, he’s ending the tools that expose it. His executive orders banning “critical race theory,” gutting diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and reviving his sham 1776 Commission aren’t acts of progress. They’re acts of erasure. And they are as dangerous as they are dishonest.

Trump and his Republican enablers aren’t fighting racism. They’re fighting the very idea that America should confront it. They want classrooms scrubbed of uncomfortable truths, teach-

ers silenced and marginalized students shoved back into the shadows.

It’s oppression dressed up as patriotism.

Trump calls critical race theory “inherently racist” and threatens to strip schools of federal funding if teachers so much as acknowledge systemic discrimination. He mocks gender inclusivity policies as “radical ideology.”

In states like Wisconsin, simply telling students to respect gender identity was treated as a scandal. In Virginia, a policy to call kids by the names they choose was painted as indoctrination.

In rural Colorado, we called it kindness, and respect.

Those qualities are now enemies of the state in Trump’s America.

In typical Trump fashion, a man with a half-century record of racial antagonism suddenly declares himself the arbiter of what’s racist.

You don’t have to imagine or exaggerate Trump’s record. In the 1970s, the Justice Department sued him for refusing to rent his New York apartments to Black families. In the 1980s, he whipped up hysteria against the “Central Park Five,” demanding the death penalty for Black teenagers who were later exonerated. In the 1990s, he sneered at Native Americans in front of Congress, declaring they didn’t “look Indian.”

He rode the racist “birther” lie against President Barack Obama straight into the White House. Trump is not a man who just stumbled into racial controversy. He made it his brand.

So let’s dispense with the nonsense that Trump’s war on DEI is about protecting children. It’s about protecting power.

Trump’s goal isn’t to end racism. His goal is to end the conversation about racism.

That’s why the 1776 Commission is back. This committee of revisionists produced a report so laughably whitewashed that reputable historians across the spectrum shredded it. It downplayed slavery, scolded the civil rights movement, and tried to resurrect a fairy tale in which America has always lived up to its ideals. It isn’t history.

It’s propaganda.

It’s caught on, even in Aurora. Here, the city council overtly and quietly squelched the city’s DEI program that provided critical information and understanding to city employees, and it worked to help make Aurora the diverse and

enviable city workforce it has become. Over the past few weeks, some of the city council members have has worked feverishly to dissolve the city’s storied Human Relations Commission, which has worked successfully to help all of the city understand that underdogs really do exist, and that offering kindness, help and understanding makes for a better Aurora community for everyone. Every time.

Equity programs exist because equality doesn’t come from pretending the past never happened. These programs, councils and commissions exist because barriers remain in hiring, in education and in all kinds of American opportunities. They still exist because racism is not a relic. It’s alive in wage gaps, in school funding, in incarceration rates and even in how local police handle, and mishandle, people that officers encounter.

Trump knows this. So do Republicans in Congress and state legislatures rushing to ban “divisive concepts.” Their cynicism is the point. They believe grievance politics sells better than reality. They’d rather peddle a fantasy of colorblind America than admit the scoreboard is still rigged.

Pretending racism ended with Martin Luther King Jr. doesn’t make it true. Banning teachers from discussing discrimination won’t end it. Deporting students for protesting won’t silence them. And calling the press for equity “racist” doesn’t make it true.

The real danger is that tired parents, overwhelmed teachers, and frightened school boards and government employees will choose quiet over conflict, erasure over honesty. Children will grow up in classrooms silent about the struggle and sanitized of truth.

They will grow up in a world where kindness and a sense of non-judgmental generosity are meted out only to those who qualify for it based on their political ideology, not because they just need the help.

Trump has waged a war on truth and kindness itself. And the only way to stop it is to call it what it is — loudly, relentlessly, and without apology. Follow @EditorDavePerry on

President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order alongside Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in the East Room of the White House in Washington, March 20, 2025. AP Photo/Ben Curtis

Nonprofit group builds dream home for Aurora teen with rare syndrome

BY CASSANDRA

The one thing most people want when they turn 14 years old is independence.

At that age, people are developing their own opinions, interests and sense of self, and the last thing a young teen wants is their family cramping their style.

For Athena Ford, it was so much more than that.

She was limited in who she could have over to her house and how much of her own home she could access with her wheelchair in her family’s quaint 1950s home near Lowry.

“You built a future where I can chase my dreams,” Athena told the group who built an accessible extension to her home.

Athena is a spunky young lady with a powerful wit and a wicked sense of humor, particularly when joking with her family, especially about her bulldozer of a pup, Bentley, whom she loves dearly. She has Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome, which is a rare neuromuscular condition that affects fewer than 200 people worldwide and causes her to need to use an electric wheelchair most of the time.

None of that seems to hold her back, but she and her parents began to notice the limitations in her own home.

“My little brother, Ramsey, who has more energy than a puppy on a sugar rush, would play outside, but I couldn’t join him,” Athena said in a thank-you speech to the builders. “Inside, we’d hang out, but I was stuck in certain spots, missing all the action. Then you came along and built me a dream home.”

In some cases, she said she would need to crawl to get around her room and bathroom, which she said was obviously not ideal.

“My house felt like a trap,” she said. “My front ramp was steep and icy; it was practically a slide in winter. I was one step away from a total wipeout. Inside, I had to park my power chair and crawl or be carried to

my bedroom, which was about as fun as it sounds. I spent way too much time on the floor because my chair couldn’t fit in my room and bathroom.”

There was nothing her parents could immediately do to make the changes she needed to gain the independence they wanted her to have, so they asked for a bit of help and received much more than they

had imagined.

Athena’s best friend’s mom, Gabby Gomez, told Nichole about a group that renovated Gabby’s home for her daughter, Adriana, who also regularly uses an electric power wheelchair. Home Builders Foundation, a nonprofit group that helps individuals and families build independence for people with disabilities, renovated Gabby’s

house for free. The project was so successful that Gabby told Athena’s mom, Nichole, she needed to call them, too.

Nichole said the family’s house was in rough shape at that time, with numerous repairs needed on the roof and in the backyard, particularly after a significant amount of rain a few years ago. She called the Home Builders Foundation and said

LEFT Athena, left, and her brother, Ramsey, in stripes, and Athena’s best pal, Adriana, on the new wheel-chair friendly deck of Athena’s home.

BELOW: Athena and Adriana in Athena’s new wheel-chair friendly room.

ABOVE AND ON THE COVER: Athena and her mother, father and brother get ready for guests at their home expansion unveiling.

Photos by Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Colorado

BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer

she had initially requested if they could do a renovation in the basement, but they decided the basement was too challenging. Although they didn’t usually do expansions, they would make an exception for Athena.

The group helped with some of the house repairs and ultimately decided to give Athena her own “wing” of the house, making her one very lucky teenager.

“You’ve given me freedom, happiness and a real hope,” Athena told the builders. “I’m so grateful for what you’ve done. What a beautiful gift. You didn’t just build an edition. You built a future where I can chase my dreams, chase Ramsey during our backyard races and feel my family’s love everywhere.”

The expansion was a win for the whole family. Her little brother got to move out of his old, tiny room and into his parents’ old room, while his parents will be moving into Athena’s old bedroom, which is the primary bedroom of the house. Bentley, the family dog and service dog in training, lost his grassy domain, which was the backyard, but he seems to be getting over it, according to Nichole. Nichole read Bentley’s “barktacular dedication speech,” in which he said he had a bone to pick and some treats to share about the massive addition the Home Builders Foundation added.

“This addition isn’t just about me or my backyard drama, it’s for my girl, Athena, my best friend, my VIP, very important person,” Nichole read for Bentley. “This new space is a game-changer. There’s room for me to sprawl out, to be right by her side without causing a ruckus. I can protect her, snuggle her and maybe even sneak a few less chaotic tail wags.”

The expansion provided Athena with a new purple bedroom, her own living room for socializing with friends and a spacious bathroom featuring a large walk-in shower. Windows cover every wall, providing her with ample natural light throughout the day and safe ramps in the winter.

“You came along and built me a dream home,” Athena said to the builders. “You gave me a safe, smooth ADA ramp for easy access and an auxiliary ramp for extra convenience. No more ice disasters.”

Every aspect of the new space can easily accommodate her wheelchair and provide plenty of extra room for toys, games and anything else she and her friends, as well as her brother Ramsey, might want to get into.

“From my large picture window, I can see the purple flowers, my favorite color, that my mom planted from seeds,” Athena said. “They’re beautiful, and they make my day.”

The backyard was also a big win for the whole family. Although the grass is gone, there is now a large deck that can accommodate a whole party of people, along with a

fire pit for the family and friends to roast marshmallows, and multiple ramps for Athena and her friends to use.

Athena said she was excited to roast those marshmallows with the family, but then quipped that she remembered she hates marshmallows.

“There is a living room for hanging out with Ramsey, my friends and family, and a covered deck right outside my door where I can feel the sunshine and enjoy the flowers,” Athena said. “You poured a concrete path so I could get into the backyard two different ways, safe and sound. Now, Ramsey and I do laps out there, him running like a wild kid. Me rolling like we’re in a race, both of us laughing until we can’t breathe.”

Ramsey pointed out the solar-paneled fountains the builders added to the yard, and Adriana, Athena, and Ramsey all had fun commenting on Nichole’s playlist, catching up, and getting to know the new space.

Gabby said that Adriana and Athena have been good friends for years, but they don’t get to hang out often because Gabby and Adriana live in Littleton, and Athena’s home was always a little too small for both girls to play or hang out together for long. Athena’s parents also don’t have a van to get her wheelchair all the way out to Littleton.

The girls would basically only get to see each other at Aurora’s own Colorado Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp once a year.

Now the girls can talk about music, teenager stuff and dream together whenever Adriana can get a ride to come over.

“This edition is like my own studio apartment, ready for high school, college and maybe my whole adult life,” Athena said. “It’s a place where my friends can visit, where Ramsey and I can play anywhere and where Bentley can stay on my side throughout without causing a mess.”

The builders and architect said they even kept the foyer space of her apartment, which used to be Ramsey’s entire bedroom, as a possible kitchenette space if Athena decides she wants to stick around after college. Athena dreams of being a lawyer one day, so keeping her parents close might bite the stress of law school.

“Your kindness is like those purple flowers, bright and full of hope,” Athena said. “I currently ask you to keep building for other kids like me, so they can roll into a life of joy and independence, just like I do now. You’re changing lives, and I’m proof from the bottom of my heart, and it’s a big one, thank you for this gift of a lifetime.”

ABOVE: Athena’s mom, Nichole, was so taken by the blueprints and schematics of their house redesign, she hung them as art in the house.

BELOW: Team members from Home Builders Foundation celebrate with Athena and her family at the home expansion unveiling.

Aurora chief says actions of 17-year-old determined his lethal shooting by officer

BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer

The Aurora Police released the body camera footage of the 17-yearold white male shot by an Aurora officer, stating the incident was not considered a mental health crisis, while studies suggest that the incident was a possible “suicide by cop.”

“This was not a call based upon somebody who was in a mental crisis,” Chief Todd Chamberlain said during a Sept. 26 press conference. “This was a call based on an individual who said that he was going to commit mass shootings and mass violence.”

The shooting happened Sept. 18 about 7:40 p.m. outside the Conoco gas station at 290. S. Havana St., after the juvenile suspect called the police to say he was going to fire at police and “shoot up” a gas station, according to Aurora police.

Chamberlain outlined the sequence of events during a briefing last week, describing the rapid escalation from the initial emergency call to the suspect’s death.

At 7:33 p.m., the suspect called 911, reporting he had a loaded 9mm pistol in his pocket and planned to “shoot up the business” as well as anyone nearby. He also told dispatch that he wanted to fire on responding officers.

Three officers arrived at 7:43 p.m. with one armed with a rifle, another with a pistol and a third with a 40-millimeter less-lethal launcher, which fires “rubber” or “foam” projectiles.

The officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Chamberlain said. When the officers approached the suspect, the juvenile kept his hands in his pockets, ignored commands and then he charged toward the officers, Chamberlain said.

Less-lethal rounds were initial-

ly fired when he ran toward the officers, but were ineffective as the suspect kept running at the officers after multiple projectiles were fired. The officer shooting with the 40-millimeter gun is seen running around the corner, as it appeared on police body camera video, and he appeared to take cover around the corner as the suspect keeps running toward him and the other officers.

The officer drops the projectile tool and pulls out a different gun and shoots at the suspect twice, as seen in the body camera footage.

“Officers immediately began lifesaving measures and continued until medical personnel responded and arrived on scene,” Chamberlain said. “Unfortunately, the suspect was later pronounced dead at the hospital. It was later confirmed that the suspect did not have a firearm.”

Chamberlain said that although underlying mental health issues may have been a factor, the nature of the 911 call framed it as an imminent act of mass violence rather than a mental health crisis.

“This was a call based on an individual who said he was going to commit mass shootings and mass violence,” Chamberlain said. “That very well could have been the situation if we had waited.”

Aurora’s crisis response units and clinicians, Chamberlain said, are designed for non-violent situations such as when someone is despondent, suicidal or refusing to eat or sleep.

In contrast, research from the Police Executive Research Forum states that the incident was most likely what law enforcement experts often refer to as “Suicide By Cop,” a well-studied phenomenon when a person provokes officers into using lethal force.

The security camera footage

showed the boy wearing socks but no shoes, sitting at the gas station and appearing to be waiting for the officers to arrive, as dispatchers mentioned to the officer in the body camera footage when the officers arrived at the scene.

In a “ Suicide by Cop: Protocol and Training Guide created by PERF in 2019, “ researchers state that there are two kinds of “suicide by cop,” spontaneous and planned.” The training said that a suicidal person might point a firearm at or even run at officers. It also says that a way to recognize whether a person is suicidal includes the subject behaving aggressively toward the police for no apparent reason.

The training also said the defining characteristics of “suicide by cop” incidents are that the subject will threaten the life of the officer or another person, or they will attempt to make the officer believe they pose such a threat, to give the officer no choice but to use lethal force to stop the threat.

PERF researchers recommend not to “bark orders” because it “heightens anxiety” and makes compliance less likely. Instead, PERF recommends making small, pointed requests to build trust and reduce panic.

Chamberlain said Aurora officers receive training in suicide-bycop recognition, crisis intervention, emotional intelligence and communication strategies.

He also said there were parallels between the recent Rajon Belt-Stubblefield officer-involved shooting and the juvenile suspect in the shooting on Sept. 18 as possible “suicide by cop” incidents. Chamberlain said that even with those

parallels, in both cases the suspect refused to comply with the intervention, which “has to be in conjunction with the suspect willing to have that intervention component.”

Chamberlain said that regardless of what prompted the behavior of Belt-Stubblefield and the 17-yearold boy, police were compelled to shoot to protect themselves and the public.

“In that 15-second period, (officers) had to digest all that information, utilize these tools, utilize that communication to try to address that situation,” Chamberlain said. “This was not a crisis response call. This was a call based on violence or the perception that violence was going to occur.”

Chamberlain also cited “suicide by police” data from the FBI and Secret Service.

“There’s just disturbed intervention, which happens for about 56% of the cases,” he said. “There’s direct confrontation, which happens for about 28% and there’s also criminal intervention, which happens for about 16% on suicide by police officers.”

Disturbed intervention is when a person who was potentially suicidal took advantage of a police intervention and escalated the situation. This more than likely involves individuals with mental health issues or those experiencing a crisis.

Direct confrontation is when a subject directly and intentionally attacks police to provoke them into a lethal response.

Criminal intervention is when a subject might be involved in criminal activity and chooses death rather than surrender to law enforcement.

“All this individual would have had to do to stop was listen to the officers for one second and show his hands,” Chamberlain said. “If they had been able to have anything longer than 15 seconds, I guarantee you that dialogue would have changed.”

PERF recommends that officers say they are “here to help” and that pointing firearms gives a nonverbal message that dominates the interaction. They recommend maintaining distance, using cover, and keeping guns lowered unless a confirmed weapon is visible, which allows for calmer communication, according to 2019 data and research from a variety of sources cited.

“In the Los Angeles study of 419 Suicide by Cop incidents, 4% of the subjects had a firearm. Another 4% had a replica or fake weapon, and 5% had their hands in their pockets or otherwise appeared to possibly have a weapon. 16% of the subjects were armed with a knife,” the PERF study said.

The department’s policies and procedures address “suicide by cop,” and officers are trained to recognize and respond appropriately, Chamberlain said, but he added that this incident is unique and must be evaluated based on the facts known at the time, not in hindsight.

“None of these officers want to get involved in those situations, but that’s what they do,” Chamberlain said. “That’s what their role is. That’s what they’re here for. They’re here to serve, and they are using every tool, every opportunity, everything that they are trained to do, to do the best job that they possibly can in some incredibly, incredibly complex situations.”

Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain talks to reporters Sept. 26, 2025/Sentinel Screen Grab

AROUND AURORA

Aurora lawmakers postpone bill that would dissolve Human Relations panel; OK new court, dirt bike fines

For the second time in a month, city lawmakers last night postponed discussion on whether the city should dissolve the city’s long-standing Human Relations Commission, amid accusations about political retribution and partisanship.

A dissolution ordinance was slated for first reading during the Sept. 23 City Council meeting. A motion made by Mayor Mike Coffman to postpone action on the measure passed unanimously.

Coffman said he and city staff have been working on an alternative to dissolving the panel and would bring information back to the dais soon.

The long-standing HRC, which addresses issues of diversity, race relations and quality of life for residents with disabilities, has faced elimination for months as part of a citywide review of boards and commissions. Earlier this summer, council narrowly voted to dissolve the group.

On Aug. 25, debate flared again. Councilmember Curtis Gardner said the push to disband the HRC was retaliatory, not budget-driven.

To single out one board and commission for elimination under the guise of efficiency is disingenuous at best,” he said.

Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky, a Republican, accused the HRC of partisanship, mismanagement and disrespect. She cited a May 7 meeting where commissioners discussed a Democratic candidate event and criticized a $250 approval for snacks at a Know Your Rights forum, calling it “activism” and “divisiveness.”

Several councilmembers have recently spoken in support of the HRC.

Councilmember Angela Lawson cited its historical mission. Councilmember Crystal Murillo called it “one of our more active commissions.” A letter from Councilmember Amsalu Kassaw, revealed by Wiles, praised the HRC’s community work despite his earlier vote for dissolution.

Jurinsky, Sundberg, Bergan and Councilmember Stephanie Hancock argued the group has lost credibility. Gardner, Coombs and Coffman urged reform rather than elimination.

In other city council action, interpreter fees imposed on defendants who miss city court jury trials are going to more than double, while some city council members think the hike is discriminatory.

“I remain concerned that this increases a fee that specifically only applies to people who need interpretation,” Councilmember Alison Coombs said two weeks ago. “We should be looking at fees that apply to any person who fails to appear, rather than penalizing individuals based on language.”

The fee, essentially a fine, for people who fail to appear for a jury trial in Aurora’s municipal court that requires a translator will now go from $35 to $90, but the judge does have the ability to waive the fee if the individual is considered indigent or if there are extenuating circumstances, according to Candace Atkinson, Aurora court administrator.

While city officials did not cite how many cases might be impacted by the change, nor how many jury trials are affected by defendants not appearing, city officials said the annual financial impact of the proposal is only $500.

The fee was approved last week on

final consideration.

An in another measure, Aurora parents could face fines of $250 or more if they let their kids drive dirt bikes on city streets and property, under a proposed ordinance approved on first reading Sept. 22.

The measure would make it illegal for parents or guardians to “knowingly permit anyone under 18 to operate or ride an off-highway vehicle in violation of existing city restrictions.”

So-called “dirt bikes” are small motorcycles intended for off-road recreation. Most do not meet minimum street-regulations, but minors are prohibited from driving any motorized vehicles on city streets and public roads without a valid driver’s license.

Parents who plead or are found guilty of the proposed measure would face a minimum fine of $250, according to the bill language. The new measure would levy penalties separate from those imposed for infractions by the minor dirt-bike driver.

City officials said in legislation details that the proposed change was prompted by a rise in accidents and injuries tied to dirt-bike riding by minors in Aurora and the surrounding region.

Despite current prohibitions on off-highway vehicle use in city streets, sidewalks, open spaces and business areas, officials said minors continue to ride with little resistance.

— Sentinel Staff

Aurora fatal car crashes ebb. Speeding, drunken driving are still leading factors

The number of Aurora fatal car crashes spiked for a couple of years after the pandemic, and although it hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, numbers have been consistently declining, police reported this week.

“Fatalities have increased over the last 10 years,” Carlie Campuzano, deputy director of transportation and mobility, said. “The bigger increase really kind of started in 2020, and then coming out of the pandemic.”

During a City Council study session Monday, Campuzano presented city council with a transportation safety update, showing that fatal crashes in Aurora spiked in 2022 and 2023, outpacing statewide increases. However, 2024 and 2025 saw a modest decline, although the city remains above its pre-pandemic levels.

Campuzano said a significant share of Aurora’s elevated fatal crash levels might have been because of fatalities that occurred on interstates.

A graph of fatalities over the years showed that there were 31 fatalities in 2019, 50 in 2022, 61 in 2023, 51 in 2024, and 41 traffic fatalities in Aurora by the end of August 2025.

Half of car-crash fatalities in 2024 involved drivers not wearing seatbelts, according to city data.

“Speeding accounts for 30% to 40% of fatal crashes, and impaired driving is a factor in at least a third,” Campuzano said, talking about statewide data.

In Aurora, speeding made up 53% of fatalities in 2024.

Men under the age of 44 made up 75% of fatalities in Aurora in 2024, pedestrians made up 34% and motorcyclists also faced heightened risk at 24% of fatalities in 2024. DUIs have also increased, according to Campuzano, making up 31% of fatalities in Aurora in 2024.

“We’re seeing no seat belt and helmet use accounting for about a third, and then DUIs and impairment or about a third,” Campuzano said.

Distracted driving has also increased, but Campuzano said it was hard to measure how much.

When it comes to traffic safety, the different departments work together using what they call the “Three Es,” which are education, engineering and enforcement, Campuzano said.

“Think of these strategies as kind of like legs of a stool, if any one leg isn’t in place, you won’t have the optimum transportation safety,” Campuzano said. “So this was a concept developed a long time ago to try to explain the nuance and complexity of this topic and the relationship of these different items.”

The engineering aspect involves modifying the built environment, which is what the Public Works Department examines, Campuzano said. The en-

forcement side involves issuing citations or warnings for violations to encourage compliance with the law, while the education side provides information that increases driver awareness and motivates people to change their behavior, Campuzano said.

Some of the incidents occur simultaneously, which is why they don’t add up to 100%, Campuzano said, giving an example of a motorcycle driver who might also be impaired.

Public Works is pursuing what Campuzano described as “proven safety countermeasures,” including roundabouts and signal changes. The city is developing a Safety Action Plan in partnership with Adams County, which is expected to be ready in the spring. The plan will identify crash hotspots and prioritize projects, according to Cam-

puzano.

“We do a very detailed review of the crash data, and we really rely heavily on what we call proven safety countermeasures,” Campuzano said.

Some improvements can be deployed quickly, she said, such as restriping, adjusting signal timing or adding stop signs near schools.

Larger projects, like roundabouts, remain costly and may face delays amid recent budget constraints, Campuzano said. She later added that traffic calming budgets are expected to increase in 2026, allowing staff to prioritize projects and move some designs forward while awaiting the availability of construction dollars.

ARAPAHOE COUNTY

Ballots begin mailing Oct. 10!

The 2025 Election is your chance to vote on issues and candidates affecting your community. Go to ArapahoeVotes.gov to register to vote or update your registration.

Buzz into pollinator gardening! Discover how to create a pollinator paradise with CSU Extension Master Gardeners, horticulturists and the Farm’s own beekeeper (with a live demo hive!) Learn bee-friendly gardening tips, plant your own pollinator seeds, enjoy free guided nature walks at 10 and 11 a.m. and join small-group tours all morning. Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025 | 9 a.m.–12 p.m. 17 Mile House Farm Park 8181 S. Parker Rd, Centennial, CO 80016

This fun, free event is your chance to connect with nature—and help protect Colorado’s pollinators. Registration encouraged. Visit arapahoeco.gov/17milehouse

Commander Matt Brukbacher, po-

Light up, Aurora

AURORA BOREALIS FESTIVAL TO LIGHT UP PAINTED PRAIRIE WITH SKY LASERS, MUSIC, ART AND FOOD

BY SENTINEL STAFF WRITERS

The northern lights are making their way back to Aurora this fall, thanks to technology, artistry and a community-wide celebration. The Aurora Borealis Festival, an annual signature event from Visit Aurora, is set to return for its second year on Friday, Oct. 10, and Saturday, Oct. 11, at High Prairie Park in Painted Prairie, in northeast Aurora.

The family-friendly festival, first launched in 2024, recreates the aurora borealis with a dazzling laser show set to music, offering guests a rare chance to experience the beauty of the northern skies without leaving the Front Range. Organizers say the goal is not only to showcase light, sound and creativity, but also to bring people together to celebrate Aurora’s cultural vibrancy.

“At its heart, this is more than just a light show,” said Bruce Dalton, president and CEO of Visit Aurora. “The Aurora Borealis Festival is about celebrating our community, our diversity, and all that makes Aurora a unique and welcoming destination for families.”

The centerpiece of the festival is the Aurora Laser Show, a colorful and immersive experience designed to mimic the natural wonder of the northern lights. Set to a soundtrack of carefully selected music, the show paints the night sky with shifting colors and patterns, turning High Prairie Park into a canvas of light.

Beyond the laser performance, attendees will find illuminated installations scattered throughout the grounds. Each piece merges light, art and storytelling to create interactive experiences. Featured works this year include Chameletuna and Hearthug by internationally recognized light artist Ilya Sobol, Elemental Reverie and Draco’s Paw by Denver-based

Scorched Steel, Megalotorus by Jillian and Sierra Estrella, and The Solarium by Cody Borst, known for crafting immersive, narrative-driven art.

Festivalgoers will also play a role in shaping the event. Each installation will include a QR code linking to the DEN Illumination Passport app, allowing visitors to vote for their favorites. The top three works will win cash prizes, announced from the Painted Prairie Mainstage at 9 p.m. Saturday.

The skies won’t be the only things glowing. The Painted Prairie Mainstage will feature live performances from a rotating lineup of five artists each day. Friday’s performers include DJ Polyphoni, Eye-Yoob, Kalpulli Mikakuikatl, Destiny Shynelle and Kayla Marque. Saturday’s roster will highlight DJ Rewild, Jade Oracle, Miss Flowers and The Milk Blossoms.

In addition to the mainstage acts, guests can step into a silent disco. It’s a dance party where attendees don headphones and groove to DJ sets while surrounded by glowing lights. Organizers say the disco adds another layer of interactive fun for those looking to keep the energy high after the shows.

The Aurora Borealis Festival is spotlighting the city’s culinary scene through Westword’s Flavors of Aurora Food Court. From food trucks to gourmet bites, options will range from international flavors to festival favorites.

Organizers say the food court reflects Aurora’s diverse population and gives attendees a taste of the city’s cultural richness.

Those expecting to take home a souvenir can explore the Global Gift Bazaar, an openair marketplace of local vendors, artisans and small businesses. Items will include hand-

IF YOU GO:

When: 4 p.m. - 10 p.m. Oct. 10 and Oct. 11

Where: High Prairie Park, Painted Prairie, Aurora

Tickets: $17 general admission; $83 VIP Details: auroraborealisfestival.com

Main Attractions

made jewelry, textiles, art and home décor. Among the vendors featured this year are Lola Severina, Cityscape Knits, KB Candies, Enlaces, Clari Designs, Love Level, Old Soul Henna, Kahealani Lee Designs, Violet’s Bows and More, Katherine Reed Studios, Jay’s Crap Shack, May Contain Nuts, Vibalminerals and Joey Lopez Design.

Organizers say the bazaar gives festivalgoers the opportunity to directly support Aurora’s creative community while browsing unique, one-of-a-kind items.

For those looking for an elevated experience, the festival offers a Peak Beverage VIP Lounge for guests 21 and older. VIP ticket holders will receive premium parking, exclusive views of the lighting displays, gourmet catering, a souvenir mug with two complimentary beverages and access to a private lounge space. VIP packages also include a programmable LED wristband that syncs with the light show.

In just its second year, the Aurora Borealis Festival is working to established itself as a cornerstone of the city’s cultural calendar. Organizers say they hope to build on last year’s success by offering even more immersive art, stronger musical lineups and expanded food and vendor offerings.

Dalton emphasized that the festival showcases Aurora as more than a gateway city to Denver and the Rockies. “Events like this give us a chance to highlight the incredible talent, culture and creativity we have right here in Aurora,” he said.

Timed-entry tickets start at $17 for general admission and run up to $83 for the VIP experience. Organizers encourage families, couples and groups of friends to purchase tickets in advance.

• Aurora “Borealis” Laser Show set to music

• Illuminated art installations

• Silent disco

• Live music

• Global Gift Bazaar with local artisans

• Flavors of Aurora Food Court

Music Lineup

Friday, Oct. 10

• DJ Polyphoni

• Eye-Yoob

• Kalpulli Mikakuikatl

• Destiny Shynelle

• Kayla Marque

Saturday, Oct. 11

• DJ Rewild

• Jade Oracle

• Miss Flowers

• The Milk Blossoms

Featured Art Installations

• Chameletuna & Hearthug by Ilya Sobol

• Elemental Reverie & Draco’s Paw by Scorched Steel

• Megalotorus by Jillian & Sierra Estrella

• The Solarium by Cody Borst

Food Vendors

• Geisha Japanese Cuisine

• Loma Bonita Kitchen

• Mississippi Catfish & Ribs

• Koco Street Food

• Mukja

• Now Pho

• Sweet Rice Flour

• Neveria La Unica

• Popie 1929

• The Sweet Life Culinary Production

From the Hip Photo

1468 Dayton St.

Tickets: $24

Details: www.vintagetheatre.org

Wagon tours explore life on the prairie at Plains Conservation Center

scene & herd

First Date’ musical comedy at the Vintage Theatre

A fast-paced romantic comedy with a musical twist is set to open on the BergYoung Cabaret Stage at the Vintage Theatre.

First Date, with book by Austin Winsberg and music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, follows blind date newbie Aaron and serial-dater Casey as their casual drink at a busy New York restaurant turns into a high-stakes evening.

As the date unfolds in real time, the couple’s inner voices come to life through the people around them. Other restaurant patrons morph into best friends, exes and parents, singing and dancing them through awkward ice-breakers, appetizers and conversational traps.

IF YOU GO

Date: Through Oct. 23, 2025

Place: Berg-Young Cabaret Stage at the Vintage Theatre,

A ride through the shortgrass prairie is slated for select Saturdays in October and November at the Plains Conservation Center in Aurora. Participants will travel by wagon across open plains, keeping an eye out for prairie dogs, pronghorn antelope and birds of prey beneath the wide Colorado sky. Along the way, naturalists will share insights into the prairie ecosystem.

The two-hour experience includes stops at “soddie” homes and a Cheyenne camp, giving visitors a glimpse of life for both homesteaders and Cheyenne people on the prairie during the 1800s. Tours are open to all ages but this fall’s sessions are geared toward adults. Organizers note that tours are weather dependent, with cancellations communicated directly to registrants.

IF YOU GO

Dates: 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Oct. 4, Oct. 18 and Nov. 8

Place: Plains Conservation Center, 21901 E. Hampden Ave. (entrance is at East Hampden Avenue and South Picadilly Road)

Tickets: $15. Registration required at botanicgardens.org

Aurora Fox brings ‘Schoolhouse Rock Live!’ to the stage on Colfax

The Aurora Fox Arts Center will bring Saturday morning memories to life with “Schoolhouse Rock Live!” running on the Fox Mainstage Theater. Directed by Kelly Van Oosbree, the high-energy musical is

based on the animated series that taught generations grammar, math and history through catchy songs.

The show follows Tom, a nervous young teacher whose TV characters leap off the screen to show him how to inspire his students through music and imagination. Audience members can expect classic favorites like “Conjunction Junction,” “I’m Just a Bill” and “Three Is a Magic Number.”

“This production is pure joy,” said Rich Cowden, executive producer of the Aurora Fox. “It’s educational, it’s fun, and it connects generations through music and storytelling.”

In addition to evening and weekend shows, nine daytime student matinees are scheduled, making the production a back-to-school field trip opportunity for young audiences.

IF YOU GO

Dates: Through Oct. 18 Curtains vary greatly for day and night performances.

Venue: Aurora Fox Mainstage Theater, 9900 E. Colfax Ave.

Tickets: $17–$42

Details: aurorafoxartscenter.org

‘Merrily We Roll Along’ opens Sept. 12 at Vintage Theatre

The Tony Award-winning musical Merrily We Roll Along is set to open Sept. 12 at Vintage Theatre, bringing Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s acclaimed story of friendship, compromise and the cost of success to Aurora audiences. Directed by Bernie Cardell, the show plays through Oct. 19 in the Nickelson Auditorium.

Told in reverse, the musical traces the lives of three friends from adulthood back to their youthful idealism, blending the excitement of a backstage show with

a poignant examination of staying true to one’s dreams. The production won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Revival.

IF YOU GO

Dates: Through Oct. 19

Venue: Nickelson Auditorium at Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora

Tickets: $39 general admission, $33 seniors, $20 students/children (12 or younger)

Details: 303-856-7830 or VintageTheatre.org

‘Unapologetically Chicano’ art experience

A six-week immersive celebration of Chicano culture at CHAC Gallery @40 West in Lakewood. “Unapologetically Chicano” will showcase traditional and contemporary works of art alongside music, food and community connection.

Curated by Rob and Tammy Yancey, the exhibition highlights the resilience and creativity of Chicano identity across generations. The opening reception runs from 5 to 9 p.m. and will feature local and regional artists, live music, DJs, authentic food vendors, classic cars from Los Compas Car Club and handcrafted spirits served by The Good Ol’ Time Mobile Bar.

A second First Friday event on Oct. 3 offers another chance to meet the artists and experience the work. Organizers describe the show as a celebration of heritage, resistance and joy.

IF YOU GO

Dates: Through Oct. 24, Opening reception: Sept. 5, 5 p.m.–9 p.m.

Venue: CHAC Gallery @40 West, 7060 W. 16th Ave.

Tickets: Free Details: www.chacgallery.org/

• Great Burgers

• GreatBurgers

• GreatCheesesteaks

• Great Philly Cheesesteaks

• 20 TV’s

• 20 TVs

• Open St age EveryThursday

• Watch All NFL & MLB Games

• Open Stage

• Saturdays:11:30AM-3PM FreeDomesticBeeror

Soda With SandwichOrder

Right: Vista PEAK Prep junior Brandon Pearcy continued his rise throughout the season with a second place finish in the Division 1 boys race at the Dave Sanders Invitational cross country meet Sept. 26 at Clement Park.

Middle: Regis Jesuit’s McKenna Groen finished as the runner-up in the Division 1 girls race at the Dave Sanders Invitational Sept. 26 for another strong result in her freshman season.

Below: Cherokee Trail freshman Madison Lange’s debut varsity season added another strong chapter with a fourth-place finish in the Division 1 girls race at the Dave Sanders Invitational.

With a month left in the cross country season, the finish line is coming into sight for locals.

Big meet after big meet have come and gone of late and the large Dave Sanders Invitational races Sept. 26 at Clement Park provided the best of the Aurora area boys and girls a chance to shine.

CROSS COUNTRY

The Cherokee Trail boys won the Division I team championship, while two area individuals finished in the top two in each race as preparation for the final stretch of the season continues to build.

On course

The area girls ranks have been strengthened by the addition of two outstanding freshmen in McKenna Groen of Regis Jesuit and Madison Lange of Cherokee Trail, former club teammates who were both in the Dave Sanders DI girls field.

BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor

In warm conditions she said she favors — at least when she’s running cross country, Groen claimed second place with a time of 18 minutes, 14 seconds, which put her only behind Claire Guiberson of Mountain Vista (17:31.80) among the 210 individuals from 24 scoring programs who crossed the finish line.

“I knew Claire would go out because I’ve raced her before, but I ran with Maddie (Lange) a lot last season, so I knew I could stay with her most of the race and that’s what I did,” Groen said.

It was the latest stellar performance for Groen, who placed third at the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede on the state meet course at the Norris Penrose Event Center in her first varsity race. She went out with the leaders at the Liberty Bell Invitational and set the program record with a 17:28.50, though she faded a bit and finished 10th in the Sweepstakes race. It has been a learning process.

“I still have a few more races to test out some tactics to see which ones will work before state,” she said.

Lange has made a splash of her own, as she won the Aurora City Championship meet in her first varsity race — which she won by nearly a full minute — and she also claimed the St. Vrain Invitatioanl with a time of 18:22.77. At the Liberty Bell, Lange finished fourth (with only Heritage star Emery Schwalm, Eaton’s Delaney Reuter and Guiberson in front of her) in 16:58.20.

An 18:33.1 at the Dave Sanders meet put Lange comfortably in fourth place. She has joined a team that has experience, especially from juniors Jade McDaniel and Clara Kapfer, who have had their share of highlights this season and finished 2-3 behind Lange at the Aurora City Championships.

Groen and Lange may see each other again in the closing weeks of the season, but definitely will (barring injury) on Oct. 23 at the Aurora Sports Park as Cherokee Trail and Regis Jesuit are both in the field of the Class 5A Region 1 meet, where they will try to lead their respective squads to state meet berths.

The Cherokee Trail boys program is now under the direction of Jonathan Dalby, who won a slew of state championships with the Mountain Vista boys program before he came over during the summer. Dalby assumed command of a program that finished a successful run under Chris Faust.

The Cougars are led by senior Dylan Smith, a key contributor to the Cherokee Trail boys track & field team’s third straight 5A state championship in the spring and winner of the Aurora City Championship race to open the season. Smith paced the team at the Dave Sanders meet as well with a fourth-place finish.

“We knew there were a few teams from our region that were at Dave Sanders and if we could match up well with them it would put us in good position,” Dalby said. “We gave the boys a stretch goal to try to win it and fortunately they were able to do it. ...Both our boys and girls teams have made awesome progress since we started.”

Individually, Vista PEAK Prep junior Brandon Pearcy shined at the Dave Sanders as he finished as the runner-up behind Golden’s Jackson Ferguson. Pearcy ran a season-best 15:57.5.

PHOTOS BY COURTNEY OAKES/AURORA SENTINEL

FOOTBALL

Aurora teams ﬁnish 5-4 in Week 5 with league schedule on the horizon

The non-conference portion of the 2025 prep football season came to a close with the results of Week 5, which saw Aurora area programs finished with a combined record of 5-4.

Three teams city sit tied for the best record in the area as Aurora Central, Eaglecrest and Rangeview all posted victories to improve to 4-1.

Aurora Central’s victory came with the bonus of Homecoming, which saw coach Chris Kelly’s team roll to a 60-0 victory over Hinkley Sept. 25 at Aurora Public Schools Stadium. Damien Ramirez had a huge game for the Trojans — who are 4-1 for the first time since 2022 — as he rushed for two touchdowns and also took back the opening kickoff of the second half for a 90-yard score. Quarterback Markell Perkins rushed for the first touchdown of the game and threw one to Jaylin Bester, who also rushed for one. Julian Harris and Sean McQueen also scored touchdowns on the ground for Aurora Central, which also recorded three safeties as it dropped Hinkley to 0-4.

Eaglecrest is at least 4-1 for the fourth consecutive season (it was 5-0 to start in 2023) thanks to a 36-26 victory over ThunderRidge Sept. 25 at Legacy Stadium. Coach Jesse German’s Raptors overcame a 13-point deficit after one quarter with two scores in the second quarter for a halftime lead and expanded the edge with two scores in the third quarter as well. Quarterback William Brinkman caught a touchdown pass from JayAnthony Green, rushed for two and threw a scoring pass to Cameron Bell, while Josiah Asibbey also scored for the Raptors.

Rangeview matched its entire win total from last season midway through the season after a 41-7 road win over Liberty Sept. 26 at D20 Stadium. Coach Chris Lopez’s Raiders — who have won four straight since an opening loss to Eaglecrest and have the most wins they’ve had midway through the season since an 11win 2010 campaign — got 211 total yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Tyson Tuck to lead the way. Keylen Mack and Kemariahe Brown rushed for touchdowns, while Donte Allison had 102 yards receiving and a score for Rangeview, which got interceptions from Ben Blanco and Marcus Washington.

Interceptions were a key for Regis Jesuit in its second straight win, as the Raiders (2-3) had five of them — including four in the fourth quarter — during a 21-14 road win at rival Mullen Sept. 26. Logan Singer took over the state lead in interceptions with six thanks to three, which included one in the end zone in the first quarter and two deep in his own territory in the fourth quarter. Colt Jones and Will Anzures also picked off passes, while Lafe Sarjeant had a fumble recovery that set up Joe Pron’s go-ahead rushing score early in the third quarter. Luke Rubley and Benjamin Bacon had rushing touchdowns in the opening half to stake coach Danny Filleman’s team to a 14-0 lead that disappeared by halftime.

Gateway’s 0-3 start to the season has been followed by consecutive victories, which included a 21-18 road win at Mountain View Sept. 25. Coach Rashad Mason’s Olys (2-3) were paced by the 191 yards of total offense from Lyric Wynn (126 rushing, 65 receiving), who scored two touchdowns, while Jake Brock also took a direct snap in for a score.

Cherokee Trail finished non-league play 2-3 with a 38-21 home loss to 4A powerhouse Dakota Ridge Sept. 26.

Coach Justin Jajczyk’s Cougars scored on their first play from scrimmage when Brian Cusack took a reverse and threw an 80-yard touchdown to speedy Cristian Mbamarah, though the Eagles responded with 31 straight points. Logan Posey rushed for 120 yards and a late touchdown, while Bryson Peterson threw a scoring pass to Evan Smith.

Coach Brandon Alconcel’s Smoky Hill team was kept off the scoreboard for the first time this season in a 47-0 loss to Fairview Sept. 26 at Stutler Bowl that puts the Buffs 2-3 going into league play.

A late touchdown pass from Josiah West to Zamari Stivers helped Overland avert a shutout against undefeated Mountain Vista in a 62-6 loss Sept. 26 at The Stadium at Redstone. Grandview and Vista PEAK Prep — both 3-2 — had bye weeks.

BOYS TENNIS Regis Jesuit, Grandview make team state tourney

Two Aurora area boys tennis teams again qualified for the Class 5A team state tournament and could again be on a collision course.

Regis Jesuit and Grandview ended up on the same side of the 16-team bracket in last season’s tournament and the Raiders went on to defeat the Wolves on the their way to the championship dual.

The two locals teams — who just so happen to meet in a dual match Sept. 29, the same day the Colorado High School Activities Association released this season’s bracket — could wind up across from the net from each other again.

Coach Laura Jones’ Regis Jesuit team netted the No. 1 seed (which it also had last season) and will have home court advantage for the first three rounds if it keeps winning, while coach Jeff Ryan’s

Cherokee Trail’s

watches his putt roll on the green of Hole No. 1 at the Centennial League boys golf tournament Sept. 25 at South Suburban G.C. Sisneros helped the Cougars win the league championship and is also one of four Cherokee Trail players to qualify for the Class 5A state tournament Oct. 6-7. LEFT: Aurora Central quarterback Markell Perkins stands in front of a smoke machine before entering the field before the Trojans’ 60-0 win over Hinkley Sept. 25 at APS Stadium.

BELOW LEFT: Regis Jesuit’s Colt Jones (0) raises his hands in celebration after making an interception during the fourth quarter of the Raiders’ 21-14 win over rival Mullen Sept. 26.

BELOW RIGHT: Cherokee Trail senior Brian Cusack does a ﬂying kick to break through a banner as his team enters the field before its Week 5 football contest against Dakota Ridge Sept. 25 at Legacy Stadium.

PHOTOS BY COURTNEY OAKES/ AURORA SENTINEL

Grandview squad could have as many as two home matches as the No. 4 seed. The teams could meet in the semifinals Oct. 14 should both advance.

Regis Jesuit opens on Oct. 1 with a first round match on its home court at 3:30 p.m. against 16th-seeded Pine Creek, while Grandview will play host to 13th-seeded Rocky Mountain.

The tournament continues with quarterfinal matches Oct. 3, semifinals on Oct. 14 and the state championship match Oct. 21 at the Denver Tennis Park. For full bracket and schedule, visit sentinelcolorado.com/preps.

BOYS GOLF

Twelve area players make 5A state tournament

The new-look postseason for boys golf has taken shape after the final regular season tournaments Sept. 29. The traditional regional qualifying

tournaments have been eliminated and the top 84 players in the Iwanamaker rankings — a maximum of four per school — advance to state tournaments.

The Class 5A state tournament is scheduled for Oct. 6-7 at Bookcliff Golf Club in Grand Junction and the field of qualifiers will have some good area flavor with 12 qualifiers from five programs.

Cherokee Trail is the lone Aurora area program with four state qualifiers, as Brayden Forte — who finished first in the state’s individual rankings — is joined by fellow seniors Dalton Sisneros and Braydon O’Neill plus freshman Jeffrey Chen. Coach Ryan Stevens’ Cougars had seven golfers in the top 84, but three cannon compete at the state tournament due to the cap on qualifiers per team.

Grandview and Regis Jesuit have three qualifiers, respectively. Junior

ABOVE:

Dalton Sisneros

Dominik Fedotov and sophomore Sam Silver will play in the state tournament for a second straight season for coach Kurtis Bailey’s Wolves, while senior Carter Guy Hays goes for the first time. Coach Craig Rogers’ Regis Jesuit team is full of firsttime qualifiers in senior Brady Davis and juniors Will Farber and Henry Criste, while senior Henry Millen is the first alternate should any of the 84 be unable to play.

Two individuals also qualified in Eaglecrest senior Gregory White and Smoky Hill junior Reece Nuwash. White is headed to the state tournament for the fourth time in his career, while Nuwash made it for a second straight season.

BOYS GOLF

Cherokee Trail wraps up Centennial League title

The Cherokee Trail boys golf team made it 5-for-5 in Centennial League tournaments as it claimed the last league gathering Sept. 18 at South Suburban G.C. The Cougars’ threeshot win over Cherry Creek put the finishing touches on a season in which they were a whopping 63 strokes ahead of Arapahoe for the season and 69 ahead of Cherry Creek.

Individually, Cherokee Trail senior Brayden Forte claimed Centennial League medalist honors in a runaway with 51 points, which were 15 more than teammate and fellow senior Dalton Sisneros (36) with Eaglecrest senior Gregory White — last season’s Centennial League winner — third with 33. Among locals to earn All-Centennial League honors as top 10 finishers were Smoky Hill senior Reece Nuwash (7th), plus Cherokee Trail junior Anthony Chen (9th) and freshman Jeffrey Chen (10th).

WEEK PAST

The week past in Aurora

prep sports

MONDAY, SEPT. 29: Weather intervened with a majority of scheduled competition, but the Eaglecrest girls flag football team got past Cherokee Trail for an 8-0 delayed victory at Legacy Stadium. ...SATURDAY, SEPT. 27: In a rematch of the teams that played for the Centennial League championship last season, the Cherokee Trail girls volleyball team dropped a 25-23, 2522, 22-25, 25-21 home match to Cherry Creek. ...The Grandview girls volleyball team saw a two-set lead disappear in a Centennial League match with Arapahoe, but recovered for a 25-23, 25-16, 22-25, 21-25, 15-10 victory. ...The Eaglecrest girls volleyball team swept past Overland in Centennial League play. ...Alexis Rojas scored the lone goal in the second half as the Smoky Hill boys soccer team defeated visiting Arapahoe 1-0 for a key Centennial League win. ...Luis Castro Morales and Felipe Prieto Suarez scored goals for the Rangeview boys soccer team, which played rival Gateway to a 2-2 road tie. ...The Smoky Hill softball team got three hits and four RBI from Nikiah Light to help support Kadynce Schutt, who threw a complete game in the Smoky Hill softball team’s 12-6 non-league win at Doherty. Amia Colston drove in two runs and Ailey Henry tripled twice for the Buffs, who had 15 total hits. ...The Grandview girls flag football team won its seventh game in a row with a 32-12 Centennial League defeat of Arapahoe that included Brooke Sullivan’s 278 yards passing and two scoring passes, while Abby Kirkpatrick threw for a touchdown and caught one, K’Dence Thomas scored rushing and receiving and Aliya Zitek also got into the end zone. ...The Over-

land girls flag football team earned a hard-fought 12-6 Centennial League win at Eaglecrest Isabella Shields scored in the last minute-plus to break a scoreless deadlock and lift the Grandview field hockey team to a 1-0 home victory over Dakota Ridge. ...The Overland gymnastics team accrued a team score of 173.300 points to finish in fourth place — behind Niwot, Elizabeth and Palmer Ridge — at the Overland Invitational. The top individual performance for the Trailblazers came from Abby Mess, who scored 8.925 on the uneven bars for a sixth-place finish, while Josie Arlt had the highest allaround finish in 13th with a score of 34.625. ...FRIDAY, SEPT. 26: The Vista PEAK Prep boys soccer team dropped a tight 1-0 City League contest against Northfield. ...The Cherokee Trail softball team racked up 14 hits in just three at-bats in a 16-0 home victory over Denver South. Abby Anderson used two hits to drive in four runs, while Leera Davis had three RBI to lead the Cougars, while Sydney Cobb pitched two innings of a no-hitter. ...The Chero-

kee Trail boys cross country team won the Dave Sanders Invitational Division 1 race at Clement Park, as the Cougars put a 12-point margin between themselves and runner-up Golden. Dylan Smith earned a fourth-place finish to pace the Cougars, while Vista PEAK Prep had the top individual in the race in Brandon Pearcy, who came in second. In the Division I girls race, Regis Jesuit’s McKenna Groen claimed the runner-up spot, while Cherokee Trail’s Madison Lange came in fourth. ...A third-quarter touchdown held up for the Regis Jesuit girls flag football team in a 6-0 Continental League win over Highlands Ranch. ...Playing without its full lineup, the Regis Jesuit boys tennis team topped Ponderosa 5-2 in Continental League play. ...THURSDAY, SEPT. 25: On its home floor, the Vista PEAK Prep girls volleyball team got past rival Rangeview with a 25-12, 2519, 25-22 victory. Emily Peterson registered 12 kills (with four aces) to pace the Bison, while Sanaya Wyatt added 11 kills and Ava Eltzroth dished out 29 assists. Kamilah Vigil paced the Raid-

ers with four kills. ...The Regis Jesuit girls volleyball team earned a Continental League victory with a 25-15, 2325, 25-22, 25-9 defeat of ThunderRidge. ...Jackson Schneller scored twice and Rory Schmeider had another as the Regis Jesuit boys soccer team downed Ponderosa 3-1 in Continental League play. ...The Grandview boys soccer team scored all of its goals in the opening half of a 3-0 win over Eaglecrest that included a goal and an assist from Alex Kedzierski. Danny Hammonovich and Kason Ottinger also tallied for the Wolves. ... Jostin Jimenez and Michael Ramirez had the goals for the Gateway boys soccer team in a 2-1 Colorado League win over Aurora Central. ...The Eaglecrest softball team scored 10 times in the opening frame of a 15-0 Centennial League win over Mullen, which was held without a hit in three at-bats. Lexi Bargar drove in three runs, while Ryleigh Stufft and Tiani Lobitos had two RBI apiece for Eaglecrest Sasha Kennedy went 3-for-3 and was one of six players with at least one RBI for the Grand-

view softball team in a 12-0 Centennial League win over Smoky Hill. Maddie Donaldson drove in three runs, while Ally Birx doubled twice and scored twice for the Wolves. ...The Vista PEAK Prep softball team had three rallies of four or more runs on the way to a 19-12 City League win over Denver East in a game in which the teams combined for 34 hits. Amara Herrera doubled and homered for half of her four hits and joined Rylie Camarillo and Laila Lucio with 4 RBI apiece for the Bison. ...Sailor Roth’s long touchdown run in the fourth quarter broke a tie and lifted the Smoky Hill girls flag football team to a 13-7 win at Cherokee Trail, Roth threw a touchdown pass to Brena Rangel to open the scoring, then broke the deadlock after Madison Adkins’ rushing touchdown for the Cougars. ...The Regis Jesuit boys tennis team swept past

Heritage 7-0 in a Continental League dual match that included threeset doubles wins for Will Larkin and Koops Lord (No. 1) and Alex Llaneza

TOP LEFT: Grandview’s Nicole Kozeykina (4), left, looks up as she brings the fall upfield during the Wolves’ home field hockey contest against Dakota Ridge Sept. 27. Kozeykina assisted on Isabella Shields’ late goal in the Wolves’ 1-0 victory LEFT: Overland’s Joy Jamison, right, spins to avoid having her ﬂags pulled by an Eaglecrest player after interception a pass during the Trailblazers’ 12-6 Centennial League girls ﬂag football win Sept. 27 at Eaglecrest High School. TOP RIGHT: Gateway’s Katherine Juarez Botelo bumps a ball during the Olys’ five-set girls volleyball win at Aurora Central Sept. 23. ABOVE: Gateway’s Colt Wenzel watches his putt roll towards the hole on No. 1 at Aurora Hills G.C. during a Colorado League boys golf major tournament Sept. 25. Wenzel took medalist honors with an 88. (Photos by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)

and John Paul Hollister (No. 3). ...The Regis Jesuit field hockey team dropped a 1-0 home contest against undefeated Kent Denver. ...The Gateway boys golf team finished in second place at the Colorado League’s second major tournament, which was played at Aurora Hills G.C. Colt Wenzel took first place individually with an 88, while Cole Dossey tied for 8th and Aidan Trujillo took 10th for the Olys. ...WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24: The Vista PEAK Prep girls volleyball team outlasted Lakewood for a 25-23, 18-25, 25-19, 21-25, 15-8 road victory. The Bison rode a 19-kill performance from Emily Peterson, while Sanaya Wyatt added 13. Danaiya January had four aces and five blocks and Ava Elzroth registered 39 assists. ...A two-goal second half for the Vista PEAK Prep boys soccer team lifted the BIson to a 3-2 victory over Aurora West College Prep Academy at APS Stadium. ... Martin Carrizoza and Jose Duron scored goals and Angel Trejo kept a clean sheet with nine saves as the Hinkley boys soccer team beat Lincoln 2-0. ...Alex Tavlarides stuck out 13 batters in a complete game effort for the Regis Jesuit softball team in an 11-4 Continental League home win over Highlands Ranch. Tavlarides helped herself with three RBI, while Brynn Huckemeyer, Jill Samaras and Elsa Pedersen drove in two apiece for the Raiders. ...The Regis Jesuit boys tennis team rolled to a 7-0 win over Arapahoe in a non-league dual match. ...The Eaglecrest boys tennis team edged Mullen 4-3 in a Centennial League dual match that saw the Raptors gets singles wins from Austin Moore (No. 1) and Caleb Smith (No. 2) plus bookend doubles wins from the

No. 1 team of Caleb and Christian Patterson and the No. 4 duo of Owen Peterson and Parker Luck TUESDAY, SEPT. 23: The Gateway girls volleyball team built a two-set lead, lost it and then recovered for a 25-19, 25-17, 21-25, 13-25, 15-12 win at Aurora Central Avyanna Langkiet-Balderes had 10 kills and six aces for the Trojans. Hugh Brophy scored a goal and assisted on scores by Kam Bachus, Jackson Huguelet and Rory Schmeider as the Regis Jesuit boys soccer team downed Mountain Vista 4-1 in Continental League play. ... Noah Bretz, Caleb Burgess and Mason Robledo all found the back of the net for the Cherokee Trail boys soccer team

in a 3-2 road win at George Washington. ...In a soggy game at APS Stadium, Alejandro Aguilar provided the difference for the Vista PEAK Prep boys soccer team in a 2-1 win over Rangeview Adonis Mitchell got the Bison on the board first. ...Diego Ruiz tallied the game-winning goal for the Gateway boys soccer team in a 2-1 defeat of Denver West. ...Laneya Clint-Robinson rushed for 94 yards and three touchdowns, Genesis Luevanos threw a touchdown pass to Elazia Patton and Oriah Owens also scored as the Vista PEAK Prep girls flag football team rolled to a 40-0 win over Denver West. ...The Regis Jesuit girls flag football team blanked ThunderRidge 13-0.

BISON ON THE BLOCK: Vista PEAK Prep freshman Emily Peterson (6) puts up a block as Rangeview’s Teyla Holloway volleys the ball over the net during a City League girls volleyball dual match Sept. 25 at Vista PEAK Prep. Peterson notched a match-high 12 kills and had four aces to help Vista PEAK Prep to a 25-12, 25-19, 25-22 victory over the Raiders. (Photo by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)

LOVE GOAL: Vista PEAK Prep’s Adonis Mitchell (15) holds up a heart signal to fans in the stands at Aurora Public Schools Stadium after he scored a goal during the Bison’s 2-1 City League boys soccer victory over Rangeview Sept. 23. Mitchell scored first and Alejandro Aguilar had the game-winning goal in the second half as the Bison defeated the rival Raiders. (Photos by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)

Recall effort against DA Padden fails to materialize

BY CASSANDRA BALLARD Staff Writer

Proponents of an effort to recall Arapahoe County DA Amy Padden failed to turn in petitions this week, which could have set a recall election in motion.

Officials from the secretary of state office said proponents contacted them Sept. 30 to say they would not be turning in any petitions.

Aurora Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky and the rest of the recall committee had just over a month to collect 75,875 valid signatures. Petition drive experts said another 30% more signatures are likely needed to ensure enough valid signatures can be approved by election officials.

Jurinsky was not immediately available for comment. The case has drawn accusations that the effort by Jurinsky was one of personal vendettas and political grandstanding.

Jurinsky’s pursuit of Padden, a Democrat, began in May after a 24-year-old Aurora woman named Kaitlyn Weaver was struck and killed by a noncitizen immigrant teenage boy whose family was seeking asylum. The juvenile was reported to be driving faster than 90 miles per hour in a residential area and without a license in 2024, according to CBS News and Jurinsky, a Republican, who posted the report on her Facebook and her X account while demanding a recall of Padden, May 16.

“I understand that the recall attempt against me has failed because its proponents did not obtain the signatures to force an expensive and unfounded recall election,” Padden said in a statement. “The voters of Arapahoe County overwhelmingly elected me to lead the 18th Judicial District in a new direction, yet the petition proponents sought to undermine the will of the voters. Voters have recognized the important work that my office has been doing since January 2025 and plainly saw that this recall attempt was nothing more than partisan politics.

“I look forward to continuing to serve as the District Attorney for everyone in Arapahoe County and will continue to make our communities safer, stand up for victims, and seek justice for all.”

Since the case involved a juvenile, Arapahoe County DA officials say they are unable to release any court documents. CBS News and Jurisky have reported that the boy received two years of probation with community service, and the Denver Gazette reported in May that the boy and his family were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Jurinsky said she planned to recall Padden for only giving him two years of probation, after the previous 18th Judicial District Attorney allegedly told Weaver’s family they would pursue the maximum sentence in youth corrections, according to media reports.

Jurinsky is up for re-election to her at-large seat on the city council this November.

Padden and the deputy district attorney, Ryan Brackley, who determined the sentence request for the boy, both said they were unable to comment about the decision or the boy’s term of probation because he is a juvenile.

Jurinsky said one reason she waited to recall Padden was because she had to wait until Padden had been in office as the district attorney for six months before she could begin a recall process.

In July, there was new public controversy over a case where a man identified as Solomon Galligan, 34, was ruled incompetent to stand trial in an Aurora 2014 kidnapping case. He has previously been accused of incidents of assault, and

he was ruled incompetent to stand trial in some of those cases, according to Colorado court records.

In the Aurora April 2024 case, Galligan is accused of attempting to kidnap a young boy at Black Forest Hill Elementary School. A court date last week in the 18th Judicial District was vacated after his lawyers requested a competency evaluation.

Jurinsky has made multiple claims that Padden dismissed the case over competency concerns and that Galligan was going to be allowed back onto the streets without court intervention or concern on Padden’s part.

After mostly silence on Padden’s part, she pushed back on a Facebook in July.

“That comprehensive, 63-page report by a licensed doctor concluded that Galligan suffers from multiple mental health conditions and is mentally incompetent to stand trial and not restorable to competency within the foreseeable future,” Padden said in a statement, debunking Jurinsky’s misleading claims.

Padden said in her statement that she had no power to decide whether to dismiss Galligan’s case, that it was a matter for a court and judge, not a prosecutor.

“If the court decides that the defendant is incompetent and unlikely to be restored or to maintain competency during the pendency of the case, the court is required by statute to dismiss the charges, and our office is legally prohibited from taking this case to trial,” Padden said in the statement.

She has stated previously that she disagrees with Colorado state lawmakers who passed laws making the action mandatory.

“As the District Attorney, I have many concerns about this statutory process and its impact on community safety in situations where charges must be dismissed,” she said in the statement. “Even before the defense’s motion to dismiss was filed in this case, I was speaking with legislators about proposed reforms to the statute. I will continue those discussions to collaborate about a solution that promotes community safety.”

Padden also said that Galligan will not be released, as Jurinsky alleged.

“If the motion to dismiss is granted here, Galligan will not be released into the community at that time, Padden said in the statement. “Although they were previously released when courts in other jurisdictions dismissed prior cases, this defendant has been civilly committed for continued treatment in a state mental health hospital, which provides secure, inpatient psychiatric care.”

The petition drive started on Aug. 1, and the deadline to collect the required valid signatures was Sept. 30.

The proponents for the recall are Jurinsky, Judy Lutkin and lawyer Suzanne Taheri.

Ludkin was previously an officer for the Aurora Police Department, and she sits on the Aurora Civil Service Commission for the City of Aurora. The commission is the group that oversees the hiring and promotions of Aurora Firefighters and the police.

Taheri was the Colorado Deputy Secretary of State for seven years, where she worked on election issues and chaired the state Initiative title-setting board. Last year, she represented Republican Mayor Mike Coffman in a failed 2023 effort to ask voters to create a different form of Aurora government. Taheri has connections to the Advance Colorado, a GOP dark-money nonprofit that typically funds elections and does not disclose its donors, according to reporting from the Colorado Sun.

Taheri told the Sentinel that the com-

mittee had no plans to pay a canvassing group to gain signatures. For the last month, Jurinsky has been advertising times for people to come to her Aurora bar, JJ’s Place, 2340 S. Chambers Road, to sign the petition.

For the recall, the proponents were required to submit a statement outlining their grounds for the action. Padden was then able to provide a statement of justification, which is all listed on the Secretary of State’s website.

The proponent’s statement begins with talking about the case of the death of Kaitlyn Weaver, a 24-year-old woman who was struck and killed in July 2024 by a noncitizen 15-year-old male. The juvenile was reported to be driving faster than 90 miles per hour in a residential area and without a license in 2024, according to CBS News and Jurinsky, who posted the report on her Facebook account and her X account while demanding a recall of Padden, May 16.

“In the tragic case of Kaitlyn Weaver, a vibrant 24-year-old Aurora resident, her life was senselessly ended by a 15-yearold, in this country illegally, driving 90 mph in a residential neighborhood,” the recall statement said. “He received just three years’ probation in a plea deal handed out by District Attorney Amy Padden. Justice for Kaitlyn and her family demands accountability.”

Padden is the district attorney for the 18th Judicial District, where the juvenile was taken for court, and the judge on the case was one who chose to sentence the juvenile to three years of probation. Padden won the seat last November and took over the office in January. Since the case involved a juvenile, Arapahoe County DA officials say they are unable to release any court documents, citing restrictions under state law. The Denver Gazette reported in May that the boy and his family have since been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The recall statement accuses Padden of mishandling another case, which involved Jurinsky and her family.

“A county social worker, Robin Niceta, convicted of seven felonies and three misdemeanors, also received a mere three years’ probation,” the statement said.

In this case, Niceta worked for Arapahoe County as a social worker and falsely accused Jurinsky of child abuse. At the time, Niceta was dating a former Aurora police chief, and Jurinsky speculated that Niceta acted in anger after Jurinsky publicly criticised the police chief.

Because Niceta worked for Arapahoe County, the prosecution was required to have the Denver District Attorney’s office prosecute her case. Niceta was charged in November 2023 with a felony for attempting to influence a public servant, a social services employee, and a misdemeanor for falsely reporting child abuse. She was convicted of four years and six months of jail time.

Before her conviction, Niceta tried to delay the case by faking a severe brain cancer diagnosis, a court later determined.

She pleaded guilty to seven charges in that crime, with two counts of attempting to influence a public servant, one count of forgery and conspiracy, one count of tampering with evidence, one count of criminal impersonation and two counts of forgery. Three charges were dismissed.

Sentences for Niceta’s charges for faking cancer run concurrently with each other, but consecutively to her previous case, Eric Ross, public information officer for the 18th Judicial District, said in an email.

The jail time added to each charge was suspended in lieu of three years of

successful probation, according to court documents. The judge in the case decided the sentencing for Niceta’s charges. Denver attorneys, not those under the Arapahoe County DA, represented the people in the first case against Jurinsky. It was the 18th district prosecutors who took up the second case. Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Gallo requested that the judge impose a prison sentence in the case, not probation, according to court documents.

In addition, Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Gallo requested that the judge impose a prison sentence in the case, according to court documents.

Recall supporters pointed to other justification for their goal.

“Amy Padden further undermined trust by dismissing charges against two activists who defied police orders, blocking a major road during a protest,” the statement said.

This statement is referring to a Kilyn Lewis peace march, Dec. 8, in honor of Lewis, who was an unarmed Black man shot and killed by an Aurora SWAT officer in 2024. Lewis was being pursued as a suspect for a shooting in Denver. During the march, protesters were said to have blocked a section of East Alameda Avenue, according to city officials.

Those marching included MiDian Shofner, an activist who has been protesting inside of city council meetings for the last year in a call for police firings in the shooting death of Kilyn Lewis.

Schofner was arrested along with another protester after moving the march onto Alameda. She said she informed one officer about the march and was given the impression that the police were going to block cross streets to help protect the marchers.

Court documents for Schofner’s hearing stated that “justice would not be further served by continued prosecution of the defendant because the evidence does not support continued prosecution in the case.”

Most cases in Colorado where protesters block major roadways have been dismissed in court since 2020, a search of court records shows. The five people who blocked the highway to protest the wrongful death of Elijah McClain, a young Black man who was restrained by Aurora Police without committing a crime and given a lethal dose of ketamine by Aurora paramedics, were all dismissed by the 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason. Hundreds of protesters shut down I-225 during a massive protest linked to the deaths of McClain and George Floyd. The only charges in the event were linked to shots fired.

Jurinsky taunted Shofner on a social media post and a local live-stream talk show, offering to hold a staged physical fight to resolve their political differences.

One of the last arguments in the recall grounds statement ends with a topic Jurinsky has brought up many times on social media.

“Padden also plans to dismiss charges in an attempted child kidnapping case, potentially releasing a mentally incompetent registered sex offender back into our community despite her authority to hold them in state custody until fit for trial.

Padden directly addressed this statement in her response to the Secretary of State.

“Where I have identified weaknesses in the system, I have implemented new processes in the office and sought reform where appropriate,” she said in the statement. “For example, in cases where mental competency is raised, courts are required by state law to dismiss the charges

if a defendant is incompetent and unlikely to be restored or to maintain competency.”

A district attorney does not have “authority to hold a defendant in custody until fit to stand trial,” she said in the statement.

“Only the Judge has that authority, and I am speaking with victims and other community leaders to advocate for changes in the statute,” she said in the statement.

Padden pointed out that the defendant in the case is not free but is in mental hospital custody.

The recall statement from the proponents finished by saying it all happened in Padden’s first six months.

“These decisions favor the accused over public safety,” the proponents’ statement said. “It’s time to recall District Attorney Amy Padden and demand a justice system that protects Arapahoe County and honors victims like Kaitlyn.”

Padden’s response directly refered to the proponent’s statement and says that she has focused on seeking justice for victims and making communities safer.

“In the past six months, we obtained a life sentence for the Aurora dentist who poisoned his wife,” Padden said in the statement, referring to James Craig, who admitted to killing his wife and trying to make it look like a suicide.

“A 36-year-to-life sentence for a human trafficker,” Padden said in the recall statement.

This sentencing is talking about Kenneth Noel, a 39-year-old Texan man who was caught trying to smuggle two 14-yearolds and an adult female to Nevada in a human trafficking case. Noel, who was 34 at the time, was pulled over in Arapahoe County in 2020 for what prosecutors said was a routine traffic stop. He was charged with trafficking minors and an adult, pimping and sex assault of a minor.

“And a 99-year-to-life sentence for a kidnapping and sexual assault case,” she said in the statement.

Khafre Buxton, 37, received a 99-yearto-life sentence after robbing a La Quinta Inn six days before Christmas in 2020. He then kidnapped the front desk clerk and assaulted her.

“We have filed thousands and tried over 100 cases this year, including homicides, DUIs, domestic violence, financial crimes and sexual assault,” Padden’s statement said. “During 2025, car theft rates and homicide rates have decreased, and I will soon announce a new initiative to combat a recent increase in vehicular homicides.

I also sought and obtained additional resources to support victims, including 10 additional employees to ensure the orderly transition of domestic violence cases that the Aurora City Council shifted to my office.”

The Aurora City Council voted to remove misdemeanor domestic cases from their municipal court this year and send them to district courts. The 18th Judicial District was scheduled to receive the majority of the cases since Arapahoe County accounts for a significant portion of Aurora. The 18th also received far less funding than they expected this year after a significant deficit in the Colorado State revenue. Because of these factors, the 18th has been concerned with the added case load and whether it will be handled with the required level of care.

“We also added an additional staff member to assist victims seeking compensation and support services,” Padden said. “I have met with victims personally to ensure that I am seeking justice for them and will continue to do so throughout my term.”

lice department special operations, said traffic enforcement has intensified, with 11,250 traffic summonses issued and 18,700 traffic stops made in 2025.

“Through enforcement, our primary traffic enforcement group is our traffic section,” Brukbacher said. “However, it has been made very clear that all members of the Aurora Police Department’s mission is traffic safety, and with that, we have seen an increase in ticket generation and strict enforcement, specifically in problem areas.”

He stated that there are eight specialized motorcycle officers, with two patrolling interstates, while weekend operations target street racing through the Secure our Streets initiative, established in 2024.

The Special Operations Bureau, which oversees specialized units and task forces, including SWAT, has issued 6,587 summonses year to date, Brukbacher said, and in the last eight weeks, ticket issuance has increased by 32%.

“Strict enforcement is definitely ongoing,” he said.

The police department is also working on messaging to ask people to slow down and pay attention.

“Some of the messaging we put out is trying to get people to slow down, pay attention to driving, put the phone down and engage in the act of driving solely,” Brukbacher said.

The city is also preparing to launch its first automated speed enforcement cameras.

Beginning in October, drivers caught going more than 11 miles per hour over the limit in residential areas, school zones, and work zones will receive warnings through the camera enforcement. By November, individuals will receive $40 citations, or $80 in school zones.

Severe violations, exceeding the limit by more than 25 mph, will still require officers to issue tickets.

Aurora partnered with the National Transportation Safety Board for a traffic safety summit earlier this year and is working with CDOT and the Denver Regional Council of Governments on outreach campaigns, Campuzano said.

The city is developing the Aurora Safe Streets Action Plan, which will combine technology upgrades, police crackdowns and expanded community presentations, Campuzano said. City officials also plan to attend ward meetings to gather feedback and keep residents engaged.

— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer

3 Aurora council members defy virtual meeting mandate, hold public forum

City lawmakers are back meeting in public and in person. Sort of. Some of them.

Saying they want to return to a community-involved city council meeting, compared to the virtual meetings held over the past few months, three city council members decided to take the meeting back to the people Sept. 22.

“Power lies with the community,” Councilmember Ruben Medina said. “You can get rid of me, but they can’t get rid of all of you if you come together.”

The in-person platform, created by council members Crystal Murillo, Alison Coombs, and Medina, held the meeting at a local elementary school gymnasium. It was in response to the majority of city council members voting to hold virtual meetings until a wrongful death lawsuit linked to an Aurora officer-involved shooting is complete, which could take years.

All three of the city lawmakers who pushed back against the virtual meeting mandate are Democrats. The rest of the city council is composed of two unaffiliated lawmakers six Republicans.

Approximately 15 to 20 people attended, with some listening for specific items to come up on the agenda, others taking part in the community conversations around them, and a few waiting their turn to enter the virtual meeting to submit their public comments.

There were baked goods being handed out, and a few people went to get dinner together after. It gave the impression of a small-town city council meeting.

Over the past year and a half, protesters and family members of Lewis attended, protested and often disrupted council meetings to demand city and district attorney action in the 2023 death of Kilyn Lewis, who was fatally shot by an Aurora officer during his arrest as a suspect in a shooting in Denver.

In May, the one-year anniversary of Lewis’ death, the family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Aurora. City council members, in an effort headed by Danielle Jurinsky, decided they would make all city council meetings virtual until the lawsuit was complete, after the family and other activists spent the majority of the year protesting and disrupting in different ways during the meetings.

The alternative meeting format in the gym on Monday offered a space to residents whose lives have been directly affected by police violence.

“This is about community voice,” MiDian Shofner, a local activist for police reform and accountability, said. “We have someone here who has been impacted tragically by the police. That voice should be a priority.”

There were three people at the meeting who were linked to someone being shot and killed by an Aurora Police officer, including Kiawa Lewis, Kilyn’s brother.

Also among those who spoke Monday was Anna Harris, the partner of Korey Dillard, who was fatally shot Oct. 3, 2024 by Aurora police after people called the police on him for walking around a northwest Aurora apartment with an airsoft gun that looked like an AK-47. Harris spoke about the night police came to their home, and she said they escalated a domestic dispute into what she called “murder on the porch.”

“They told the public a story that wasn’t true,” Harris said. “Research shows pay and recruitment alone won’t solve our turnover problem. Culture, fairness and accountability matter most. The people of Aurora have offered this solution; hold officers accountable, fire and jail the bad ones, train, arrest and enforce that training. Korey should still be here.”

Last year, after Dillard died, the police department described him as homeless and estranged from Harris. They also stated that Harris claimed she was afraid of Dillard in her police statement, which she later denied.

She said that Dillard, her son and she all lived together, and that Dillard spent some of his free time working on a hobby van the family would use for traveling. At a press conference after the shooting, police said that Dillard had been living in the van. The van was parked in their apartment parking lot. Dillard grabbed his toy gun from the van after a friend and he got into a fight to get the friend to leave the property, according to Harris and security footage obtained from Aurora Police.

While grabbing the toy gun, he locked his keys in the van. Many people called the police, including the friend he

had fought with, and said Dillard was pacing in the parking lot with a gun, which is also seen in the footage from security cameras and neighbors.

Dillard was fatally shot on what Harris considered the front porch of their apartment complex while talking to their neighbor, as seen in the footage. Harris said the neighbor was a friend of theirs, and speculated that Dillard was probably asking her to let him in.

Harris invited the public and city leaders to a candlelight vigil marking the one-year anniversary of Dillard’s death at Elm Grove Park.

Christian Caldwell, a cousin of Rajon Belt-Stubblefield, also spoke at the meeting on Monday. Belt-Stubblefield was recently fatally shot a few weeks ago after an officer attempted to pull him over for a traffic violation, and the encounter turned into a car crash and an aggressive exchange between Belt-Stubblefield and the officer.

“I just ask that we get justice for these Black men who have been slain in our city,” Caldwell said. “It is despicable. It’s horrible. As a resident for 34 years, it’s time for a change.”

Murillo talked about the longstanding tensions between the public and the current city council majority over rules for participation at official meetings. She said that the decision to go virtual was “direct retaliation” against residents who protested or spoke critically during public comment.

The meeting originally had two public comment sessions, but it was reduced to one, then the hours were cut from two to one, and now it is 30 minutes, Murillo said.

“This is not normal,” Murillo said. “We should not normalize that those in positions of power retaliate against community members for being mad, for being hurt, for holding people accountable, for holding us accountable, for the actions that happen and the things that happen in our city.”

Coombs said the virtual-only format of recent council meetings has eroded trust and community building.

“This space is about giving the community the opportunity to access your representatives,” Coombs said. “And also to give you the space to connect with each other, because when we have you

only calling us up on the phone, we don’t see each other’s faces, and I think it’s important that you’ll be able to do that.”

At the end of the meeting, the three council members allowed the public to ask them questions, with one member leaving at a time to avoid a quorum and a potential violation of open meeting laws, which require notification.

“There’s nothing I can say that’s going to bring these family members back, and nothing that’s going to ever take that pain away,” Coombs said. “But when our police chief frames victims as criminals, it undermines due process. We owe our community better.”

Police Chief Todd Chamberlain has framed a series of press conferences after officer-involved shootings as opportunities for police to be transparent about the fatal shootings, offering some detail and video recordings in advance of actual outside investigations of the incidents.

Community members and people streaming the live meeting at the school were able to ask questions to the council members. They asked how residents can more meaningfully engage with the federally mandated consent decree, which requires the Aurora Police Department to reform after findings of racially biased policing and excessive force.

Coombs said the group of council members will continue to hold meetings in various public spaces throughout the city and invite the public to join them. The next meeting place has not been announced yet.

— Cassandra

Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer

$14.2

million boost for Aurora open space and parks from Arapahoe County grants

Aurora will be receiving $14.2 million in grants and awards from Arapahoe County for open space projects, county officials announced last week.

Arapahoe County is awarding 12 county communities grants and awards totaling $21 million altogether.

“Each of these funded projects supports Arapahoe County’s mission to build stronger, healthier communities

and enhance residents’ quality of life,” Arapahoe County said in a statement.

Arapahoe County presented the awards and grants Thursday as part of its 2025 Shareback and Open Space Grants Program.

Aurora received $600,000 for a Side Creek Park renovation, which includes a new playground, upgraded sports courts, turf conversion for water conservation and new picnic areas.

The city also received $600,000 for the Utah Park tennis courts and lighting replacements, which include a complete rebuild of nine courts with new lighting, seating, fencing and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements.

Finally, the city will receive an additional $13 million in shareback funds for use in open space and parks projects across the city.

Fifty percent of the annual Open Space Sales and Use Tax revenue is distributed directly back to participating cities and towns across the county through the Shareback program,” the statement said.

Funds are allocated according to population and are designed to contribute to the quality of life and overall health of county residents via trail, playground and park improvement projects.”

The Board of County Commissioners also awarded $4.8 million in grants to 11 projects across Arapahoe County separately from the Shareback funds, according to the statement.

“Each year, 12% of the county’s tax revenue is dedicated to the Open Space Grant Program,” the statement said. “The county’s investment in these projects is leveraged by more than $12.7 million in matching funds provided by the grant recipients.”

— Sentinel Staff

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION

Two Cherry Creek students want to ask voters to make state university admissions easier

Cherry Creek High School seniors

›› See METRO, 16

›› METRO, from 15

Kiran Herz and Jaiden Hwang have spent hundreds of hours filling out college applications and writing admissions essays.

Hwang estimates he wrote 30 essays just over the summer. Herz, seeing the stress that fellow students face when applying to college, wanted to find a solution to make college admissions easier.

His research led to a 1997 Texas law that guarantees in-state students who graduate in the top 10% of their high school class receive automatic admission to every public state university. The two Colorado friends hope they can get voters to pass a similar law here during the November 2026 election.

“It’s so incredibly difficult to get into some of these universities,” Hwang said. “There’s so much ambiguity and stress involved.”

In proposing the ballot measure, the two teenagers could initiate a broader statewide discussion about how to get more students to college and alleviate admissions process stress.

National advocates for easier admissions say statewide initiatives take the guesswork out of applying to a university. They say these policies reduce stress, encourage students to stay in state, and help students who come from low-income families or would be the first in their family to attend college see higher education as an option.

The students’ proposal would ask voters to require state-funded universities guarantee admissions to students with a GPA in the top 10% of their high school’s graduating class. Eligible students would need to apply for admittance within two years of graduating. The proposal would limit the number of students admitted to 75% of the school’s freshman enrollment.

To get their proposal on the November 2026 ballot, the students need over 124,000 voter signatures by December. They want voters to know that the stress of applying to college can be unbearable, and they’ve seen peers decide against college altogether.

“The admissions process is incredibly more complicated than it needs to be,” said the Lumina Foundation’s Mel-

anie Heath, who advocates for and has studied easier admissions policies nationally. “And we’ve seen a movement across many states to do some type of simplified admissions process.”

The Lumina Foundation is a nonprofit philanthropy that supports greater access to opportunities beyond high school. (Lumina is a Chalkbeat funder. See our funders here, and read our ethics policy here.)

Nationwide, about a dozen states have guaranteed admissions policies that set a bar at state universities. All students who meet that criteria are admitted. Guaranteed admissions are seen as a way to attract higher-achieving groups of students to apply to state schools.

Another dozen states have direct admissions policies, wherein state colleges notify high school seniors that they’ve been accepted without the students ever needing to apply. Direct admissions programs primarily help students who might not think college is for them.

So far, Colorado state leaders and higher education officials haven’t coalesced around a single strategy. Instead, universities have taken different approaches.

Metropolitan State University of Denver and the Colorado School of Mines have guaranteed admission for students from select school districts. CU Denver recently announced a new program for Denver Public Schools students.

Five Colorado colleges, including Colorado State University Pueblo and Adams State University, have direct admissions.

Colorado doesn’t have cascading admissions, which is when university systems notify students they’ve been accepted at other schools if they’re not admitted to their first choice.

“Maybe even more than the complexity, these policies take the stress out of applying,” Heath said.

In 2022, David Tandberg, during his first year as Adams State University’s president, asked school administrators to create a direct admissions system for San Luis Valley students.

The idea was new to Colorado, but not Tandberg, who previously worked at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. There, he was

involved in helping other states replicate Idaho’s pioneering Idaho Campus Choice, a statewide direct admissions program.

“We in the Valley have the lowest educational attainment rates in the state,” Tandberg said, referring to Alamosa and the San Luis Valley. “And for most students, if they have a high school diploma or GED, we admit them. So why not do direct admissions here?”

Heath said direct admissions policies don’t cost much, and Idaho spends about $30,000 a year sending out letters. The small investment has yielded a big return, she said, with an increase in enrollment by 4% to 8% at open-access institutions. The program has also kept about 8% to 15% more Idaho students in state.

Adams State officials found they only needed to invest time in creating the first direct admission program in the state. University officials drafted letters for families and students and created a system to share student information between school districts and the university.

“I’ve had parents and grandparents stop me in the street and say, ‘You have no idea how much that meant to our kid and to us,’” Tandberg said. “The real delta is with those students that check themselves out, that thought higher ed didn’t want them.”

— Jason Gonzales of Chalkbeat Colorado

BEYOND AURORA

Voters to decide fate of free school meals program in 2025

Aurora and all Colorado voters will be asked this fall to weigh in on two ballot measures concerning the state’s free school meals program, the only statewide contests in the 2025 off-year election.

Propositions LL and MM were referred to the ballot by the Colorado General Assembly earlier this year. Together, they aim to shore up funding for the Healthy School Meals For All program, which was authorized by Colorado voters in 2022 but has exceeded cost projections in its first years of operation.

Without additional funding, program administrators have said they will have to take steps to restrict eligibility to only low-income students and schools. Additional efforts to purchase locally-grown produce, increase wages for cafeteria workers and offset federal food stamp cuts would also go without funding.

Keep Kids Fed Colorado, an issue committee registered in support of Propositions LL and MM, has reported $152,000 in contributions, mostly from the nonprofit Hunger Free Colorado. The campaign touts a long list of endorsements from organizations including Children’s Hospital Colorado, Great Education Colorado, Mi Familia Vota, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union and Save the Children Action Network.

Three years ago, Colorado voters approved a ballot measure to create the school meals program, which provides free breakfast and lunch to all students regardless of their family’s income level. It was funded by limiting income tax deductions for filers earning over $300,000 per year.

The program’s funding mechanism raised more than expected in the 20232024 fiscal year. Proposition LL would allow the state to keep the $12.4 million in excess revenue that would otherwise be returned to voters under the 1992 state constitutional amendment known as the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.

That money has already been collected by the state. If Proposition LL is approved, the state would keep it and spend it on the school meals program.

If Proposition LL is rejected, the money would be refunded to Colorado households making at least $300,000 a year. Roughly 200,000 filers in Colorado, representing the richest 6% of households, would receive an average refund of $62.

While Healthy School Meals For All initially raised more revenue than projected, the program’s costs also exceeded projections, resulting in a budget gap that rose to roughly $50 million this year.

Proposition MM aims to permanently fund the full program by further limiting tax deductions for filers earning over $300,000 a year, raising an additional $95 million annually for the program.

Households in that high-income category would pay an average of $486 more in income taxes yearly, according to nonpartisan state fiscal analysts.

The program’s budget gap has led to delays in implementing two supplementary programs that were also included in the 2022 ballot measure: grants for purchasing locally grown food from Colorado farmers and increased wages for cafeteria workers. If Proposition MM is approved, those provisions would be implemented.

During a special legislative session in August, Colorado lawmakers also tweaked Proposition MM to allow the additional revenue to be spent on broader efforts to reduce food insecurity, once the Healthy School Meals For All program’s costs are covered. That would help the state partially offset the impact — estimated at up to $170 million annually — of reduced funding and higher administrative costs for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as a result of cuts passed by congressional Republicans in July.

— Chase Woodruff, Colorado Newsline

Colorado law helps uninsured patients with medical debt, but huge gaps remain Quinn Cochran-Zipp went to the emergency room three times with se-

vere abdominal pain before doctors figured out she had early-stage cancer in the germ cells of her right ovary. After emergency surgery four years ago, the Greeley, Colorado, lab technician is cancer-free.

The two hospitals that treated Cochran-Zipp at the time determined that she qualified for 100% financial assistance, since her income as a college student was extremely low. Not having to worry about the roughly $100,000 in bills she racked up for her care was an enormous relief, she said.

Then she started receiving unexpected bills from doctors who worked at the hospitals but, because they weren’t on staff there, didn’t have to abide by the facilities’ financial assistance policies.

Those bills, which came from specialists in emergency medicine, anesthesiology, and radiology who treated her, totaled more than $5,000. Although it was a fraction of the total cost of her care, to Cochran-Zipp it was an enormous amount. She went on payment plans and used scholarship and covid stimulus money to help cover the bills.

Cochran-Zipp, now 25 and working at a community health center, is applying to medical schools and hopes to enroll next fall. Her experience as a patient has shaped how she thinks about becoming a doctor.

“I don’t think that I could be a provider that, in good conscience, charges patients money in addition to the hospital fees,” she said.

Hospital financial assistance programs are commonplace, and many patients rely on them. Most offer varying amounts of financial help to uninsured and lower-income people. Eligibility is typically based on a sliding income scale. Some hospitals apply other tests, such as residency.

But even if people qualify for assistance, they may not get discounts. That’s because many physicians working at but not for a hospital aren’t bound by its financial assistance policies. Hospitals themselves might limit the types of services eligible for discounted or “charity care,” as it’s sometimes called.

“It’s a hole in the system,” said Caitlin Donovan, a senior director at the Patient Advocate Foundation, a nonprofit that helps patients with serious illnesses cover their medical bills. Case managers who work with patients report that they’ve seen these problems repeatedly, Donovan said.

In the coming years, more patients will encounter difficulties as demand for financial assistance grows. More than 14 million people are projected to lose health insurance over the next decade, primarily because of changes to the federal Medicaid program and state insurance marketplaces in recently passed tax and spending legislation championed by the Trump administration. Some of these people will likely qualify for discounted care.

Nonprofit hospitals do not pay taxes on the money they make, but to maintain that tax-exempt status, they are required to have policies to help patients pay for emergency and other medically necessary care. For-profit hospitals are not required to offer financial assistance to needy patients, but many do.

However, physicians and other providers who work in a hospital as independent contractors rather than as employees are often not subject to a hospital’s financial assistance policy. According to an analysis by the Lown Institute, a health care think tank, physician services in the emergency, radiology, anesthesia, and pathology specialties ›› See METRO, 25

the first year following organization is $330,000,000.

The boundaries of the proposed District is land south of Jewell Avenue, east of E-470, and north of Yale Avenue, and containing approximately 1.000 acre.

By: /s/ Ashley B. Frisbie Designated Election Official

Publication: October 2, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE OF INDEPENDENT

MAIL BALLOT ELECTION

COTTONWOOD CREEK

METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 6

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025

NOTICE is hereby given that an independent mail ballot election will be held by Cottonwood Creek Metropolitan District No. 6, in the City of Aurora, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado (the “District”) on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

This election will be conducted as an independent mail ballot election only. Mail ballots will be mailed to eligible electors between October 13, 2025 and October 20, 2025.

The purpose of the election is to submit to the eligible electors of the District the questions of organizing the District, electing directors, and voting upon certain ballot issues and ballot questions.

DROP-OFF LOCATION AND HOURS:

WBA, PC Office of the Designated Election Official

2154 E. Commons Avenue, Suite 2000 Centennial, Colorado 80122

Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., October 13, 2025 through November 3, 2025, and Tuesday, November 4, 2025 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The names of persons nominated as Director to serve until May 2027 (two seats to be voted upon):

JAMES SPEHALSKI

MICHAEL SANDENE

The names of persons nominated as Director to serve until May 2029 (three seats to be voted upon):

MEGAN WALDSCHMIDT

ALEXANDER ADAMS PAIGE LANGLEY

Ballot Issues to be voted upon:

Ballot Issue A (Operations, Administration and Maintenance Mill Levy – Ad Valorem

NOTICE OF INDEPENDENT

MAIL BALLOT ELECTION

COTTONWOOD CREEK

METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 7

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025

NOTICE is hereby given that an independent mail ballot election will be held by Cottonwood Creek Metropolitan District No. 7, in the City of Aurora, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado (the “District”) on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

This election will be conducted as an independent mail ballot election only. Mail ballots will be mailed to eligible electors between October 13, 2025 and October 20, 2025.

DROP-OFF LOCATION AND HOURS: WBA, PC Office of the Designated Election Official 2154 E. Commons Avenue, Suite 2000 Centennial, Colorado 80122

Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., October 13, 2025 through November 3, 2025, and Tuesday, November 4, 2025 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The names of persons nominated as Director to serve until May 2027 (two seats to be voted upon):

JAMES SPEHALSKI

MICHAEL SANDENE

The names of persons nominated as Director to serve until May 2029 (three seats to be voted upon):

ALEXANDER ADAMS

PAIGE LANGLEY

MEGAN WALDSCHMIDT

Ballot Issues to be voted upon:

Ballot Issue A (Operations, Administration and Maintenance Mill Levy – Ad Valorem Taxes)

Ballot Issue B (Capital Costs – Ad Valorem Taxes)

Ballot Issue C (Operations, Administration and Maintenance – Fees)

Ballot Issue D (Capital Costs – Fees)

Ballot Issue E (Multiple Fiscal Year Intergovernmental Agreement Mill Levy Question)

Ballot Issue F (Regional Improvements)

Ballot Issue G (Multiple Fiscal Year Private Agreement Mill Levy Question)

Ballot Issue H (De-TABOR)

Ballot Issue I (In-District Special Assessment Debt)

Ballot Issue J (Street Improvements)

Ballot Issue K (Parks and Recreation)

Ballot Issue L (Water)

Ballot Issue M (Sanitation/Storm Sewer)

Ballot Issue N (Transportation)

Ballot Issue O (Mosquito Control)

Ballot Issue P (Fire Protection)

F (Regional Improvements)

Ballot Issue G (Multiple Fiscal Year Private Agreement Mill Levy Question)

Ballot Issue H (De-TABOR)

Ballot Issue I (In-District Special Assessment Debt)

Ballot Issue J (Street Improvements)

Ballot Issue K (Parks and Recreation)

Ballot Issue L (Water)

Ballot Issue M (Sanitation/Storm Sewer)

Ballot Issue N (Transportation)

Ballot Issue O (Mosquito Control)

Ballot Issue P (Fire Protection)

Ballot Issue Q (Television Relay and Translation)

Ballot Issue R (Security)

Ballot Issue S (Operations and Maintenance Debt)

Ballot Issue T (Refunding Debt)

Ballot Issue U (District Intergovernmental Agreements as Debt)

Ballot Issue V (District Private Agreements as Debt)

Ballot Issue W (Mortgage)

Ballot Issue X (Multiple Fiscal Year Intergovernmental Agreement)

Ballot Issue Y (Multiple Fiscal Year Private Agreement)

Ballot Issue Z (Debt Service Revenue for Operations)

Ballot Issue AA (High Speed Internet – Authorization to Provide Service)

Ballot Issue BB (High Speed Internet – Authorization to Make Covenants)

Ballot Questions to be voted upon:

Ballot Question CC (Organize District)

Ballot Question DD (Term Limit Elimination) Ballot Question EE (Transportation Authorization)

The estimated operating mill levy for the first year following organization is 10.000 mills.

The estimated debt service mill levy for the first year following organization is 50.000 mills.

The estimated fiscal year spending for the first year following organization is $330,000,000.

The boundaries of the proposed District is land south of Jewell Avenue, east of E-470, and north of Yale Avenue, and containing approximately 1.000 acre.

Ashley B. Frisbie

/s/

By:

Designated Election Official

Publication: October 2, 2025 Sentinel

issues and ballot questions.

DROP-OFF LOCATION AND HOURS:

WBA, PC Office of the Designated Election Official

2154 E. Commons Avenue, Suite 2000 Centennial, Colorado 80122

Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., October 13, 2025 through November 3, 2025, and Tuesday, November 4, 2025 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The names of persons nominated as Director to serve until May 2027 (two seats to be voted upon):

JAMES SPEHALSKI

MICHAEL SANDENE

The names of persons nominated as Director to serve until May 2029 (three seats to be voted upon):

PAIGE LANGLEY

MEGAN WALDSCHMIDT

ALEXANDER ADAMS

Ballot Issues to be voted upon:

Ballot Issue A (Operations, Administration and Maintenance Mill Levy – Ad Valorem Taxes)

Ballot Issue B (Capital Costs – Ad Valorem Taxes)

Ballot Issue C (Operations, Administration and Maintenance – Fees)

Ballot Issue D (Capital Costs – Fees)

Ballot Issue E (Multiple Fiscal Year Intergovernmental Agreement Mill Levy Question)

Ballot Issue F (Regional Improvements)

Ballot Issue G (Multiple Fiscal Year Private Agreement Mill Levy Question)

Ballot Issue H (De-TABOR)

Ballot Issue I (In-District Special Assessment Debt)

Ballot Issue J (Street Improvements)

Ballot Issue K (Parks and Recreation)

Ballot Issue L (Water)

Ballot Issue M (Sanitation/Storm Sewer)

Ballot Issue N (Transportation)

Ballot Issue O (Mosquito Control)

Ballot Issue P (Fire Protection)

Ballot Issue Q (Television Relay and Translation)

Ballot Issue R (Security)

Ballot Issue S (Operations and Maintenance Debt)

Ballot Issue T (Refunding Debt)

Ballot Issue U (District Intergovernmental Agreements as Debt)

Ballot Issue V (District Private Agreements as Debt)

Ballot Issue W (Mortgage)

Ballot Issue X (Multiple Fiscal Year Intergovernmental Agreement)

Ballot Issue Y (Multiple Fiscal Year Private Agreement)

Ballot Issue Z (Debt Service Revenue for Operations)

Ballot Issue AA (High Speed Internet – Authorization to Provide Service)

Ballot Issue BB (High Speed Internet – Authorization to Make Covenants)

Ballot Issue Q (Television Relay and Translation)

Ballot Issue R (Security)

Ballot Issue S (Operations and Maintenance Debt)

Ballot Issue T (Refunding Debt)

Ballot Issue U (District Intergovernmental Agreements as Debt)

Ballot Issue V (District Private Agreements as Debt)

Ballot Issue W (Mortgage)

Ballot Issue X (Multiple Fiscal Year Intergovernmental Agreement)

Ballot Issue Y (Multiple Fiscal Year Private Agreement)

Ballot Issue Z (Debt Service Revenue for Operations)

Ballot Issue AA (High Speed Internet – Authorization to Provide Service)

Ballot Issue BB (High Speed Internet – Authorization to Make Covenants)

Ballot Questions to be voted upon:

Ballot Question CC (Organize District)

Ballot Question DD (Term Limit Elimination)

Ballot Question EE (Transportation Authorization)

The estimated operating mill levy for the first year following organization is 10.000 mills.

The estimated debt service mill levy for the first year following organization is 50.000 mills.

The estimated fiscal year spending for the first year following organization is $330,000,000.

The boundaries of the proposed District is land south of Jewell Avenue, east of E-470, and north of Yale Avenue, and containing approximately 1.000 acre.

By: /s/ Ashley B. Frisbie Designated Election Official

Publication: October 2, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE OF INDEPENDENT MAIL BALLOT ELECTION COTTONWOOD CREEK METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 8 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025

NOTICE is hereby given that an independent mail ballot election will be held by Cottonwood Creek Metropolitan District No. 8, in the City of Aurora, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado (the “District”) on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

This election will be conducted as an independent mail ballot election only. Mail ballots will be mailed to eligible electors between October 13, 2025 and October 20, 2025.

The purpose of the election is to submit to the eligible electors of the District the questions of organizing the District, electing directors, and voting upon certain ballot

rector to serve until May 2029 (three seats to be voted upon):

PAIGE LANGLEY

ALEXANDER ADAMS

MEGAN WALDSCHMIDT

Ballot Issues to be voted upon:

Ballot Issue A (Operations, Administration and Maintenance Mill Levy

– Ad Valorem Taxes)

Ballot Issue B (Capital Costs

– Ad Valorem Taxes)

Ballot Issue C (Operations, Administration and Maintenance – Fees)

Ballot Issue D (Capital Costs – Fees)

Ballot Issue E (Multiple Fiscal Year Intergovernmental Agreement Mill Levy Question)

Ballot Issue F (Regional Improvements)

Ballot Issue G (Multiple Fiscal Year Private Agreement Mill Levy Question)

Ballot Issue H (De-TABOR)

Ballot Issue I (In-District Special Assessment Debt)

Ballot Issue J (Street Improvements)

Ballot Issue K (Parks and Recreation)

Ballot Issue L (Water)

Ballot Issue M (Sanitation/Storm Sewer)

Ballot Issue N(Transportation)

Ballot Issue O (Mosquito Control)

Ballot Issue P (Fire Protection)

Ballot Issue Q (Television Relay and Translation)

Ballot Issue R (Security)

Ballot Issue S (Operations and Maintenance Debt)

Ballot Issue T (Refunding Debt)

Ballot Issue U (District Intergovernmental Agreements as Debt)

Ballot Issue V (District Private Agreements as Debt)

Ballot Issue W (Mortgage)

Ballot Issue X (Multiple Fiscal Year Intergovernmental Agreement)

Ballot Issue Y (Multiple Fiscal Year Private Agreement)

Ballot Issue Z (Debt Service Revenue for Operations)

Ballot Issue AA (High Speed Internet – Authorization to Provide Service)

Ballot Issue BB (High Speed Internet – Authorization to Make Covenants)

Ballot Questions to be voted upon:

Ballot Question CC (Organize District)

Ballot Question DD (Term Limit Elimination)

Ballot Question EE (Transportation Authorization)

The estimated operating mill levy for the first year following organization is 10.000 mills.

The estimated debt service mill levy for the first year following organization is 50.000 mills.

The estimated fiscal year spending for the first year following organization is $330,000,000.

Ballot Questions to be voted upon:

Ballot Question CC (Organize District)

Ballot Question DD (Term Limit Elimination)

Ballot Question EE (Transportation Authorization)

The estimated operating mill levy for the first year following organization is 10.000 mills.

The estimated debt service mill levy for the first year following organization is 50.000 mills.

The estimated fiscal year spending for the first year following organization is $330,000,000.

The boundaries of the proposed District is land south of Jewell Avenue, east of E-470, and north of Yale Avenue, and containing approximately 1.000 acre.

By: /s/ Ashley B. Frisbie Designated Election Official

Publication: October 2, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE OF INDEPENDENT

MAIL BALLOT ELECTION

COTTONWOOD CREEK

METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 9

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025

NOTICE is hereby given that an independent mail ballot election will be held by Cottonwood Creek Metropolitan District No. 9, in the City of Aurora, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado (the “District”) on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

This election will be conducted as an independent mail ballot election only. Mail ballots will be mailed to eligible electors between October 13, 2025 and October 20, 2025.

DROP-OFF LOCATION AND HOURS:

WBA, PC Office of the Designated Election Official

2154 E. Commons Avenue, Suite 2000 Centennial, Colorado 80122

Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., October 13, 2025 through November 3, 2025, and Tuesday, November 4, 2025 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The names of persons nominated as Director to serve until May 2027 (two seats to be voted upon):

JAMES SPEHALSKI

MICHAEL SANDENE

The names of persons nominated as Di-

2025 through November 3, 2025, and Tuesday, November 4, 2025 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Ballot Issues to be voted upon: Ballot Issue A (De-TABOR)

By: /s/ Ashley B. Frisbie Designated Election Official

Publication: October 2, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE OF INDEPENDENT MAIL BALLOT ELECTION EASTERN HILLS

METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 8

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025

NOTICE is hereby given that an independent mail ballot election will be held by Eastern Hills Metropolitan District No. 8, in the City of Aurora, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado (the “District”) on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

This election will be conducted as an independent mail ballot election only. Mail ballots will be mailed to eligible electors between October 13, 2025 and October 20, 2025.

DROP-OFF LOCATION AND HOURS: WBA, PC Office of the Designated Election Official 2154 E. Commons Avenue, Suite 2000 Centennial, Colorado 80122

Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., October 13, 2025 through November 3, 2025, and Tuesday, November 4, 2025 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Ballot Issues to be voted upon: Ballot Issue A (De-TABOR)

By: /s/ Ashley B. Frisbie

Designated Election Official

Publication: October 2, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE OF INDEPENDENT

MAIL BALLOT ELECTION

EASTERN HILLS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 11

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025

NOTICE is hereby given that an independent mail ballot election will be held by Eastern Hills Metropolitan District No. 11, in the City of Aurora, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado (the “District”) on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

This election will be conducted as an independent mail ballot election only. Mail ballots will be mailed to eligible electors between October 13, 2025 and October 20, 2025.

Monday through Friday, between the hours

The boundaries of the proposed District is land south of Jewell Avenue, east of E-470, and north of Yale Avenue, and containing approximately 1.000 acre.

By: /s/ Ashley B. Frisbie Designated Election Official

Publication: October 2, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE OF INDEPENDENT MAIL BALLOT ELECTION EASTERN HILLS

METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 10

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025

NOTICE is hereby given that an independent mail ballot election will be held by Eastern Hills Metropolitan District No. 10, in the City of Aurora, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado (the “District”) on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

This election will be conducted as an independent mail ballot election only. Mail ballots will be mailed to eligible electors between October 13, 2025 and October 20, 2025.

DROP-OFF LOCATION AND HOURS: WBA, PC Office of the Designated Election Official 2154 E. Commons Avenue, Suite 2000 Centennial, Colorado 80122

Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., October 13, 2025 through November 3, 2025, and Tuesday, November 4, 2025 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Ballot Issues to be voted upon: Ballot Issue A (De-TABOR)

By: /s/ Ashley B. Frisbie Designated Election Official

Publication: October 2, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE OF INDEPENDENT

MAIL BALLOT ELECTION EASTERN HILLS

METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 14

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025

NOTICE is hereby given that an independent mail ballot election will be held by Eastern Hills Metropolitan District No. 14, in the City of Aurora, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado (the “District”) on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

This election will be conducted as an independent mail ballot election only. Mail ballots will be mailed to eligible electors between October 13, 2025 and October 20, 2025.

DROP-OFF LOCATION AND HOURS: WBA, PC Office of the Designated Election Official 2154 E. Commons Avenue, Suite 2000 Centennial, Colorado 80122

Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., October 13,

DROP-OFF LOCATION AND HOURS: WBA, PC Office of the Designated Election Official 2154 E. Commons Avenue, Suite 2000 Centennial, Colorado 80122

Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., October 13, 2025 through November 3, 2025, and Tuesday, November 4, 2025 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Ballot Issues to be voted upon: Ballot Issue A (De-TABOR)

By: /s/ Ashley B. Frisbie Designated Election Official

Publication: October 2, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE OF INDEPENDENT MAIL BALLOT ELECTION HARVEST MILE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025

NOTICE is hereby given that an independent mail ballot election will be held by Harvest Mile Metropolitan District, in the City of Aurora, County of Adams, State of Colorado (the “District”) on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

This election will be conducted as an independent mail ballot election only. Mail ballots will be mailed to eligible electors between October 13, 2025 and October 20, 2025.

DROP-OFF LOCATION AND HOURS: WBA, PC Office of the Designated Election Official 2154 E. Commons Avenue, Suite 2000 Centennial, Colorado 80122

Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., October 13, 2025 through November 3, 2025, and Tuesday, November 4, 2025 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Ballot Issues to be voted upon: Ballot Issue A (De-TABOR)

By: /s/ Ashley B. Frisbie Designated Election Official

Publication: October 2, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE OF INDEPENDENT MAIL BALLOT ELECTION SENAC SOUTH METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NOS. 1-2 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025

NOTICE is hereby given that independent mail ballot elections will be held by Senac South Metropolitan District Nos. 1-2, in the City of Aurora, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado (each a “District”) on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

The elections will be conducted as independent mail ballot elections only. Mail ballots will be mailed to eligible electors between October 13, 2025 and October 20, 2025.

DROP-OFF LOCATION AND HOURS:

Commons Ave., Suite 2000, Centennial, Colorado and via teleconference on OCTOBER 21, 2025 at 12:00 p.m., to consider adoption of the District’s proposed 2026 budget (the “Proposed Budget”), and, if necessary, adoption of an amendment to the 2025 budget (the “Amended Budget”). The public hearing can be joined using the following teleconference information: https://us06web.zoom.us/ j/83872006012?pwd=MD9VcafNPSqEzCtrNVT6JoI4iKLaca.1

Meeting ID: 838 7200 6012 Passcode: 719727 Call-in Number: +1-720-707-2699

The Proposed Budget and Amended Budget are available for inspection by the public at the offices of Marchetti & Weaver, 28 Second Street, Suite 213, Edwards, CO 81632.

Any interested elector of the District may file any objections to the Proposed Budget and Amended Budget at any time prior to the final adoption of the Proposed Budget or the Amended Budget by the Board. The agenda for any meeting may be obtained at https://kingspointsouthmd3. specialdistrict.org/ or by calling (303) 8581800.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: KINGS POINT SOUTH METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 3, a quasi-municipal corporation and political subdivision of the State of Colorado /s/ WBA, PC

Publication: October 2, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED 2026 BUDGET AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE AMENDED 2025 BUDGET

The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the WALNUT PEACEMAKER METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 1 (the “District”), will hold a public hearing via teleconference on OCTOBER 15, 2025 at

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: WALNUT PEACEMAKER METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 1, a quasi-municipal corporation and political subdivision of the State of Colorado /s/ WBA, PC

Publication: October 2, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

ON THE PROPOSED 2026 BUDGET AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE AMENDED 2025 BUDGET

The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the CONSERVATORY METROPOLITAN DISTRICT (the “District”), will hold a public hearing via teleconference on OCTOBER 20, 2025 at 9:30 AM, to consider adoption of the District’s proposed 2026 budget (the “Proposed Budget”), and, if necessary, adoption of an amendment to the 2025 budget (the “Amended Budget”).

The public hearing can be joined using the following teleconference information: https://zoom.us/j/5657009011

Meeting ID: 565 700 9011; Call-in Number: 719-359-4580

The Proposed Budget and Amended Budget are available for inspection by the public at the offices of Simmons & Wheeler, 304 Inverness Way S #490, Englewood, CO 80112.

The agenda for any meeting may be obtained at https://www.yourcmd.org/ or by calling (303) 858-1800.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: CONSERVATORY METROPOLITAN DISTRICT, a quasi-municipal corporation and political subdivision of the State of Colorado /s/ WBA, PC

Publication: October 2, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED 2026 BUDGET AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE AMENDED 2025 BUDGET

The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the EASTERN HILLS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 6 (the “District”), will hold a public hearing via teleconference on OCTOBER 15, 2025 at 3:30 PM, to consider adoption of the District’s proposed 2026 budget (the “Proposed Budget”), and, if necessary, adoption of an amendment to the 2025 budget (the “Amended Budget”). The public hearing can be joined using the following teleconference information: https://us06web.zoom.us/ j/89504105317?pwd=EysvCTUAbaWIyvfK0NXgtvktwN7u9G.1

Meeting ID: 895 0410 5317; Password: 160870; Call-in Number: 720-707-2699

The Proposed Budget and Amended Budget are available for inspection by the public at the offices of Simmons & Wheeler, 304 Inverness Way S #490, Englewood, CO 80112.

The agenda for any meeting may be obtained at https://EasternHills6MetroDist. org or by calling (303) 858-1800.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: EASTERN HILLS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 6, a quasi-municipal corporation and political subdivision of the State of Colorado /s/ WBA, PC Publication: October 2, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE PROPOSED 2026 BUDGETS AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE AMENDED 2025 BUDGETS

The Boards of Directors (collectively, the “Boards”) of the EASTERN HILLS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NOS. 2, 4, & 5 (collectively, the “Districts”), will hold a public hearing via teleconference on OCTOBER 23, 2025 at 2:00 PM, to consider adoption of the Districts’ proposed 2026 budgets (the “Proposed Budgets”), and, if necessary, adoption of an amendment to the 2025 budgets (the “Amended Budgets”).

The public hearing can be joined using the following teleconference information: https://us06web.zoom.us/ j/82884517964?pwd=ftlbee0Hki50IYwQrh1Fe5GqzPJ5DP.1

Meeting ID: 828 8451 7964; Password: 595391; Call-in Number: 720-707-2699

The Proposed Budget and Amended Budget are available for inspection by the public at the offices of Simmons & Wheeler, 304 Inverness Way S #490, Englewood, CO 80112.

Any interested elector of the District may file any objections to the Proposed Budget and Amended Budget at any time prior to the final adoption of the Proposed Budget or the Amended Budget by the Boards. The agenda for any meeting may be obtained at https://EasternHillsmetrodist.org or by calling (303) 858-1800. BY ORDER OF THE BOARDS OF DIREC-

TORS: EASTERN HILLS METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NOS. 2, 4, &5, quasi-municipal corporations and political subdivisions of the State of Colorado /s/ WBA, PC

Publication: October 2, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE OF VACANCY ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE COLORADO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PARK METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 1

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Section 32-1-808, C.R.S., that one (1) vacancy exists on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Science and Technology Park Metropolitan District No. 1, City of Aurora, County of Adams, State of Colorado. Qualified eligible electors of the Colorado Science and Technology Park Metropolitan District No. 1 who wish to be considered to fill a vacancy must file a letter of interest within ten days of the date of publication of this notice. A letter of interest may be filed on or before Sunday, October 12, 2025 with the Board of Directors of the Colorado Science and Technology Park Metropolitan District No. 1, c/o Icenogle Seaver Pogue, P.C., 4725 South Monaco Street, Suite 360, Denver, Colorado 80237. BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: COLORADO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PARK METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 1

By: /s/ Icenogle Seaver Pogue A Professional Corporation

Publication: October 2, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE OF VACANCY ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE COLORADO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PARK METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 3

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Section 32-1-808, C.R.S., that one (1) vacancy exists on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Science and Technology Park Metropolitan District No. 3, City of Aurora, County of Adams, State of Colorado. Qualified eligible electors of the Colorado Science and Technology Park Metropolitan District No. 3 who wish to be considered to fill a vacancy must file a letter of interest within ten days of the date of publication of this notice. A letter of interest may be filed on or before Sunday, October 12, 2025 with the Board of Directors of the Colorado Science and Technology Park Metropolitan District No. 3, c/o Icenogle Seaver Pogue, P.C., 4725 South Monaco Street, Suite 360, Denver, Colorado 80237.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

COLORADO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PARK METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 3

By: /s/ Icenogle Seaver Pogue A Professional Corporation

Publication: October 2, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2024PR207

Estate of Wima Lucille Tallon aka Wilma L. Tallon, Deceased.

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the District Court of Adams, Colorado, on or before February 2, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred. Roger T. Tallon

Personal Representative PO Box 17291 Denver, CO 80217

First Publication: October 2, 2025

Final Publication: October 16, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30339 Estate of Arnetra Fae Beckham, Deceased.

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado, on or before December 2, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Christopher H. Wisher Atty Reg #: 51198

Attorney for Personal Representative Wisher Law, LLC

355 S. Teller St., Ste. 300 Lakewood, CO 80226

First Publication: September 18, 2025

Final Publication: October 2, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30539 Estate of Robyn Simon aka Gary Simon, Deceased.

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before February 16, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred. Samantha Metsger 899 Logan St., Ste. 210 Denver, CO 80203

First Publication: October 2, 2025

Final Publication: October 16, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.

Case No. 2025PR30636

Estate of Walter Elias Taylor aka Walter E. Taylor, Deceased.

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado, on or before February 2, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred.

Walter H. Taylor c/o Werth Law, LLC P.O. Box 808 Brighton, CO 80601

First Publication: October 2, 2025

Final Publication: October 16, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30876

Estate of Patsy Dell Bockman aka Patsy Dell aka Patsy Bockman, Deceased. All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before January 31, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred.

Charles R. Dell c/o Hackstaff Snow Atkinson & Griess, LLC 5105 DTC Pkwy, Ste. 312 Greenwood Village, CO 80111

First Publication: September 25, 2025

Final Publication: October 9, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30881

Estate of Sarah Helen Skeen, Deceased. All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before February 16, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred.

Matthew David Skeen, Jr.

Personal Representative P.O. Box 218 Georgetown, CO 80444

First Publication: October 2, 2025

Final Publication: October 16, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR337

Estate of Susan Gail Laurie aka Susan G. Laurie aka Sue Laurie, Deceased.

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before February 2, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred. Kristian J. Koehler

Personal Representative 2405 Terry Lake Road Fort Collins, CO 80524

First Publication: October 2, 2025

Final Publication: October 16, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.

Case No. 2025PR406

Estate of Michael Laurence Maine, Deceased.

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before January 18, 2026 or the claims may be forever barred.

Terryn Larosche

Personal Representative 5107 Woodcreek Road Austin, TX 78749

First Publication: September 18, 2025

Final Publication: October 2, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR424

Estate of Diane Laukzemis, Deceased.

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before January 31, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred.

Daniel W. Laukzemis

Personal Representative 4425 Perry St. Denver, CO 80212

First Publication: September 25, 2025

Final Publication: October 9, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR453

Estate of Fred Ivan Becker, Deceased.

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November 30, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Bonita J. Becker

Personal Representative 3755 Tennyson St., Apt. 312 Denver, CO 80212

First Publication: October 2, 2025

Final Publication: October 16, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.

Estate of Charles R. Self, Deceased.

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the undersigned or to the District Court of Arapahoe on or before October 30, 2025, or said claims may be forever barred.

Send claims and documentation to AnnSelf92@gmail.com

First Publication: September 18, 2025

Final Publication: October 2, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30852

Estate of Renee Beverly Cutler aka Renee B. Cutler, Deceased. All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado on or before January 18, 2026, or the claims may be forever barred. Helene R. Wolk

Personal Representative

Attorney for Personal Representative

Daniel C. Mong #38189 8480 E. Orchard Road, Ste. 2500, Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Phone: 303-320-0023

First Publication: September 18, 2025

Final Publication: October 2, 2025 Sentinel

PUBLIC NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF AN ADULT ARAPAHOE COUNTY COURT, COLORADO Case No. 2025CV289

PUBLIC NOTICE is given on Sep- tember 19, 2025, that a Petition was filed for a Change of Name of an Adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The Petition entered that the name of Cordell Christopher Soderquist be changed to Cordell Christopher Jensen.

/s/ Judge

First Publication: October 2, 2025

Final Publication: October 16, 2025 Sentinel

PUBLIC NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF AN ADULT ADAMS COUNTY COURT, COLORADO Case No. 2025CV1092

PUBLIC NOTICE is given on Sep- tember 17, 2025, that a Petition was filed for a Change of Name of an Adult has been filed with the Adams County Court.

The Petition entered that the name of Austin Thomas Vanwey Baltzer be changed to Zebulon Thomas Vanwey Baltzer.

/s/ Judge

First Publication: October 2, 2025

Final Publication: October 16, 2025 Sentinel

PUBLIC NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF AN ADULT ARAPAHOE COUNTY COURT, COLORADO Case No. 2025CV281

PUBLIC NOTICE is given on September 9, 2025, that a Petition was filed for a Change of Name of an Adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.

The Petition entered that the name of Jasmine Arlene Cecelia Moore Carrington be changed to Jasmine Arlene Cecelia Moore Love.

/s/ Judge

First Publication: September 25, 2025

Final Publication: October 9, 2025 Sentinel

›› METRO, from 16

are commonly excluded from hospital charity care.

For example, at Hartford HealthCare, a large nonprofit health system serving Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, services performed by physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants employed by HHC, including emergency department physicians at four of its hospitals, are covered by its financial assistance policy. But treatment by emergency physicians at three HHC hospitals is not covered by the financial assistance policy, since they are not employees. Care by doctors working in radiology, pathology, and anesthesia isn’t covered by the financial assistance policy at any HHC facility.

Hartford HealthCare declined to comment on the record for this report.

Health system researchers have identified another potential barrier to patients’ receiving help from hospital financial assistance policies. IRS rules require that nonprofit hospitals include emergency and medically necessary care in their charity care policies, but they give hospitals substantial leeway to define what “medically necessary” care means.

Historically, excluded care has been limited to services that insurance doesn’t typically cover, like cosmetic surgery or experimental treatment. But in recent years, hospitals appear to be defining medically necessary care more narrowly, eliminating financial assistance for care that is needed but not urgently required. Care that might fall into this category could be a kidney stone removal, a cancer biopsy, or a cardiac valve replacement, according to a study published this year in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Although the study of 209 nonprofit hospitals with more than 200 beds found only isolated examples of hospitals — about 6% of them — that substantially excluded medically necessary care, researchers are concerned that it could be the leading edge of a larger trend, said Mark Hall, a professor of law and public health at Wake Forest University, who co-authored the study.

“There’s not really much in the way of regulatory guidance in what should be in or out” of a financial assistance policy, said Christopher Goodman, a clinical assistant professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, who has published several studies examining hospital financial assistance policies.

The American Hospital Association declined to comment for this article. American Medical Association spokesperson Robert Mills said that the AMA doesn’t have a position on whether all contracted physicians should be required to participate in hospital financial assistance policies. For-profit hospitals have more latitude to fashion their financial assistance policies as they wish.

At HCA Healthcare, one of the country’s largest for-profit health care systems, with nearly 200 hospitals in 20 states and the United Kingdom, discounted or free care is available only for “ emergent or non-elective services.”

“Facility charity policies and uninsured discounts are typically specific to emergency services” at HCA Healthcare, said Harlow Sumerford, an HCA Healthcare spokesperson. “Any third-party providers are independent and would have their own financial policies.”

In recent years, several states have passed medical debt protection laws. A few apply to some doctors and other health care providers who practice at health care facilities and bill patients separately for their care.

Colorado’s is the most expansive. Under its Hospital Discounted Care law that took effect in September 2022, covered hospitals have to screen all uninsured people and others who request it for eligibility for Medicaid and other health programs, and provide discounted care to people whose income is up to 250% of the federal poverty level (about $80,000 for a family of four). There are limits on how much qualifying patients can be billed each month and, after three years, their debt is retired.

Under the Colorado law, licensed health care professionals who work at a covered hospital can charge qualified patients no more than the rates set by the state.

“This rule has been a game changer for folks in Colorado,” said Melissa Duncan, consumer assistance program manager at the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, which helps patients access health care and cover their bills.

Unfortunately, the law didn’t pass in time to help Cochran-Zipp.

As hospitals grapple with the changes expected under the federal health care legislation passed this summer, discounted care programs may make a tempting target, say some health care financing experts. Facing higher rates of uncompensated care and trouble collecting payments from patients, facilities may reduce the financial assistance that they offer.

Hospitals may say “we are going to do all we can to protect our spending,” said Ge Bai, a professor of accounting and health policy and management at Johns Hopkins University. “In that environment, charity care will be a burden.”

— Michelle Andrews, KFF NEWS

Democrats are right on health care, but wrong on the shutdown timing

Congress is once again barreling into a government shutdown, this time because Senate Democrats voted down a Republican stopgap spending bill.

The Republican bill would have funded the government at its current level for seven more weeks, buying time until November. But Democrats, rightfully furious over cuts to Medicaid and health insurance subsidies stapled into Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” this summer, decided to pull the trigger they have long denounced. They have forced a shutdown of the government.

Democrats are absolutely right about the issue they’re saying is triggering the shutdown. The cuts to Medicaid and the elimination of Affordable Care Act subsidies will be catastrophic, especially for the most vulnerable Americans.

Families that rely on Medicaid for basic care will face impossible choices between medicine, food and rent. Millions who depend on the Affordable Care Act subsidies to make their insurance even remotely affordable will see their premiums skyrocket. And when millions are pushed out of the insurance market, costs will rise for everyone, not just those directly targeted by Trump’s ill-conceived plan.

The Republicans’ cuts are cruel, shortsighted and economically foolish. They will ripple through every corner of the health care system, raising costs while denying care to those least able to absorb the blow. Democrats are right to fight them with every ounce of energy they can muster.

But Democrats are wrong to shut down the government in this fight. The problem is timing.

Republicans, for all their arrogance and bullying, offered a “clean” funding bill. It’s a temporary pause button that would have kept the government open until November. Democrats could have accepted that pause, kept workers on the job, and continued to make their case against Trump’s health care sabotage. Instead, they chose the shutdown route, a move they have historically denounced as reckless and self-defeating, because it is.

This is not the first time Washington has played chicken with the lives of federal workers and the stability of the nation. But Democrats risk more than hypocrisy here. They risk losing the moral high ground in a fight where morality is actually on their side.

Shutdowns do not end with policy victories. They end with exhausted citizens demanding the government reopen. Federal workers will be furloughed or, under Trump’s vengeful eye, potentially laid off.

Families will miss paychecks. Essential services will struggle to operate. And the administration, with its history of chaos and cruelty, will seize the opportunity to create even more disruption.

That is not a playing field where Democrats can win concessions on health care. It is a battlefield where Trump thrives, sowing confusion, mocking opponents with doctored videos, and shifting blame to anyone who dares stand against him. Those in his own party cower to his endless threats of retribution against any Republican who defies him. These Republicans are too short-sighted to understand that when voters see up close all the damage Trump has caused, they won’t care if his minions were loyal or not.

This ill-timed Democratic bravado is a trap. Trump and Senate Republicans are already blaming them for “inflicting massive pain” on the American people. A clean extension would have denied Republicans that talking point while keeping attention squarely on their attack on Medicaid and affordable insurance. Instead, Democrats handed Trump a gift. He can now point to shuttered agencies and furloughed workers as collateral damage from Democratic “obstruction,” even though it was his reckless health care cuts that brought us here in the first place.

None of this diminishes the righteousness of Democrats’ cause. Medicaid is not a luxury. Health insurance subsidies are not handouts. These programs are lifelines. They reflect the basic decency of a society that refuses to abandon its sick and struggling. Slashing them is not fiscal responsibility. It is cruelty masquerading as governance. Democrats should be lauded for refusing to be bullied by a president who mocks his opponents online while millions face the loss of their health care. But fighting smart is as important as fighting hard. By triggering a shutdown now, Democrats have overplayed their hand. They have risked alienating the very working families who will pay the price of government dysfunction long before any health care hikes take effect. Democrats should have taken the clean extension, kept the government open and kept pressing their case. They could have used the coming weeks to mobilize public opinion, force Republicans into uncomfortable votes, and draw sharp contrasts between those who want to protect health care and those determined to gut it.

In November, with the Medicaid cuts and premium hikes just days away, Democrats could have played the upper hand, or at least a better hand. Instead, they have stumbled into a fight on Trump’s terms. And history shows who wins those battles.

If Democrats want to save health care, they cannot afford to be distracted by the spectacle of a shutdown. They should reopen the government, regroup, and take the fight to Republicans where it belongs, on the floor of Congress, in the court of public opinion, and at the ballot box.

Teacher unions driving the bus on public schools failing students

In a recent Colorado Politics column, Eric Sonderman described the chronically underperforming American public education system as “nothing short of a national scandal,’’ deserving of the disparaging moniker “Edugate.” Quite an indictment coming from an erstwhile Democrat. As a conservative Republican, I heartily agree with that appraisal.

I agree with many of Eric’s reforms like variable pay for teachers based on their individual skill and their students’ performance rather than seniority and college credits; paying exceptional teachers the most, rewarding above average ones, and clearing out the “deadweight.” I also support ending grade inflation and the false boosting of self-esteem, and raising the bar of expectations to close the performance gap between American students and those of other countries in “preparing children to meet the test of an interconnected, global world.”

Eric also supports more school choice for parents and students but he stopped short of defining “school choice.” There’s already limited choice in Colorado, like public charter schools run largely by parents. However, comprehensive choice would allow the public funding earmarked for their kids’ education to follow students to the private school of their parents’ choice. Such programs are surging across the country in Republican led states.

Eric noted that “there are a plentiful number of superb, highly dedicated teachers across America,” and I agree. But the elephant in the classroom not mentioned in his column are the teacher unions, the insurmountable obstacle to any substantive public-school improvement. The unions are flatly opposed to competition from private schools to their monopoly on government funding of public education. And so are governors, legislators and school boards in Democrat-controlled states where teacher unions lavishly fund political campaigns and get out the vote exclusively for Democrats.

Individual merit pay and accountability for teachers that Eric and I both support are inalterably opposed by the unions who prefer that teachers are paid collectively like assembly-line workers. The last thing they want is competition among their members.

The poster boy for militant teacher unions was Albert Shanker (who chaired the Socialist Study Club in his college). Shanker was president of the United Federation of Teachers in NYC from 19641985, serving jail time for leading illegal strikes in 1967 and again in 1968, when nearly all city schools were shut down for two months. Shan-

ker infamously proclaimed, “When schoolchildren start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of schoolchildren.” Shanker died in 1997. The Albert Shanker Institute, founded in his honor and beliefs in 1998, has predictably claimed that there’s “no proof” Shanker ever said “exactly” those words. Maybe not, maybe yes, but there’s no doubt that’s how he behaved, as does the current president of the Shanker Institute, Randi Weingarten, who’s also the ultra-militant president of the American Federation of Teachers, the second largest teacher union. This is the mentality typical of unions, serving the interests of its members first and foremost.

The largest teacher union is the National Education Association (NEA), with over 3 million members, the largest labor union of any kind in America. Glaring proof of the teacher unions’ priority for their members over schoolchildren was their insistence on keeping public schools closed way too long during the COVID epidemic, when school-aged children were proven to have a very low risk of serious illness or death.

In 2023, the Colorado Education Association (CEA) passed a resolution at its annual convention declaring that capitalism inherently exploits children, public schools, land, labor, and resources; and that it’s incompatible with addressing systemic issues like racism, climate change, and inequality. If it cared less about politics, socialist indoctrination and the self-interest of its members and more about students, the CEA’s highest priority would be rigorous instruction in basic academics like reading, writing and arithmetic.

The much ballyhooed federal “No Child Left Behind Act” of 2002, pushed by the NEA, only added to the decline in public education. Even the Act’s title was misguided. One size doesn’t fit all, and students aren’t equal in brain power, dedication or discipline. Leaving no child behind in classrooms lowers the pace of learning to that of the slowest child, leaving the rest of the kids idle. Certainly, slow and remedial learners deserve attention and would benefit from an educational approach tailored to their needs. Hence, the more appropriate title would have been the “No Child Left Out Act,” and should also have devoted more emphasis on cultivating the gifted and talented: our future Edisons, Lincolns, Einsteins, and (Milton) Friedmans.

ThiscolumnwasfirstpublishedatComplete Colorado.LongtimeKOAradiotalkhostandcolumnistfortheDenverPostandRockyMountain NewsMikeRosennowwritesforCompleteColorado.com.

MIKE ROSEN, GUEST COLUMNIST