Sentinel Colorado 11.7.2024

AURORA’S UNWRITTEN LAW

City lawmakers last year killed blighted apartment regs, saying they weren’t needed

ROAD WARY: Making it there in a car together is a messy family matter

FDAVE PERRY Editor

inally, after all these years, I’ve discovered the problem with family summer road trips. It’s the family. For sixty-some years, I’ve tried my damnedest to figure out a way to either have a good time strapped into the back seat of a car among those who swim in your gene pool, or behind the wheel of a car, kvetching.

It was a lessen recently relearned as we argued our way to Pueblo for beloved sloppers and the world’s best peppers.

I know it’s a family thing because I’ve been on roads trips with friends before, and Social Services never had to get involved.

Once, long ago, when everything I did made perfect sense, a college pal, Mike, and I decided just after the bars closed that it would be a grand idea to take off for Tucson, Arizona — right then. We would go for as many days as we could beg our bosses to let us play hooky, and/ or until the money ran out. It was an early Monday morning. We were thinking our cash and boss-butt kissing would have us back by Thursday night.

So we loaded up our coffee can of spare change, any food we had that didn’t have to be heated, and clean underwear. We’re weren’t animals.

And we drove south. By the time we hit Colorado Springs, we’d eaten all the Doritos and Cap’n Crunch. We also realized that the only cassette tape we had was Neil Young’s Greatest Hits. By the time we hit Sana Fe, New Mexico, we didn’t like each other any more.

Actually, the Loaf ‘n Jug coffee, the stale don-etts and the sixth time I’d suffered through Mike’s nasal falsetto singalong with Neil’s “Old Man,” made me a little cross. When I ripped the cassette out of the player in mid “IIIIIIIII’m a loooooot like youuuuuuuuuu…” and tossed it out the window, Mike took it the wrong way. It was a quiet ride for several hours. By the time we hit the outskirts of Tucson, we were practically hallucinating from an overdose of Lucky Charms, Sudafed and sleep deprivation.

Neither of us had ever seen a real desert before, the kind with cartoon cacti and sand. It was exhilarating to run from cactus to cactus under a hot, afternoon sun. It was especially exhilarating when we realized the odd forgotten ropes on the comically flat rocks were snakes. It was a fast ride into town.

There, we drank cheap vodka and Tang. We ate PBJ sandwiches and slept in the back of the pick-up at a truck stop.

I paid premium rolls of pennies and nickels to buy the same Neil Young tape I’d tossed out the pick-up window. We splurged on a gross motel room one night, and we’re talking early-days Tucson gross, and laughed it off when we came back from the bars to discover that someone had puked in our toilet while we were gone.

So Thursday morning, depleted of sleep, cash and cold cereal, we headed home. We took turns alternating two-hour shifts of sleeping in the bed of the truck as the other drove, singing, “Hey, Hey, My, My,” until one of us banged on the back window for mercy.

We remained friends. I’ve never been back to Tucson.

I only bore you with some of the details to illustrate that a road trip under what most would consider less-than-ideal circumstances netted some of the best times ever, even though it’s probably pretty clear by now that my good-times bar is fairly low.

As a kid I started each road trip wandering optimistically around the cavernous back seat of my parents’ 1965 Chrysler Newport.

But not long after we’d set off for Creede or Rocky Ford, the moment would be ruined by my little brother, Tracy. Before we could even get on the interstate, Tracy was talking to me, touching me or breathing on me. Of course it was my duty as the older sibling to report those infractions immediately and relentlessly.

As retribution, I became expert at positioning my brother in the back seat and infuriating my parents by saying something like, “Ouch. I don’t care, I’m telling. Dad is gonna kill you when sees what you’re doing.” And, voila, the inevitable flailing arm and smacking hand from over the massive bench seat of the speeding Chrysler would deliver a well-strategized whack to my brother.

In contrast, in all the road trips I took with my friends, I never reached around to hit them. Well, once, on the way to Crested Butte, careening down Monarch Pass during a blizzard in my intrepid 1986 Dodge Omni 024 (It wasn’t that bad) I did have to reach around to push against my 6-foot-4-inch-tall friend’s head. Doug was screaming in my ear to pull over, convinced we were going to die.

We later learned that Doug was from Illinois and had never been in the back of a car on top of a Rocky Mountain pass during a blizzard, sliding precariously toward the guardrail-less side of the road, which was so snow-packed we couldn’t see it anyway. His reaction is pretty typical, I’ve learned.

As an adult with my own family, I was prepared to break the cycle of road-trip torment. Each expedition starts out pretty well, but we’re in the car for only minutes before it begins to devolve, usually around problems with food.

Now being a notorious pig, most people assume I would be to blame for eating into a perfectly good vacation.

In fact, it is my wife, Melody, who has weighed no more than 105 pounds since high school, and still wears clothes from back then, who is to blame. My daughter, Isabella, is equally slight and endlessly ravenous. Every road trip, whether it’s just up to Loveland Basin for some turns, across most of Canada or speeding through the wasteland of Kansas en route to KC barbecue — an odd addiction we all share — every road trip starts out with cartons of snacks and goodies. Before we hit the interstate, most of the Oreos, M&Ms, Hot Tamales mixed with salty cashews and sliced apples are gone.

“Where are we going to eat?” Melody asks for the first of what will be 4,239 times before we get home. That is Isabella’s cue to fire up the Spotify Playlist from Hell and fill the much-less than cavernous cheap car I own with her favorite classics of the ‘80s. Melody hates the classics of the ‘80s. She especially hates classics sung by Tears for Fears, which produces tears from Isabella, which cues Melody to ask, “Did you decide where we’re going to eat, or are we just going to starve for six hours?” Which cues me to reach into the back seat and flail my hand in search of the offending iPhone and deliver a satisfying smack to anything else I encounter.

So I get it now. It’s a gene pool thing. Faced with hilarious threats of death, a steady diet of PBJs or poisonous snakes, the worst road trip ever is a really good time. But with family, a trek across Europe or a drive to Pueblo for late fall sloppers is the shortest way to Hell.

The solution? We’re trying chocolate dipped Funyuns and Duran Duran.

Follow @EditorDavePerry on BlueSky, Threads, Mastodon, Twitter and Facebook or reach him at 303-750-7555 or dperry@SentinelColorado.com

ree conservative council members are mum about threatening and profane texts the city lawmaker sent them

EDITOR’S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING STORY CONTAINS IMAGES AND QUOTES OF A PROFANE TEXT DISCUSSION SENT TO CITY OFFICIALS, AS WELL AS EXTREME PROFANITY COUCHED IN SENTINEL-PROVIDED ASTERISKS. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

BY SUSAN GREENE, Sentinel Reporter in Residence

Arecent string of text messages threatening fellow conservative council members is raising renewed scrutiny of Aurora Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky’s behavior in office.

Her public and private tirades have prompted two other council members to call for her censure.

Jurinsky is the bar owner and at-large council member behind the false, election-season narrative that Venezuelan gang members have overrun parts of the city. She has a history of testy, sometimes profane rhetoric, and deemed by some as bullying.

At issue most recently is a string of text messages she sent to four of her conservative council allies — council members Françoise Bergan, Stephanie Hancock, Steve Sundberg and Dustin Zvonek — in advance of a meeting earlier this month. The texts were obtained by the Sentinel.

Jurinsky was angry about Bergan’s proposal to continue levying Aurora’s employee tax, which Jurinsky had worked to abolish as part of a campaign promise.

“I will not be at the meeting on Monday, and every single one of you can go fu** yourselves!” her first message reads.

“I fu***** campaigned on that you fu***** pieces of shit! AND FU** YOU DUSTIN!!”

“And I hear you’re a co sponsor, Francoise. You can definitely go fu** yourself! You’ve never owned a business or a fu***** thing in your life you pretentious bitch!”

“My friendship will literally (sic) every single one of you is dead! DEAD! oh, and my loyalty… also dead! I hope you all have miserable fu***** lives! I might make that happen for a few of you. FU** YOU!”

Jurinsky did not respond to the Sentinel’s inquiries for comment about the invective.

Sundberg defends his colleague despite her harsh words toward him and fellow Republicans.

“I don’t know one member of City Council who has not, in frustration, spontaneously expressed their passion. Many of us, including Councilwoman Jurinsky, can be fierce in our love for the city, as we want the best for it,” he wrote in an email to the Sentinel.

Bergan, Hancock and Zvonek — the three other recipients of the threatening texts — did

not respond for comment.

Without mentioning the messages she had received a few days prior, Bergan called Jurinsky out for bullying her during an Oct. 14 city council study session about Aurora’s occupational privilege tax, also called the “head tax.” It requires employers and workers to each pay $2 per month per employee, and brings in about $5.9 million annually in city revenues. The council voted almost two years ago to repeal the tax, and it was scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 2024.

Council members agreed it posed a bookkeeping and financial burden, especially on small businesses. But those concerns shifted earlier this month when Bergan co-sponsored a plan to keep levying the tax indefinitely, using the revenues to first fund the two additional fire stations in quickly growing parts of eastern Aurora and, after that, directing the proceeds into the city’s public safety budget.

Jurinsky is chairperson of the city’s public safety committee and slammed Bergan at the council’s study session for not telling her that she was seeking to reverse the head-tax repeal. It was a signature display of Jurinsky’s combativeness, complete with swearing and pounding on the conference table.

Bergan called Jurinsky’s behavior “abusive and toxic.”

“Whenever we have a discussion and she doesn’t get her way, let me tell you what she does, she’s a bully and she has bullied a lot of people on the council over this issue, and she curses me out with cuss words and is vile,” she said.

Jurinsky tried to respond, but Mayor Mike Coffman shut down the spat between his colleagues.

At-large Councilmember Alison Coombs on Tuesday called to formally censure Jurinsky for what she describes as years of breaching “the norms of civility.”

“I’ve long said this behavior is unacceptable, and I want to make clear that it would be unacceptable for anyone, from any party, to act in this way while representing the citizens of Aurora as their elected representative,” Coombs, one of three progressives on the conservative-majority council, wrote in an email to the Sentinel.

She acknowledged that a censure wouldn’t likely remove Jurinsky from office nor “stop

her from continuing her outrageous behavior.”

“But it would make clear to all our residents that her colleagues will not condone her disgracing her constituents with her vile rhetoric and lack of decorum.”

This isn’t the first time a colleague has tried to censure Jurinsky. In early 2022, then-Councilmember Juan Marcano initiated censure proceedings after she told a regional talk radio show host how she had encouraged then-police chief Vanessa Wilson to replace Deputy Chief Darin Parker. Jurinsky also criticized Wilson’s leadership of the Aurora Police Department, referring to her as “trash.”

The Sentinel sued the city for holding a vote in a meeting closed to the public to end those censure proceedings. Colorado’s Court of Appeals ruled for the Sentinel late last year that the vote broke the state’s open meetings law. The city has filed briefs asking the state Supreme Court court to reject the appeals court decision. Last month, the Sentinel filed briefs arguing for the Supreme Court to uphold the ruling, and to force the city to release recordings of the meeting about Jurinsky’s conduct and the vote taken to end censure action.

Progressive Councilmember Crystal Murillo supports Coombs’ call to censure Jurinsky, but she said she doubts the council’s conservative majority would stand up to a fellow Republican whom “they are all scared of.” Murillo recalled “many times” Jurinsky has yelled and stormed out of meetings, “and gotten in people’s faces looking like she’s ready to fight.” She described several occasions, while seated between Jurinsky and Bergan on the council dais, that she has had to intervene in arguments in which “Jurinsky would call Françoise names and literally threaten her.”

“That’s how she gets people — council and even staff — to fall in line because they’re threatened by her and they’re worried ‘What is she going to do to me? How is she going to retaliate against me? What is she going to say?’” Murillo said. “I would say the fear factor is pretty high.”

Over the last three months, Jurinsky has made national and even international headlines by appearing on Fox News and other conservative TV shows, stoking fears of undocumented immigrants and gangs in Aurora. In response to a gathering of Venezuelan

migrants on their home country’s election day in July, she posted on social media that, “Thousands of these folks took over and completely shut down a part of our city. The police were totally over run (sic), and we’re (sic) forced to get out of the area for their safety. A police car was shot up.” On Facebook, she added that, “This November’s election may, in fact, be the actual most important of your lives, your children’s lives, and your grandchildrens lives. Again, you all deserve the truth!”

Aurora police debunked her claims as misinformation.

Jurinsky went on to defend CBZ Management, the company behind three severely blighted apartment complexes in northeast Aurora that has falsely blamed its own repeated failures to address health and safety problems in its buildings on members of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, also known as TdA. Jurinsky has asserted, falsely, that the group has overrun parts of the city.

Despite repeated insistence by city managers and police discrediting her narratives about the landlord and the gang, Jurinsky’s claims spread so far among fellow anti-immigrant conservatives that Donald Trump often repeats them on the campaign trail.

Since August, the former president has made Aurora — a city that has spent millions of tax dollars trying to lure more residents, businesses and conventions — a symbol of all that’s wrong with U.S. immigration policy and a metaphor for what he claims, contrary to U.S. Justice Department statistics, is rampant violence and murder perpetrated by migrants.

Trump has made a campaign promise to round up and deport tens of millions of immigrants, calling the plan, “Operation Aurora.” Meanwhile, Venezuelans and other Latin American newcomers to the city say Jurinsky’s and Trump’s rhetoric threatens their jobs and safety.

Jurinsky has for the past several weeks used her X account to taunt Democratic Gov. Jared Polis and U.S. Rep. Jason Crow for providing support to the recent wave of 40,000 Venezuelan migrants into Colorado. She also has slammed Aurora police and city management for, as she claims, deliberately covering up the threat posed by TdA.

Danielle Jurinsky

AROUND AURORA

Aurora lawmakers hold off on reversing expected repeal of city’s $2 employee tax

After testy debate, Aurora City Council members on Monday delayed until Nov. 18 a final vote to repeal Aurora’s employment tax.

“What I’m asking is the council keep its word to the businesses of Aurora,” Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky said, calling for a no-vote on postponing the repeal and for stopping it’s scheduled demise.

The Occupation Privilege Tax requires employers and workers to each pay $2 per month per employee. Designed to help cover the cost of city services for workers who may not live in the city, the “head tax,” as it’s often called, brings in about $5.9 million annually in city revenues.

Almost two years ago, city lawmakers agreed to repeal the tax, and it was scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 2024. Lawmakers agreed it was a bookkeeping and financial burden, especially on small businesses.

Those concerns changed a few weeks ago when Councilmember Françoise Bergan sought to keep the tax indefinitely, using the revenues to first fund the two additional fire stations in quickly growing parts of eastern Aurora, Aurora Highlands and Southshore/Blackstone communities, and, after that, directing the proceeds into the city’s public safety budget.

City officials say the fire stations are long overdue, and the tax proceeds are needed to pay for and operate the new facilities.

Councilmember Dustin Zvonek earlier this month proposed a compromise to delay the repeal of the tax until June 1, 2025, as well as a companion resolution to explore options for funding the two new fire stations. Those options could include new budget cuts, and potentially replacing or modifying the employee tax with a new levy or revenue source.

Jurinsky tried to tank that compromise on Monday, saying the tax needs to be repealed because that’s what the city has been promising businesses for nearly two years. She said repeatedly that she would personally scour the city’s budget for construction funds.

“I think a lot of games are being played right now,” Bergan countered, referring to Jurinsky. “This is disgusting.”

The council voted 6-4 for Bergan’s proposal to postpone a final decision on the future of the head tax until its Nov. 18 meeting.

Jurinsky and other city officials will, in the meantime, be looking for ways to make up for a revenue shortfall if the head tax is ultimately repealed.

— Susan Greene, Sentinel Reporter in Residence Councilmembers Curtis, Sundberg vie for Aurora mayor pro tem; 5 contend for empty council seat

Two city council members are seeking their colleagues’ support to fill Aurora’s mayor pro tem vacancy.

Curtis Gardner and Steve Sundberg have submitted their names to replace Dustin Zvonek, who resigned from the council at the end of October.

Aurora’s mayor pro tem is limited to running meetings when the mayor is absent, and to make appointments to council committees and appoint committee chairs at the end of every year.

Gardner, an executive with Waste Management, is a Republican moderate at-large member who in a letter to his colleagues emphasized his “collaboration and organizational skills.”

“I think I’m a unifying voice and can help fill a leadership vacuum that we

have on the council,” he told the Sentinel Monday.

Council committees don’t have the power to table legislation. Any council member can sidestep them when proposing city bills. Still Gardner said, “Whoever leads a committee has a bully pulpit to control the agenda and decide who speaks and doesn’t speak, so I think who’s in that role matters.”

Gardner said he has felt “uncomfortable” with city council sometimes overstepping its role in recent years, especially in public safety matters. He attributes the fact that recently appointed Police Chief Todd Chamberlain is the seventh person to head Aurora’s beleaguered police department in five years speaks to “a certain degree of micromanagement” by members.

Sundberg, a conservative Republican who operates a local family bar and grill and represents northeastern Aurora’s Ward II, urged his colleagues to appoint him mayor pro tem because of his balance of “calm, reliability and a positive, approachable demeanor.” “My ability to remain objective and level headed in challenging situations ensures I can contribute thoughtfully to our discussions and decisions,” he wrote.

Any other council member seeking the pro tem appointment has until Nov. 15 to submit written notification.

The 11-member council will vote on position Dec. 2.

In the meantime, five people have applied to fill Zvonek’s at-large council seat until the city’s next municipal election in November 2025.

They are:

Javier Chavez, a senior planner for the State of Colorado Dept. of Personnel Administration

Perry Jowsey, executive director of the Colorado Chapter of the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation

Amsalu Kassaw, a “human rights activist” who works at Ethiopian American Civic Council

Eric Mulder, an Army veteran, small business owner and former Democratic candidate for state House in Aurora.

Matthew Snider, an IT director for a metro law firm and former Democratic Aurora candidate for state Senate

Other members of the public interested in that appointment have until Nov. 13 to submit applications.

Current council members will decide that day which candidates will be interviewed at an extended City Council meeting Dec. 2. They will then hold a meet-and-greet event the week of Dec. 9 for the public to ask candidates questions and register their comments about applicants. A vacancy vote among council members is scheduled for Dec. 16.

— Susan Greene, Sentinel Reporter in Residence

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION:

Gov. Jared Polis’ budget would slow the phase-in of Colorado’s new school funding formula

Colorado school districts would no longer be funded based on a four-year enrollment average under a 2025-26 budget proposal released Nov. 1 by Gov. Jared Polis.

Instead, Polis is proposing to fund school districts based on a current-year enrollment estimate, a change that could mean less money for districts with declining enrollment, such as Denver.

At the same time, the governor’s proposal would phase-in a new school funding formula over the course of seven years, instead of six. The school funding formula, which was approved last year, dictates how much state money each district gets per student. The new formula is expected to help districts serving students with more needs and in rural parts of the state. Both of Polis’ budget proposals are meant to save the state money. Polis said the changes would help

balance the budget over the long term to ensure the state doesn’t return to withholding funding from schools for other priorities — a maneuver called the budget stabilization factor. In the short term, it also helps free up money during a year when state lawmakers will need to plug a $640 million budget hole.

“We’re belt-tightening and cutting agencies and cutting budgets where we can,” Polis said, “and then making sure that we can deliver on funding our schools.”

In total, Polis has proposed a $46.1 billion budget, a 10% increase over last year. His budget includes a $115 million increase to this year’s $9.8 billion K-12 budget, and it would increase per pupil funding to an average of $11,747. His budget doesn’t account for ballot measures that will be voted on next week.

Colorado’s budget process requires Polis to present a budget by Nov. 1 each year. The powerful six-member Joint Budget Committee, which writes the budget and has the most say on spending, will begin crafting a proposal that will be released in March or April.

Colorado is constitutionally mandated to increase school funding by the rate of population growth plus

inflation.

Funding school districts based on a four-year enrollment average protects them from a single year enrollment drop that would greatly reduce funding from the state. But it also places the state on the hook for students that might no longer attend that district. Polis’ proposal wouldn’t change when schools get money for the year. Funding is based on an estimate made in July, then if the official student

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count in October is lower or higher, the state makes budgetary adjustments. Under the proposal, those adjustments could be steeper if districts experience enrollment fluctuations from year to year.

Colorado Budget Director Mark Ferrandino said districts would need to make budgetary decisions much sooner if they’re going through enroll-

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Veterans Day

Weigh in on Open Spaces Rules and Regulations

Public comment period open through Nov. 18.

All County offices will be closed Monday, Nov. 11 in observance of the Veterans Day holiday.

Visit arapahoeco.gov/ openspacesrules

appreciated and supported. Learn more at naco.org.

Volunteers wanted!

We are looking for volunteers to support our fun, family-friendly Visit the Village during the day on Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds. Volunteer roles include operating the free hot chocolate station, filling treat bags at the make-your-own “reindeer food” station and helping with craft activities. Volunteers will receive a free T-shirt, snacks and enjoy a popular winter holiday event. Get details at arapahoeco.gov/volunteer

ment declines.

“That’s going to be the biggest impact,” Ferrandino said.

Polis also emphasized that no other state calculates student populations based on a four-year average for the purpose of the budget.

“Basically, districts will have to adapt to enrollment a little quicker than they have, especially districts that are experiencing changes and major changes,” he said. He added that “they can do that because they do it in 41 other states.”

The slower implementation of the formula change will also have an effect on districts.

Last year, education advocates and many district leaders pushed for an overhaul to a 30-year-old formula that’s expected to give less consideration to the cost of living in an area and more money to districts serving larger numbers of students in poverty and English learners. Small and rural districts would also benefit.

Yet it’s also a costly endeavor that will take another $500 million in education funding to implement.

Under the six-year plan, the budget this year would have required about 18% of the $500 million needed to phase-in the formula.

Polis’ budget would spend about 10% of the $500 million in the 202526 year. The state would then spend 20% the year after under his proposal. Then, the state would switch back and forth annually until the formula is fully phased in.

“There’s a lot of excitement on both sides of the aisle about the new school finance and funding students where they are,” he said, “and we just need to make sure that we can do it in a way that’s sustainable.”

In a news release, Republican House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, a Colorado Springs Republican, said she appreciates that the governor wants to avoid withholding money from schools, but the finance reforms will not occur soon enough.

“Colorado families can’t wait seven years for an updated formula to roll out — our students deserve real support now,” she said.

— Jason Gonzales of Chalkbeat Colorado

1 of 3 Hispanic students have dropped out of college at some point, survey says

Despite the majority of Hispanic students viewing college as a pathway to a well-paying job and support for their families, a new survey finds most of them face significant barriers to graduating.

In fact, two-thirds of the students surveyed said they considered leaving college at some point.

The survey, released last week by UnidosUS, hopes to shed light on the challenges Hispanic students face in college, and to help explain why they graduate at lower rates than their white peers. The study focuses on the population during a time when a growing number of Hispanic students are heading to college each year.

The Latino civil rights and advocacy organization conducted the survey of over 3,000 current and former students from August to September. The poll has a margin of error of 1.8%.

The survey affirms many of the challenges that Hispanic students in Colorado and nationwide have said they face in realizing their college dreams. UnidosUS found the majority lack affordable and healthy food, face challenges in the college-going process such as filling out financial aid, and must juggle work and school.

“It reveals, certainly, that some of the problems that we’ve known about are much deeper than many of us have expected,” said Eric Rodriguez, UnidosUS senior vice president of policy and advocacy.

Other studies and reports have also sought to understand the challenges students face, including a Denver-based study on Hispanic men and their views on the college-going process. Hispanic men are less likely to end up on a college campus than women, a disparity present in other racial groups.

However, the UnidosUS survey provides a broader snapshot of what Hispanic students nationally encounter. Here are a few of the takeaways from the national survey.

Food insecurity high among Hispanic students National studies from 2020 that included the most recent data on col-

lege student food insecurity reported almost a quarter of all college students face food insecurity.

But the UnidosUS survey found much higher rates. About 85% of Hispanic students faced food insecurity at some point. About half of all respondents said they don’t have enough to eat or have healthy food options daily or a few times a week.

In Colorado, more colleges are starting to provide nutrition assistance to students because it helps them get to graduation. This support includes food pantries, mobile food drives, and even cooking classes. That’s true in other states, as well.

Yet many students sometimes weren’t aware of some of the resources potentially available to them, UnidosUS reported.

SNAP, or the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is one way students can get assistance. But less than half of all students nationwide at two- and four-year college campuses have applied for it.

About half didn’t believe they were eligible or weren’t familiar with SNAP.

“That was, frankly, just like a much higher number than we expected to see,” said Anaís López, a senior analyst with BSP Research, the data firm that helped conduct the UnidosUS poll.

Work complicates Hispanic students’ path to graduation

About half of all Hispanic students work part-time in college.

A quarter hold full-time jobs, while another 5% work full- and part-time jobs.

About 40% of respondents held a work study job, which provides more overall support for students to help them make a decent wage and finish their school work. Yet just as many were without that support. Many counted on familial support, creating a greater need to hold a job.

The study also found income and where students go to school does not lower their likelihood of needing to hold a job while attending college. This is important because students who have a job are about 20% less likely to make it to graduation, according to a 2023 study.

The survey focused on other major barriers like states tamping down on race-based admissions considerations, and the recent error-plagued

rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Often, students say it’s not one, but multiple issues that factor into their decision to leave school.

The survey shows about a third of students did end up leaving school at some point.

Where students went to college seemed to matter in that decision. Hispanic students at two-year colleges were more likely to leave compared with students at four-year universities. Students who are parents and students from lower-income backgrounds were the most likely to drop out.

“We must invest in supporting these students to ensure that higher education can deliver on its promise,” Rodriguez said.

— Jason Gonzales of Chalkbeat Colorado

COPS AND COURTS

DA: Aurora convenience store guard shot gunman in self defense

‘No arrest will be made, and no charges will be filed against the security guard in this incident’

Prosecutors say an Aurora convenience store security guard was justified in the fatal shooting of a man that held a gun to the guard’s head before a struggle broke out Aug. 31, according to a statement from 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason.

“After a review of the evidence, the District Attorney’s Office and the Aurora Police Department agree that the security guard fired his weapon in self-defense and was legally justified in doing so,” Mason said. “Therefore, no arrest will be made, and no charges will be filed against the security guard in this incident.”

Officers were called to the 7-Eleven store at 12085 E. Colfax Ave. at about 9 p.m. Aug. 31 after reports of a shooting.

“When officers arrived at the scene, they located a 36-year-old man with a gunshot wound,” police spokesperson Joe Moylan said previously in a statement. The man was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and died.

He was later identified as Vernon Dorsey.

Store video supplied by prosecutors show Dorsey coming up fast behind the guard and immediately pulling a gun. The video reveals the struggle for weapons and the suspect being shot as bystanders scurry away.

“Dorsey placed a handgun to the back of the security guard’s head and demanded his gun and threatened to kill him,” Mason said.

During the struggle, the security guard managed to retrieve his own gun and shot Dorsey in the chest,” Mason said.

To watch the video of the attack from out front of the convenience store, go to SentinelColorado.com

— Sentinel Staff

Suspect in custody after fatal shooting at Windsor Court Apartments in northwest Aurora, police say

An unidentified man is being held by police and is accused of fatally shooting another man early Nov. 1 at a northwest Aurora apartment complex, according to Aurora police.

Officers were called at about 1:45 a.m. to Windsor Court Apartments at 10988 E. 16th Ave. after reports of a shooting.

“When officers arrived, they located an adult male with an apparent gunshot wound,” Aurora Police spokesperson Joe Moylan said in a statement. “Officers performed lifesaving actions on the man until medical responders arrived at the scene.”

The man died from his injuries after being rushed to a nearby hospital.

“An adult male has been detained,” Moylan said, but no other details were

released about the suspect.

Police said anyone with information can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000, police said.

— Sentinel Staff

Man convicted as ringleader of DIA cartheft ring gets 20 years in prison

One of the leaders of what prosecutors call “a large-scale motor vehicle theft operation” that primarily targeted cars at Denver International Airport has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

David Nava-Delgado, 25, was indicted along with 12 others last year in connection with a string of vehicle thefts from various locations in metro Denver, including DIA, between February 2022 and March 2023.

A spokesperson for the 17th Judicial District Attorney, Brian Mason, said the group used some of those vehicles to smash through the fronts of local businesses and steal ATMs.

Mason’s office calls Nava-Delgado “one of the ringleaders of this operation,” which allegedly stole 59 vehicles and was involved in 31 attempted or completed burglaries in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver and four other counties.

A news release notes that he was “found in a stolen vehicle containing several key programming devices and blank keys.” The release says Nava-Delgado stole a Jeep Grand Cherokee and led police on a high-speed chase along with people driving a stolen F150 Raptor.

“Nava-Delgado was also identified as the driver of a stolen Dodge Charger that was used as a getaway car in the course of a burglary,” the news release reads. “He was also connected as the driver of a stolen Ford F150 involved in an accident in Thornton. Nava-Delgado fled that scene, but his DNA was found on the airbag, and law enforcement located several vehicle keys and key fobs.”

Nava-Delgado has pleaded guilty to organized crime and theft charges in Adams County District Court in a deal in which he agreed to a 20-year sentence.

In September, a judge sentenced another member of the crime ring, 24-year-old Rene Ruiz, to 24 years in prison. “Court records detail how Ruiz facilitated the theft and sale of vehicles from private citizens, commercial dealerships, and automotive repair shops, and committed burglaries of several businesses, including ATMs, from multiple locations in the Denver area, Front Range, and Denver International Airport,” according to another news release

Other defendants in the 13-person indictment are:

Marc Morales-Cisneros – Pending sentencing 11/22/24 Facing 8-20 years DOC

Jorge Cadena-Lujan – Sentenced to 12 yrs DOC

Carlos Nava-Delgado – Sentenced to 12.5 yrs DOC

David Nava-Delgado – Sentenced to 20 yrs DOC

Rene Ruiz-Ochoa – Sentenced to 24 yrs DOC

Alejandro Silva-Vasquez – Active Warrant Pending

Hector Escalera-Hernandez – Active Warrant Pending

Cesar Poblano – 4 yrs Probation + 33 days jail imposed as condition of probation

Brian Valladares – 4 yrs Probation + 30 days jail imposed as condition of probation – Active Warrant for Violating Probation Pending

Rodrigo Perez-Gonzalez – Sentenced to 12.5 yrs DOC

Cruz Cordova – Sentenced to 6 yrs DOC

Jose Merino-Ramos – Sentenced to 6 yrs DOC

Stephanie Reza-Ramos – Sentenced to 9 yrs DOC

— Susan Greene, Sentinel Reporter in Residence

Strolling with parenthood

ACTIVE PEOPLE DON’T STOP BEING ACTIVE WHEN THEY BECOME PARENTS; THEY JUST BECOME MORE INNOVATIVE AND EFFICIENT.

BY JOHN RENFROW, Colorado Community Media sports editor

Whether to keep the step count up, find a sense of community or not miss a beat while training for health goals, new and experienced parents are strapping the kids in the stroller and hitting the trails.

It’s no secret finding a babysitter can be challenging, but moms and dads grow to rely on the bonding time their new sidecar brings; not just with their kid copilots, but with other parents, too.

Bonding through training

“We have a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old, and over the summer, upgraded and got a double-wide stroller to fit both kids in,” said Dan Petty in Littleton. “It’s been great. I’m training for the New York City Marathon right now, and my kids have been companions for much of this summer while I’ve been training up for that.”

Petty’s daily treks often take him and his kids on runs beyond 10 miles.

There are no iPads or screen time. Instead, the kids bring a few toys and snacks and enjoy the landscape while they speed down the Mary Carter Greenway Trail, one of Petty’s favorites. Just north of Chatfield Reservoir along the South Platte River, it provides paved and gravel paths (large enough for double-wide strollers) for runners and walkers.

While the kids enjoy a near firstclass riding experience, Dad gets his training in and Mom gets a well-deserved break.

“It’s great because when I take them out for an hour or two hours, or sometimes longer, it gives my wife a break to read or work out, herself,” Petty said. “It’s one of these

things where I get exercise, the kids get fresh air, we have some time together and my wife gets a real break from two kids, which is a lot.”

The NYC Marathon on Nov. 2 will be Petty’s second. He was a competitive runner in high school and college but took some time away from the sport. After some friends got back into it a few years ago, Petty did too, not letting his fatherhood get in his way.

In fact, his kids help push him harder. That, and the altitude. Petty has lived in Colorado for 15 years and said training here before running a marathon at sea level certainly helps. Though he’ll drop the stroller weight on race day, Petty knows his kids will be cheering him on.

Petty is looking to raise money for the Asian American Journalists Association. To support him in the New York City Marathon, consider donating at www.aaja.org/the-futures-fund/.

Memories through the miles

Another parent in Arvada sets her eyes on a lofty goal, and her daughter is a key piece to the puzzle.

Cassandra Porter is an assistant cross country and track coach for Arvada West High School. As a lifetime runner, she competed in high school for the Early College of Arvada until 2016 before becoming a Roadrunner at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

After becoming a mom and a coach in 2021, Porter continued running, bringing her daughter to Arvada West practices and pushing her along. Last year, around the Fourth of July, Porter learned a new Guinness World Record was set by a woman pushing a pram (stroller) at five minutes, 24.17 seconds.

The woman’s name was Neely

Gracey, and oddly enough, she was from Boulder and set the record in Englewood.

“I’m just always up to date on anything in the running world and last summer I think I saw that. Some mom from Colorado actually broke the record, and she got it down to 5:24,” Porter said. “And so I called my coach and we talked about it and applied for the Guinness record. It takes about three months to get approved for it. So, once we got the approval back, we were going to run it last fall of 2023. But I just had a couple of hiccups in my training. I had an injury and then a medical issue. So we pushed it back until I was fit again.”

This past April, Kaitlin Donner from Viera, Florida, broke the record again, bringing the number down to five minutes, 11.46 seconds.

“I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to have to train a little bit harder for this now.’” Porter said. “So now I think we are ready. I just think it’d be cool to run it with my daughter and also have my athletes watch and hopefully inspire them. That’s a big motivation for it.”

Porter’s been running with her daughter since she was three months old. She’s now almost 3 and has accompanied Porter on more than 50 runs, whether they’re longer distance runs, sprints or tempo runs.

“She loves it,” she said. “My athletes love it when she comes to practice and runs with us. We put a speaker in the stroller and we play music, and she gets to ride along and just eat her snacks. It’s the best.”

She doesn’t have an exact date for the record but Porter knows it’s something she wants to tackle soon. It’s been on her mind for a while now. Whether she breaks it or not, the time with her daughter has been invaluable and irreplaceable.

“It would be a huge deal. I’m so goal-based,” Porter said. “This has just been a goal for a year and I want to check it off the list, hopefully. I’m a really nervous racer so I’m hoping that this will kind of be a breakthrough with racing. I usually am really good with training, but racing is a little bit more nerve-wracking for me. So I think racing with my daughter will kind of calm my nerves. I think it’ll just be something super special between me and her.”

Community in parenthood

For others, becoming a parent could open a door to a more communal and active lifestyle.

Stephanie Holzhauer is the owner of Fit4Mom Castle Rock. Before moving to Colorado a couple of years ago, she got exposed to the program after becoming a mom herself in San Diego.

She started as a member, and after several Fit4Moms experiences across several cities, decided she had to get more involved.

“I immediately fell in love with community fitness and just having support from other moms, being a first-time mom myself,” Holzhauer said. “Just in that community, having that support and then being able to work out with my kid … one of the biggest reasons I joined is as a social person, too. I love to work out outside, and as a mom, I never wanted to put my child in daycare at a gym. It was like a win-win because I was able to work out, I was able to make friends, and I didn’t put my child in childcare.”

Fit4Mom offers several different classes for mothers, including a specified prenatal workout for expecting moms, mom-only sessions like body wellness and body boost classes, and the most popular: stroll-

er strides.

As its name suggests, this workout is a full-body strength, cardio and core training class all while engaging their kids in the stroller. And the kids get a lot of the classes as well, she said. Instructors will sing songs to the kids and engage them in physical and active learning exercises.

“I absolutely love it when I have a mom send me little videos of their kids at home, doing lunges with their stroller or singing songs and kind of playing stroller strides,” Holzhauer said. “My girls are now (older), but when they were little, they would play stroller strides all the time … And to this day, they love what I do, and I love to come to classes, and they love fitness and the incredible example that moms are setting for their kids just being outside and being active.”

There’s also a run club, which includes an eight-week guided training program for moms interested in running a 5K or half-marathon, with or without their stroller stragglers.

When she first got involved working for Fit4Mom, Holzhauer said she figured she could teach a few classes with no problem, but she never expected how much it would give back to her.

“It has been incredibly rewarding,” she said. “You know, when you have someone that shows up and she joins and she’s like, ‘I didn’t know how much I needed this. I was at home, I was alone.’ Or maybe they were struggling with postpartum depression, and they’ll all of a sudden come to class and realize they’re not the only one that’s dealing with this or that. So just seeing the friendships develop within our community and the support that they all have for one another … it’s incredibly rewarding.”

Dan Petty runs with his two children using a jogging stroller on Oct. 24 in Littleton Colorado Community Media

AURORA LAWMAKERS REJECTED ‘SLUMLORD’ FIX IN 2023 AS APARTMENT QUAGMIRE GREW

‘Aurora still hasn’t addressed its

BY SUSAN GREENE, Sentinel Reporter in Residence

Acompany that owns three blighted apartment complexes in Aurora has, with help from Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky, spent three months in the conservative spotlight blaming what police and city officials say is its mismanagement and neglect on a Venezuelan prison gang.

Once right-wing stump speeches about the city’s fictional takeover by Tren de Aragua end after Tuesday’s election, however, questions remain locally as to how CBZ Management was able to rack up what officials say are 102 code violations over four years in one complex and whether the city needs tougher laws against landlords that chronically ignore enforcement efforts.

Colorado’s Attorney General’s office has, in the meantime, launched a consumer investigation into CBZ.

“Aurora still hasn’t addressed its slumlord problem,” said Juan Marcano, a former city council member who tried raising the issue before leaving office late last year. “This conversation is long overdue.”

A city of renters

Nearly 40% of condos, houses, townhouses and apartments in Aurora are rentals, according to city records.

Aurora’s Housing and Community Services Department is responsible for periodically checking multi-family rental housing for basics such as whether they’re structurally sound, furnaces and plumbing are working, smoke detectors are installed, trash is collected and pests are under control. Code enforcement inspections protect ten-

ants’ health and safety and, in many cases, serve as the only way to keep landlords accountable for maintaining their properties.

The department had 24 inspectors in 2008 when Aurora’s population was about 300,000. It now has 18, plus one vacancy, and more than 400,000 people living in the city. That’s 21% fewer inspectors despite a nearly 35% spike in population. City government couldn’t provide numbers on growth in multi-family rental properties during that period.

“It’s out of whack,” said Marcano, a longtime community and housing activist.

Short-staffing isn’t new to Aurora.

Margee Cannon, who worked alongside Aurora’s team of code enforcement officials from 1989 to 2019, told the Sentinel that “not having enough inspectors was always a problem” for the department. One reason for the shortage, she said, is that the Republicans who’ve typically controlled Aurora’s council have opted to keep city staff as small as possible. A shift in federal funding priorities has also affected staffing. About five years ago, city officials say, the U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development ended block grants that funded inspectors specifically in northwest Aurora, home to many of the city’s oldest and most blighted complexes.

Sandra Youngman, then the city’s code enforcement supervisor, notified the city council about the inspector shortage last year.

“Obviously we have some staffing issues. If we had more staff, that would certainly be beneficial to be able to get into more units more often,” she said during a September 2023 meeting of the Housing, Neighborhood Services and Redevelopment Policy

Committee.

slumlord problem’

John Wesolowski, the department’s deputy director, last month acknowledged that hiring more inspectors would still help address problems with persistently blighted properties like CBZ Management’s Aspen Grove apartment complex at 1568 Nome St. The city shut it down in August after four years of a variety of violations. Tenants and city inspectors documented consistent and widespread rat, mouse and cockroach infestations in the property, along with piles of garbage, dangerous electrical and plumbing issues and other health and safety issues they say repeatedly went unaddressed by CBZ.

Citing a city policy preventing staffers from commenting on issues that may be perceived as political, however, Wesolowski was reluctant to say Aurora needs more inspectors than council members are willing to fund.

“If you ask any division or department in the city if they needed more staff, they’d say yes,” he said. “We’re all in the same boat.”

The city government in the meantime has no fixed requirement for the frequency of rental inspections.

“The next inspection year is set dependent on the condition of the property at the time of the inspection,” said city spokesperson Ryan Luby. The department does its best to inspect rentals “on a one-to-five year basis,” depending on the age and location of a building and the number of complaints it receives. But, because of staffing shortages and other priorities, it takes the city longer than five years to inspect some rentals.

Landlord registry proposal

Slammed with complaints from renters, Marcano — then the Ward IV council member who unsuccessfully challenged Mike Coffman for mayor last year — proposed a way to beef up city inspections and build in more accountability for landlords.

In September 2023, he introduced a bill to create a residential rental licensing program for apartment complexes, multi-unit structures and any other type of home where two or more dwelling units in the same structure are for rent. Owners would have to become certified with the Housing and Community Services Department, allowing officials for the first time to keep track of the number of rental units in the city and provide someone to contact if renters have grievances.

To qualify for the registry, property owners would have needed to have their properties inspected by private home inspectors and verify that their units met city codes. They also would have had to pay a $100 annual fee on properties with 10 or fewer units; $250 on those with 11-50 units; $350 on those with 51 to 250 units; and $500 on those with more than 250 units. Revenues from those licensing fees, plus $50 registry application fees would have provided enough funding to double the number of city inspectors and free up the inspection staff to address more renters’ complaints.

The plan would have guaranteed rental complexes are inspected at least every four years, or more if ownership turns over.

“Given the amount of slums in the city of Aurora, we need far more inspection and enforcement,” Marcano said.

Residents and aid workers hold a press conference Sept. 26 at Whispering Pines apartment complex in northwest Aurora. PHOTO BY CASSANDRA BALLARD

Speaking in favor of the proposal last year, organizers with United for a New Economy (UNE) — a Commerce City-based nonprofit that helps residents advocate for better living conditions — said it would have come out to about $7.29 per rental unit a month if a landlord chose to pass the cost on to renters. The group said tenants, even those with low incomes, likely would have embraced an increase because complaining about housing conditions tends to prompt rent hikes, anyway. The group also noted that many tenants, especially undocumented immigrants, fear landlords will evict or report them to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if they demand repairs.

The licensing program “would remove the threat of retaliation” and bring a “more proactive approach” to addressing problems with rental properties “before they become serious” like at Aspen Grove, Alex Georgiadis, a policy analyst for the group told council members.

Similar programs have been launched in Denver, Boulder and cities elsewhere in the U.S., and are being lauded for cracking down on slumlords.

Denver has incrementally launched its certification program in the last 18 months, and all landlords in that city — even those renting out only one dwelling— must participate. Since 2023, some 24,184 rental property owners have become licensed there, giving code enforcement officials more power to ensure safe conditions in more than 176,000 units citywide.

“The program gives us more tools in our tool box so we can one day say we have the safest rental properties in America,” Denver’s Excise and Licensing spokesman Eric Escudero said. “We haven’t eliminated all slumlords in Denver, but now there’s more accountability than before.”

Denver also has increased its maximum daily fine for property owners who chronically ignore its health and safety codes to $5,000. Aurora’s highest daily penalty is $2,650.

Aurora’s registry rejected by city lawmakers

By the time Aurora’s City Council discussed the registry proposal at a November 2023 study session, at least five council members — Marcano, Mayor Mike Coffman, Crystal Murillo, Ruben Medina and Angela Lawson — had toured Aspen Grove. Tenants showed them structural problems, including a third-story walkway detaching from the building. They pointed out black mold and a toilet so leaky that the flooring around it was caving into the apartment below.

“Residents shared stories with us that included spending the winter without heat in their units, an absent or unresponsive landlord, and a laundry room residents could not use because it was covered in human waste,” said Allex Luna, organizing director with UNE, which led council members on the tours.

City staff let the entire council know at the study session that CBZ continued to ignore years of city efforts requiring that it bring Aspen Grove up to code. The company was increasing rents in the complex up to $1,700 a month without making improvements, organizers told the council.

Jurinsky opposed the registry proposal on grounds that, “It feels there wasn’t much stakeholder input before bringing this ordinance forward.”

Asked what stakeholders she was referring to, she cited the South Metro Denver Realtors Association and “a couple other groups and organizations.”

UNE and other community organizers had run the proposal by renters and groups representing tenants directly affected by slumlords. All, UNE said, supported it.

“If a thousand door knocks and 300 individual conversations isn’t stakeholding, I don’t know what is,” Murillo told Jurinsky.

“I feel like this was stake held from the jump,” Marcano added.

“Well that’s just not how our stakeholders are feeling, and you don’t get to decide their feelings for them, Juan,” said Jurinsky.

“I think what’s happening now is working,” she added about the city’s enforcement efforts.

“It’s very clear that what we have is not working,” countered Councilmember Alison Coombs, citing continuing blighted conditions at Aspen Grove and the “many, many people in the city” living in unsafe buildings.

Coffman agreed with Jurinsky that the status quo on enforcement efforts was sufficient. The city’s approach on “the multi-family side” — meaning apartment complexes like Aspen Grove, as opposed to single-single family homes for rent — “seems to be taken care of,” he said.

“So I think on the multi-family part, I think we’re covered. That’s just my opinion,” he added, saying he was only interested in potentially drafting new inspection requirements for single-family rentals.

Trying to muster support for Marcano’s proposal, Murillo noted the considerable “staff time and city dollars” required “to have to go in and do something about a really poorly maintained property” like Aspen Grove.

“We’re trying to be more resourceful and do something proactive instead of” reactive, she said.

Ultimately, the council’s conservative majority shot down the plan.

“It think it’s going to require some more discussion than we can have here at this meeting,” Coffman said.

Discussion over a brewing crisis never happened

That discussion hasn’t taken place a year later, even though CBZ’s continued disregard of code enforcement efforts forced the city to make the unprecedented move of shutting Aspen Grove down in August. City officials deemed the complex unsafe

and uninhabitable, leaving hundreds of residents displaced.

“Nowhere to go. We’re desperate,” one tenant, a recent migrant from Venezuela, told the Sentinel after being booted from the complex — the first home he, his wife and two young kids had known in the United States.

The city paid for his family and most others to stay in hotels through the end of August.

CBZ has blamed blight conditions at Aspen Grove and two other complexes it owns in northwest Aurora — the Edge at Lowry and Whispering Pines — on alleged violent takeovers by members of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, also known as TdA.

Jurinsky promulgated the narrative, falsely claiming on conservative local and national news shows, and social media, that TdA had overrun parts of the city. The story became a popular talking point among right-wing candidates seeking to win votes on anti-immigrant sentiment.

Donald Trump has often repeated it on the campaign trail, attempting to link Aurora with all that’s wrong with U.S. immigration policy and making the city a national symbol for what he claims, contrary to U.S. Justice Department statistics, is rampant violence and murder perpetrated by migrants. He called for a federal “Operation Aurora” to root out and deport undocumented immigrants not just from the city, but from all over the United States.

Contrary to those claims, however, records show Aspen Grove had started racking up code enforcement complaints long before the influx of Venezuelans to Aurora in the last two years. City officials say they have investigated at least 121 code enforcement cases at the complex since 2020 and found 102 code violations. Many of the violations were for critical health and safety issues. All those citations, city officials note, stem from tenants’ complaints, not from regularly scheduled inspections.

Although Aspen Grove has been slapped with far more violations than any other complex in Aurora, city records show several other complexes have similarly chronic code problems that have gone unaddressed by their owners.

Waiting years to crack down on unresponsive landlords takes a toll on residents living without heat, plumbing or other basic housing needs, rental activists said. Many residents have repeatedly held that substandard living conditions in the buildings, not Venezuelan gang activity, has been their greatest concern.

“We’re afraid of your mayor and of the cockroaches and rats in our apartments, not of gangs,” Gladis Tovav, a resident of the CBZ’s The Edge at Lowry complex, told the Sentinel in September after Coffman echoed some of Jurinsky’s false narratives.

The mayor since has walked back claims that TdA overran that property, publicly referring to CBZ as a “slumlord.”

The city’s years of back and forth with CBZ also has taken what City Attorney Pete Schulte calls “a ton of staff time” and “many months, if not years” of summonses and other legal and administrative work.

“It’s a heavy, heavy load,” he said. Four years after CBZ’s first code violations and twelve months after Coffman said the code enforcement process “seems to be taken care of,” the city is still pursuing multiple summonses and complaints to charge the company fines for property negligence and expenses the city racked up for services at its three complexes in Aurora. Its plans to shut down the Edge at Lowry like it did Aspen Grove were postponed after US Bank sued CBZ’s subsidiaries for a default on a loan that resulted in receivership of one of the buildings in the Edge and the Whispering Pines property.

Meanwhile, three months of national and even international headlines about Aurora’s blighted rental conditions have not prompted any city official to propose legislation that would prevent code violations from spinning so out of control that the city needs to shut down another apartment complex.

Community organizers, however, say the scapegoating and political football triggered by CBZ in recent months won’t keep them from pressing for more renter protections.

“We have clearly seen in both Nome Street and across Aurora that our current systems were not working and continue to not work to keep corporate landlords in check. This program was needed then and it’s needed now,” UNE’s Luna told the Sentinel. “We still believe that an ordinance that creates a landlord registry would help protect renters across Aurora by protecting resident health and safety for all, improving landlord-tenant transparency and relationships, and improving property values.”

Given the black eye the CBZ controversy has brought to the city, Marcano said, “it makes me crazy” the council hasn’t come together to tighten code enforcement laws.

“We gave them an opportunity to address these issues last year. Instead of doing that, they killed the proposal and now they’re defending the slumlord instead of defending the people living in those properties,” he said. “It shows where their priorities are and that this is a city council more interested in protecting their donors than their constituents.”

Sentinel staff writer Cassandra Ballard contributed to this report.

ON THE COVER AND ABOVE: City police, code enforcement and housing officials went door-todoor Aug. 8 telling residents they must leave their apartments and the complex, which has been deemed uninhabitable by city health and safety officials. City inspectors and other collected photos of deplorable conditions in side the complex.

Right: Grandview senior Colton White (97) smiles after he celebrates with teammates, coaches and family members in the stands at the Norris Penrose Event Center after the Class 5A boys state cross country race on Nov. 2, 2024, in Colorado Springs. White — who finished 100th in 2023 as he recovered from injury — grabbed 10th place in an elite field for the program’s second-highest finish.

Below top: Lotus School For Excellence senior Biruk Begashaw, right, outkicks Monument Academy’s Matthew Start to the finish line to finish as the runner-up in the Class 2A boys state cross country race on Nov. 2, 2024, at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs. Begashaw came away from matching the 2A title won by his older brother, Kidus, in the state race in 2020.

Below middle: Eaglecrest sophomore Jenna Winn, left, finished in 96th place in the Class 5A girls state cross country meet on Nov. 2 at the Norris Penrose Event Center. She was the Raptors’ first qualifier for the 5A girls race since 2015.

Below bottom: Cherokee Trail sophomore Jade McDaniel (203) strides towards the finish line on her way to 66th place in the Class 5A girls state cross country race on Nov. 2, 2024, at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs. McDaniel improved her time on the same course by seven seconds from the previous season, but finished in the same place.

BY

Colton White crossed the finish line at the Norris Penrose Events Center and drifted to the right.

But an official quickly ushered him to the left, where the rest of the top 10 finishers in the Class 5A boys cross country state race awaited.

Sitting in the box with the other elite runners in the cordoned off box after he finished 10th in a time of 15 minutes, 46.2 seconds, the Grandview senior let joy wash over him.

“I just could not be happier; I’ve been dreaming about this since freshman year,” White said. “The field has been getting so much more competitive every year. ...My time would have won this race three years ago. It’s just been getting crazy fast, so I couldn’t be happier to make it in the top 10 this year.”

White’s finish — celebrated from the stands by jubilant teammates, coaches and family members — was the second-best all-time for the Grandview boys program. It was bested only by the fourthplace finish of Nathan Graham in 2014.

“A finish line this in recent years is unheard of for the program,” White said. “It’s what we wanted, especially since the team didn’t qualify. They were here to support.”

Grandview head coach Brian Manley

“That infused all of us with a lot of happiness for sure,” Manley said. “I thought top 10 was a possibility just knowing him, but oh my gosh, 5A is just incredible. ...It’s exciting stuff and couldn’t happen to a nicer, more humble kid. He’s a great teammate and terrific leader and it showed in all his brothers who showed up and were every bit as excited for him as he was.”

Big finishes

Indeed this was a top 10 finish unlike those in years past with a powerhouse field. Nationally ranked Niwot ran in the 5A race for the first time since moving up in classification and the race already featured a tandem of stars from Mountain Vista and assorted other outstanding individuals.

BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor

White had been to the state meet twice before — he finished 100th last season while he fought to overcome injury and was 85th as a sophomore in 2022 — but came into his final state meet ready to take a run at the medal podium. In his final two races before state, White finished as the Centennial League runner-up and placed third in the 5A Region 1 race.

He turned it up a notch at the state meet, adjusted perfectly to the flow of the race dictated by Mountain Vista’s Benjamin Anderson — who won the race with a course record time — and got past who he needed to get into the top 10.

“I started off more aggressive; I like being in that front group even though that’s probably not where I’m supposed to be,” White said. “That first steep hill is where Benji (Anderson) started to go for it and when the pack started to split.

“I was towards the back end and I thought ‘you know this pack is going to split, so now is when you do a stride and make it hurt a little bit so you’re up with that front group. Then make them pull you along, stay with that front group and kick and then you get what you get.”

Next-highest in the standings among Aurora qualifiers was Regis Jesuit senior Braeden Focht, who finished in 32nd place in his third career state trip. Focht — who finished 95th as a sophomore in 2022 and 13th last season — ran 15:16.2. Teammate Caleb Aex, also a three-year state qualifier, finished in 101st place in 17:15.0.

Cherokee Trail junior Dylan Smith ran time of 15:16.6 to finish 33rd, which helped him improve 22 spots from his 55th place result in 2023. Coach Chris Faust’s Cougars — the only Aurora area team to qualify — finished 13th out of scoring teams with help from Josh Chadeayne in 64th, Carter Getty in 72nd and Andrew Crippen in 97th. Andrew Kittel placed 140th, Everett Hammond 148th and Kenneth English 150th to round out Cherokee Trail’s results. Rangeview had its first state competitors since 2016 and senior Kimi Bulto ran 17:04.2 for 89th in his one and only state appearances, while freshman Abdinasir Hassan was 103rd in 17:15.6.

Lotus’ Biruk Begashaw comes up just short of family’s second 2A state championship

Kidus Begashaw put his family’s name on the map in running circles when he won the Class 2A state championship in 2020 for Lotus School For Excellence and his younger brother nearly added another for the family.

Ultimately, senior Biruk Begashaw could not prevent Colorado Springs Christian School’s Andrew Bel from winning a second straight 2A title, but he sprinted to second place.

CROSS COUNTRY

PHOTOS

COURTNEY OAKES/ AURORA SENTINEL

Ahandful of Aurora football teams navigated an up-and-down regular season and made it into the Class 5A state playoffs.

Only one city team finished with a winning record — Overland at 6-4 — and the Trailblazers were seeded No. 24 in the 5A state playoff bracket released by the Colorado High School Activities Association Nov. 4.

No. 12 Regis Jesuit, No. 17 Grandview, No. 20 Cherokee Trail and No. 21 Eaglecrest also made the field as the 24-team postseason commences Nov. 8.

FOOTBALL

Postseason ahead

None of the Aurora qualifiers had an easy road and in some cases they had to dig in just to save their season. Coach Tom Doherty’s Grandview team — which will make its fourth straight postseason appearance and has only missed the playoffs once since 2004 — had its back to the wall after a 2-4 start that included a number of one-score defeats.

BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor

The Wolves managed to win three straight games to give themselves some breathing room in their quest to make the postseason and finished the season with a 35-18 loss to Centennial League rival Cherry Creek Nov. 1 at Stutler Bowl. Doherty lamented the multiple mistakes that plagued the Wolves against the Bruins, but they could get a chance to rectify them in a rematch. Grandview would have to get through No. 16 Denver East in a first round game scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 8 at All-City Stadium to earn another shot at Cherry Creek, which is 9-1 and has a first round bye.

On Grandview’s side is relatively good health, a defense that appears to be playing its best football at the end of the end of the season and the blooming of the connection between junior quarterback Blitz McCarty — who is in his first season starting for the Wolves — and senior wide receiver Xay Neto. It took the two awhile to get fully on the same page, but Neto had 153 yards and two touchdown catches against Cherry Creek’s vaunted defense. An effective ground game that is headed by senior Caleb Llamas and junior Chris Blanks gives Grandview good balance on offense and Doherty feels good about his special teams as well.

In its first season under Tony Lindsay Sr., Overland finally made the next step that had eluded it the past two seasons. The Trailblazers had been 5-5 and within a win of qualifying for the postseason and finally got there by

Left: Senior running back Jarrius Ward (12) and the Overland football team finished with the best record of Aurora team in the regular season and earned a spot in the Class 5A postseason for the first time since 2019.

Below

The Grandview

team lost to Centennial League rival Cherry Creek in its regular season finale, but could have the opportunity for a rematch with a victory in the opening round of the Class 5A playoffs against Denver East.

going undefeated in the Metro North League to earn an automatic spot. The program hadn’t had a postseason game since 2019 when it lost to Smoky Hill in the first round and hasn’t tasted a playoff victory since 2014. Overland finished off the regular season with a 429 victory over Northglenn Nov. 1 in a game in which it displayed great balance. Angel Chavez continued his strong freshman season at quarterback as he threw for 190 yards and four touchdowns, while senior Jarrius Ward picked up 113 of his team’s 241 rushing yards and got into the end zone twice. The Trailblazers will take a five-game winning streak into the playoffs, where they will play on the road against No. 9 Erie (8-2), which won the Front Range South League title, in a 6:30 p.m. contest Nov. 8. Regis Jesuit and Eaglecrest will meet in an all-area first round contest — scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at Lou Kellogg Stadium, the Raiders’ home field — after both finished the regular season 5-5. Both come into the game trying to get back on track after some late losses.

Coach Danny Filleman’s Regis Jesuit team opened the season 0-3 — with losses to No. 1 Cherry Creek, No. 3 Valor Christian and Arizona powerhouse Brophy Prep — then won five straight before it lost its last two. The Raiders closed out the regular season with a 31-3 loss to Legend Nov. 2, as the sixth-seeded Titans held them to their lowest offensive output since they were held scoreless in the first two games of the season. It will be the 18th consecutive postseason appearance for the Regis Jesuit program, which lost to Grandview in overtime in the second round last season.

In the first season under new head coach Jesse German, Eaglecrest got off to a flying start with a 4-1 nonleague record, but found the road more difficult in Centennial League play. The Raptors lost their last four games (all to state qualifying teams), including a 19-7 defeat at the hands of No. 11 Arapahoe Nov. 1 at Legacy Stadium. Senior quarterback Joe Steiner and senior wide receiver Burke Withycombe connected on a touchdown pass — something that has happened often during the season — for Eaglecrest’s only score. The Raptors will enter the postseason for the third straight season, but still is in search of the program’s first playoff win since 2019.

Cherokee Trail will appear in the postseason for a seventh straight season and go there this time with a 4-6 record that included a 41-0 win over Smoky Hill Nov. 1 in its highest offensive output of the season. Junior Brian Cusack threw a long touchdown pass to senior Marquis Jamison, then caught two scoring passes from senior quarterback Tyson Smith as part of the offensive attack.

top:

football

Below middle: Senior JoJo Hernandez and the Regis Jesuit football team dropped their last two games after a five-game winning streak, but will be at home to open the Class 5A state playoffs.

Below bottom: Senior quarterback Joe Steiner and the Eaglecrest football team found tough going in Centennial League play, but it likely prepared the Raptors for the postseason, which they open with a local matchup against Regis Jesuit.

PHOTOS BY COURTNEY

PREPS

BOYS SOCCER

Regis Jesuit, Grandview alive in 5A second round

Five Aurora area teams qualified for the Class 5A boys soccer state playoffs and two survived the opening round as the field was cut from 32 teams down to 16.

Sixth-seeded Regis Jesuit shook off an early challenge from No. 27 Denver South in a strong 5-0 victory played in front of Brian Mullan, a former star in the program. Jack De Simone scored two goals, while fellow seniors JJ Ghiselli, Charles Sharp and Stefan Zehnacker also tallied. Sharp registered two assists and juniors Lucas Bennett and Hugh Brophy had one apiece for coach Rick Wolf’s Raiders, who played host to No. 22 Erie in the second round Nov. 5.

Grandview, the No. 24 seed, went on the road an pulled off the biggest upset of the opening round by seeding with a 1-0 double-overtime victory over No. 9 Fairview. Junior Alex Kedzierski had two early scoring opportunities that didn’t pan out, but he redirected a pass from senior Suvan Yerramilli into the net for the golden goal to push the Wolves — playing in the last season under longtime head coach Brian Wood — into the quarterfinals. Grandview (8-6-2) plays at the North Area Athletic Complex Nov. 5 against No. 8 Ralston Valley (10-3-3).

Results from the 5A second round were unavailable at press time, but visit sentinelcolorado. com/preps for updated playoff scores and schedules.

Fourteenth-seeded Vista PEAK Prep got the other home game of Aurora’s qualifiers, but fell to No. 19 Valor Christian 2-1 in overtime Oct. 30 at Aurora Public Schools Stadium. Coach Federico Gomez’s Bison finished the season 9-3-4. No. 17 Cherokee Trail had its originally scheduled road game at No. 16 Pine Creek postponed due to snow, but coach Mark Hill’s team fell 2-0 in a game played Oct. 31. The Cougars finished the season 10-6. No. 28 Aurora Central also had its season come to an end on the road with a 4-0 road loss at No. 5 Denver East Oct. 30. Coach Rudy Villalobos’ Trojans had a final record of 7-6-3.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Four city teams make 5A regional postseason

The Colorado High School Activities Association issued the Class 5A girls volleyball regional postseason seedings and pairings on Nov. 4, with four Aurora area programs among the 36 teams set to compete.

Cherokee Trail — the Centennial League runner-up — received the No. 11 seed, which allows the Cougars to play on their home floor with the chance to be among the 12 teams to advance to the 5A state tournament Nov. 14-16 at the Denver Coliseum. Coach Amber Cornett’s Cherokee Trail team, which finished the season 16-6, is scheduled to play host to No. 14 Broomfield (19-4) and No. 26 Westminster (21-2) in a Region 11 tournament slated to start at 3 p.m. Nov. 8. The Cougars haven’t faced either team this season.

Next highest among Aurora’s qualifiers is No. 17 Regis Jesuit, which ended the regular season on an 11-match winning streak after a 5-7 start. Coach Celeste Barker’s Raiders (16-7) will play in the Region 8 tournament hosted by No. 8 Cherry Creek (18-5). No. 29 Rocky Mountain (12-11), a team Regis Jesuit defeated in four sets Oct. 19 at the Dakota Ridge Tournament, rounds out the field. The Raiders seek their first trip to the state tournament since 2015.

TOP: Senior Elyse Bailey (4) is congratulated by teammates after one her goals in the opening half of Smoky Hill’s field hockey consolation quarterfinal Nov. 1. The Buffaloes defeated Grandview 7-0 with help of Bailey’s three goals. ABOVE: Vista PEAK Prep’s Israel Tetteh, center, skies for a header during the first half of the Bison’s 2-1 overtime loss to Valor Christian in a Class 5A boys soccer first round state playoff game Oct. 30 at Aurora Public Schools Stadium.

RIGHT ABOVE: Overland senior Ali Padgett smiles as she performs her balance beam routine during the Trailblazers’ Class 5A Region 1 meet Oct. 31. RIGHT BELOW: Senior Hailey Cornell sends a ball up the field with a pass during the Regis Jesuit field hockey team’s 3-2 championship quarterfinal loss Oct. 31. (PHOTOS BY COURTNEY OAKES/AURORA SENTINEL)

Grandview completed a 12-11 regular season with a 3-1 showing at the Cheyenne Mountain Tournament and ended up as the No. 25 seed. Coach Rob Graham’s Wolves — who have made the 5A state tournament for six straight seasons — head to the Region 12 tournament along with host and 12th-seeded Loveland (17-6) and No. 13 Erie (194). Grandview swept Erie Nov. 2 in its regular season finale.

Rangeview played host to its own tournament to close out the regular season and finished 3-1, which gave coach Desarae Powell’s team a 14-9 final mark. The Raiders ended up as the No. 32 seed in regionals and will be part of the Region 5 tournament, which is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Nov. 8 at Fossil Ridge H.S. Rangeview joins host and eighth-seeded Fossil Ridge (19-4) and No. 20 Rampart (14-9) and did not play either team during the season. The Raiders’ last regional appearance came back in 2019.

FIELD HOCKEY

Regis Jesuit falls to Kent Denver in quarterfinals

The first time the Regis Jesuit field hockey team faced Kent Denver during the season, it failed to score.

The fourth-seeded Raiders put up two goals —both on well-execut-

ed set plays — in the rematch in a state playoff quarterfinal Oct. 31 at Lou Kellogg Stadium, but surrendered three to the fifth-seeded Sun Devils in a 3-2 loss.

Izzy Nichols and Claire Snelling had goals for coach Spencer Wagner’s Regis Jesuit team, which finished the season 10-6-1 overall. It was the second straight season that ended in the quarterfinals for the Raiders.

Following a 6-0 win over Poudre School District in the first round, Regis Jesuit ceded the first goal in the opening period against Kent Denver on a penalty corner, but responded. The Raiders tied it on a corner chance of their own when senior Jane Rumpf passed out to senior Hailey Cornell, who assisted on a score by Nichols. On the final play of the opening period, Regis Jesuit took the lead when Rumpf passed out to senior Grace Osborn, who put the bal lin front of the cage, where it was tipped in by Snelling.

Kent Denver scored twice in the third quarter to take the lead and held on to advance into a semifinal matchup against No. 1 Colorado Academy.

FIELD HOCKEY

Smoky Hill tops Grandview to move on in consolation bracket

The Smoky Hill field hockey team put the disappointment of a first

round playoff loss behind it and started a hopeful journey in the consolation bracket.

The eighth-seeded Buffaloes dropped a 1-0 contest to No. 9 St, Mary’s Academy to begin the postseason, which dropped them into a consolation bracket that made its debut in the sport this season.

Smoky Hill ended up there along with No. 16 Grandview — who lost to No. 1 Colorado Academy in the first round — to set up a local consolation quarterfinal Nov. 1. Senior Elyse Bailey scored three goals in the first half to get the Buffaloes started on a 7-0 win.

Freshman Carmella Trujillo added two goals, while senior Henley Whitehead and junior Emerson Connell also had goals for coach Lisa Griffiths’ (10-6-1) Smoky Hill team, which has a consolation semifinal matchup at 5:45 p.m. Nov. 5 at All-City Stadium against No. 12 Cheyenne Mountain (results were unavailable at press time, visit sentinelcolorado.com/preps for updates).

The victory was the first in the postseason for the Smoky Hill program since 2010 when it defeated Denver East in the first round of an eight-team tournament and lost to Kent Denver in the semifinals.

Coach Alex Smith’s Grandview team finished the season 0-17, but got the experience of two postseason games in the sport’s new format.

GYMNASTICS

Overland wins Region 1 to make 5A state meet

The Overland gymnastics team rolled to victory at the Class 5A Region 1 tournament Oct. 31, which extended its season another week. On the mats in their home gym, coach Lisa Sparrow’s Trailblazers earned a score of 181.325 points to finish comfortably atop the five team field. The victory moved Overland — along with runner-up Pomona — into the 5A state gymnastics meet. The meet runs Nov. 7 (team competition, which begins at 3:10 p.m.) and Nov. 9 (individual event finals, which begin at 1:30 p.m.) at Thornton High School.

Junior Ainsley Renner won the regional all-around crown with a score of 36.825 points, which was boosted by runner-up finishes on the balance beam and in the floor exercise. Overland was particularly strong in the floor exercise as all six of its entrants finished in the top eight. Renner scored 9.550 to lead the way in second, followed by Maia Howell in 4th (9.350), Ryann Walline in 5th (9.300), Audrey Cox in 6th (9.300), Ali Padgett in 7th (9.250) and Kate Hofer in 8th (9.175). In the 5A state team competition, Overland’s rotation begins with the balance beam, followed by the uneven bars, the vault and floor exercise.

any time prior to the final adoption of the budgets. BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

HORIZON METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 1

HORIZON METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 2

HORIZON METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 3

HORIZON METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 4

HORIZON METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 5

HORIZON METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 6

HORIZON METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 7

HORIZON METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 8

HORIZON METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 9

HORIZON METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 10

By: /s/ Andrew Kunkel, District Administrator

Publication: November 7, 2024 Sentinel

PUBLIC NOTICE

Basic curriculum materials being considered for adoption by Aurora Public Schools, Board of Education are listed below. The curriculum materials that are being considered for adoption may also be viewed at this link: aurorak12.org/proposed-curriculum WORLD LANGUAGE: If you prefer to see the materials in person, please contact James Yoder at 303-340-0859 or email him at jyoder@aurorak12.org to schedule an appointment for preview.

Courses Chinese 1–4 Publisher Website Phoenix Tree Publishing https://tinyurl.com/APS-ChAdoption Textbook Titles & CoursesAuthentic Chinese 1 | Chinese 1 Authentic Chinese 2 | Chinese 2 CHINESE

FRENCH Courses French 1–4 Publisher Website Klett World Languages https://klettlp.com Textbook Titles & CoursesReporters francophones 1 French 1 Reporters francophones 2 French 2 Reporters francophones 3 French 3 Reporters francophones 4 French 4 Courses French 1–4 Publisher The Comprehensible Classroom Textbook Titles & CoursesNous Sommes French 1–4

SPANISH Courses Spanish 1–4 Publisher Wayside Publishing https://waysidepublishing.com Textbook Title and CourseEntreculturas 1 | Spanish 1 Entreculturas 2 Spanish 2 Entreculturas 3 Spanish 3 Entreculturas 4 Spanish 4 Courses MS Spanish, Spanish 1–4 Publisher The Comprehensible Classroom Textbook

CONCERNING

PROPOSED

BUDGET

BUDGET NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to all interested parties that the necessity may arise to amend The Commons at East Creek Metropolitan District 2024 Budget and that proposed 2025 Budget have been submitted to the Board of Directors of The Commons at East Creek Metropolitan District; and that copies of the proposed Amended 2024 Budget, if necessary, and 2025 Budget have been filed at the District’s offices, 141 Union Boulevard, Suite 150, Lakewood, Colorado, where the same is open for public inspection; and that adoption of Resolutions Amending the 2024 Budget and Adopting the 2025 Budget will be considered at a public hearing of the Board of Directors of the District to be held on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at 1:00 P.M. This District Board meeting will be held via Zoom without any individuals (neither Board Representatives nor the general public) attending in person.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/ j/86267550643?pwd=V3RnRGRtWkRyUlZZc1VMWTJFZjFHdz09 Meeting ID: 862 6755 0643 Passcode: 987572

Call In Number: 1-719-359-4580

Any elector within the District may, at any time prior to the final adoption of the Resolutions to Amend the 2024 Budget and adopt the 2025 Budget, inspect and file or register any objections thereto.

THE COMMONS AT EAST CREEK METROPOLITAN DISTRICT By /s/ Peggy Ripko

Publication: November 7, 2024

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

Secretary

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2024PR031018

Estate of Robin Erik Rivedal aka Robin E. Rivedal, 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 March 1, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Attorney for Personal Representative

Anna L. Burr, Esq. Atty Reg #: 42205 2851 S. Parker Road, Ste. 230 Aurora, CO 80014

Phone: 720-500-2076

First Publication: October 24, 2024

Final Publication: November 7, 2024

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2024PR031051

Estate of Lloyd Glen Stokesbeary aka Lloyd G. Stokesbeary, 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 March 2, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Attorney for Personal Representative

Anna L. Burr, Esq.

Atty Reg #: 42205 2851 S. Parker Road, Ste. 230 Aurora, CO 80014

Phone: 720-500-2076

First Publication: October 24, 2024

Final Publication: November 7, 2024 Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2024PR30738

Estate of Michael Ray Freeman, Sr., 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 21, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Attorney for Personal Representative

James D. Bramer

Atty Reg #: 14939 1298 Main St., A4225

Windsor, CO 80550

Phone: 970-460-0266

First Publication: October 24, 2024

Final Publication: November 7, 2024

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2024PR30783

Estate of Larry Melvin Flaming, 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 25, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Janet Flaming, Personal Representative c/o Megan M. Kelly

Atty Reg #: 31030

7887 E. Belleview Ave, Suite 110 Denver, CO 80111

Phone: 239-273-5485

First Publication: October 24, 2024

Final Publication: November 7, 2024

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2024PR30986

Estate of Robert M. Foster aka Robert Max Foster aka Robert Foster, 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 24, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Jennifer Marie Foster

Personal Representative 474 Black Feather Loop, Apt. 406 Castle Rock, CO 80104

Attorney for Personal Representative Richard D.

Estate of Barbara C. Neyrinck aka Barbara Claire Neyrinck aka Barbara Neyrinck, 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 25, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Mark C. Neyrinck Personal Representative 12526 E. Amherst Cir. Aurora, CO 80014

Attorney for Personal Representative David M. Swank Atty Reg #: 23408 Swank Law Firm, LLC 4600 S. Syracuse St., Ste. 900 Denver, CO

ing music using colors and shapes for live performance and conducting musicians with “soundpainting” gestures. The event also includes an instrument petting zoo where kids can try out string instruments, courtesy of Luther Strings.

scene & herd

Aurora Dance Arts

Presents: Alice In Wonderland

Aurora Dance Arts invites audiences to experience a whimsical twist on Alice in Wonderland, bringing the classic tale to life with vibrant dance and a mix of musical selections. This family-friendly production follows Alice as she encounters Wonderland’s quirky characters, captivating viewers of all ages. The show promises a visually stunning display with a variety of dance styles, perfect for anyone seeking an imaginative adventure.

IF YOU GO:

Alice In Wonderland

Nov. 7- Nov. 10

Aurora Fox Arts Center, 9900 E. Colfax Ave. Tickets: $20 buff.ly/48ERONM

Mark Masters Comedy: Aurora Comedy Show with Raanan Hershberg hosted by Mark Masters

Mark Masters is Colorado’s “second cleanest comedian,” known for his optimistic, high-energy humor and versatility across diverse venues, from corporate events to dive bars. He’s performed on networks like ESPN and AWE, at comedy festivals, and has headlined in clubs, casinos and even bowling alleys. Mark is also the founder of the Vail Comedy Show and Vail Comedy Festival, bringing national headliners to Colorado for sold-out performances. An author and published humorist, Mark’s comedy spans a wide array of topics, and yes, he will do your show.

IF YOU GO:

Mark Masters Comedy

8 p.m. Nov. 10

Milieu Fermentation, 2101 N. Ursula St. #10

$25-$50 www.bandsintown.com/

Rhythm & Flavor: Tapas & A Tango Lesson

Black Sheep Fridays offers a weekly series of unique events in a rooftop cafe and bar. Each week features a different activity, with limited tickets required for entry. This week, attendees can dive into the Argentine Tango, a dance ideal for beginners, with simple instructions by Michele and Ervey, making it accessible even for those with “two left feet.” Guests are encouraged to bring soft shoes or dance in socks, and light bites will be served for a delightful night out.

IF YOU GO:

Tapas & A Tango Lesson

6-8 p.m. Nov. 8

Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, 1485 Delgany St., Denver

$22.28 18 and older mcadenver.org

Color, Shape, Sound: Free Family Event

Friends of Chamber Music presents Color, Shape, Sound, a free, interactive family event featuring The Playground Ensemble during Denver Arts Week. FThere will be hands-on activities like making kazoos, compos-

IF YOU GO: Color, Shape, Sound 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 9

Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas St.

Free Family-friendly friendsofchambermusic.com/ event/color-shape-sound-freefamily-event/

25th Annual Festival of Wreaths

The Aurora Museum Foundation presents its Annual Festival of Wreaths, a fundraiser showcasing community-crafted wreaths at the Aurora History Museum. Starting Nov. 5, wreaths will be on display, with visitors encouraged to vote and bid, either in-person or online via Bidding Owl. This year’s festival coincides with The Grand Celebration on Nov. 16, marking the museum’s 45th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of Trolley Trailer #610, featuring both silent and live auctions to support museum exhibits and educational programs. Community members are invited to participate by decorating and donating wreaths for the event.

IF YOU GO: Festival of Wreaths Nov. 5- Dec. 6

Aurora History Museum, 15051 E. Alameda Parkway

Free Family-friendly auroragov.org/things_to_do/ aurora_history_museum

The Pond Ice Rink

Southlands’ popular ice rink, The Pond, reopens on Nov. 8, kicking off the holiday and winter season. Advance tickets for skating sessions will be available soon. Group rates are also offered; contact (303) 928-7536 for details and reservations or email southlands@icerinkevents.com.

IF YOU GO: The Pond reopens

Nov. 8

Southlands, 6155 S. Main St.

$14

Family-friendly shopsouthlands.com/

Holistic Holiday & Magical Makers Faire

The festive event features over 100 artisans and holistic exhibitors offering handmade items, crystals, jewelry, body care products and more—perfect for holiday shopping. Attendees can also experience holistic wellness services, including reiki, sound healing and intuitive readings, provided by skilled practitioners. The faire includes workshops and presentations on various spiritual and wellness topics, creating a vibrant holiday shopping and healing experience.

IF YOU GO: Holistic Holiday & Magical Makers Faire

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Nov. 9 and 10

a.m.- 4 p.m. Nov. 10

Arapahoe County Fairgrounds, 25690 E Quincy Ave.

$7 for the entire weekend, 10 and younger are free Family friendly arapahoecountyeventcenter. com/

Holiday

Crafternoon Series

Put on by Jill of All Trades, the crafting class series will take place in the commons area at the Stanley Marketplace. The $25 fee includes supplies and instruction. The class featured this weekend is holiday wreath making. Attendees can choose

between Fall or Christmas/Winter to craft a holiday wreath with an array of crafting supplies in an open forum design class. Email with questions jillofalltradzco@gmail.com.

IF YOU GO:

Holiday Crafternoon Series

2-4 p.m. Nov. 10

Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas St.

$25

Family friendly stanleymarketplace.com/

Veterans Day at the Wings Over the Rockies

A day to salute veterans. Veterans, active and retired military receive free admission on Nov. 11 at both Wings Over the Rockies locations. For the discount, veterans must present a valid military ID upon entry.

IF YOU GO:

Veterans Day at the Wings Over the Rockies

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 11

Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 7711 E. Academy Boulevard

Free for veterans and standard admission for non veterans Family friendly wingsmuseum.org/

“Where The Wild Things Are” Package

In collaboration with Denver Art Museum’s brand-new “Where The Wild Things Are” exhibit, honoring the cherished children’s book, The ART Hotel Denver, has launched a Wild Things package. The package will include a hardcover edition of “Where the Wild Things Are”book. Two tickets to the “Wild Things” exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, truffles and a personalized note from the book’s main character, Max.

IF YOU GO:

Through Feb. 17

The ART Hotel Denver 1201 Broadway, Denver Free www.thearthotel.com/ special-offers/wild-things

Nunsense, a divine comedy

Nunsense is a musical comedy by Dan Goggin that premiered Off-Broadway in 1985. It follows the Little Sisters of Hoboken, who stage a fundraiser to bury fellow nuns accidentally poisoned by their cook, Sister Julia. Updated with new jokes, lyrics, and a fresh song, Nunsense remains popular for its witty humor, catchy songs and audience interaction.

IF YOU GO:

2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. showtimes, Oct. 25 - Nov. 17

The Schoolhouse, 19650 E. Mainstreet in Parker $34 for tickets

Mild Adult Content parkerarts.org/event/nunsense

Clyfford Still and Community: A Talk and Conversation

The exhibition Dialogue and Defiance: Clyfford Still and the Abstract Expressionists explores Clyfford Still’s connection to the late 1940s and 1950s artistic community despite his resistance to the idea. Scholar Allan Antliff will present on Barnett Newman, Clyfford Still, and Romanticism, followed by a discussion inspired by “The Club” gatherings of that era with curator Valerie Hellstein and CSM’s Bailey H. Placzek. The program is $5 for the public and free for CSM members, with limited space and registration required.

IF YOU GO:

Clyfford Still Museum

Doors open at 6 p.m., galleries open 6-6:30 p.m. and talk in the lobby 6:30-7:30 p.m.

1250 Bannock St.

720-354-4880

https://clyffordstillmuseum.org/ events/clyfford-still-in-community-talk/

The Life and Art of Tokio Ueyama

The Life and Art of Tokio Ueyama features more than 40 paintings loaned to the museum by the Japanese American National Museum and Ueyama’s family, whose combined efforts to preserve his work have allowed the story of this accomplished and cosmopolitan artist to be told at the Denver Art Museum for the first time.

Born in Japan, Tokio Ueyama moved to the United States in 1908 at age 18, where he made a home until his death in 1954. This exhibition tells the story of Ueyama’s life, including his early days as an art student in San Francisco, Southern California, and Philadelphia; his travels abroad in Europe and Mexico; his role as artist and community member in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles; and his unconstitutional incarceration during World War II at the Granada Relocation Center, now the Amache National Historic Site, in southeast Colorado.

Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, Tokio and his wife Suye were among more than 120,000 Japanese Americans forcibly relocated into American concentration camps. More than 10,000 people were unconstitutionally incarcerated at Amache in the following years, making it the third largest “city” in Colorado at the time. There, Ueyama taught adult art classes to 150 students. This exhibition tells a story of a time in Colorado’s history, of a place where Americans experienced dislocation and loss, and, more importantly, displayed unimaginable resilience, tenacity, and creativity in the face of prejudice.

IF YOU GO:

Tickets: Included in general admission, which is free for members and for all visitors 18 and under.

10 a.m. daily from Oct. 3 Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Ave Parkway Details: 720-865-5000 and www. denverartmuseum.org/en/exhibitions/tokio-ueyama

Discovering Teen Rex

Take an extraordinary journey into our prehistoric past with the arrival of “Discovering Teen Rex” as we unveil a remarkable fossil discovered by a crew of inquisitive young dino hunters in North Dakota. The fossil prep lab will be displayed alongside dinosaur fossils, including Triceratops and Edmontosaurus, from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science collection. The whole family is invited to come experience history in the making as our team of renowned paleontologists clean, preserve and study this rare adolescent T. rex fossil — one of only a handful found worldwide — before the public on the Museum floor.

IF YOU GO:

Free with museum ticket purchase

Daily 9-5

Tickets: $19.95-$25.95 Denver Museum of Nature and Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd. Details: 303-370-6000 or at dmns.org

Vanity and Vice: American Art Deco

Delve into the vibrant era of 1920–1933 and explore the dynamic designs that emerged during this period of rebellion.

Step into the story of a progressive Prohibition-era woman as you journey through her boudoir and a speakeasy, immersing yourself in the Art Deco objects that defined her world. Experience the freedom and change of the time, as American women embraced independence both at home and in society.

From chic bobs to cocktail parties, this exhibition showcases the evolution of the modern woman through

fashionable perfume atomizers, vanity sets, and stylish drinking and smoking accessories. Vanity & Vice: American Art Deco invites you to indulge in the glamour of a bygone era. This special exhibition is included with admission and does not require a separate ticket.

IF YOU GO:

Through Jan. 12, 2025, opens at 11 a.m. Kirkland Museum 1201 Bannock St. Info: www.kirklandmuseum.org/ vanity-vice/#

The Power of Poison

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science exhibition provides an interactive experience and incredible way to discover what you’ve always wanted to know about nature’s toxic arsenal. Through a live performance and interactive dioramas, the spellbinding “The Power of Poison” will take Museum visitors into familiar and novel tales of illness, enchantment and death by poison. Journeying through the Colombian forest, they will uncover fascinating secrets about the many plants and animals that wield poison as a potent tool for defense and survival. Finally, the exhibition will uncover how scientists are studying poison’s effects on human cells to protect, repair and heal our own bodies and improve our health.

IF YOU GO:

Open every day, 9 a.m-5 p.m., Most Fridays 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

Included with museum admission ticket, $19.95-$24.95 2001 Colorado Blvd. Info: 303-370-6000 and www.dmns.org/

Biophilia: Nature Reimagined

Biophilia: Nature Reimagined brings together more than 70 imaginative works, including architectural models and photographs, objects, fashion, digital installations, and immersive art experiences that collectively highlight the transformative power of nature. “Biophilia” is a term popularized by American biologist and author Edward O. Wilson to describe his theory that, as humans have evolved as a species, they have been intricately intertwined with the natural world. Wilson’s hypothesis invites deep reflection and poses relevant questions for audiences to consider life in our hyper-accelerated digital and urban-centric world. Organized by Darrin Alfred, Curator of Architecture and Design, Biophilia provides a space for leading architects, artists, and designers to re-examine and reanimate our intrinsic bond with the natural world.

IF YOU GO: Exhibit is included in museum admission. Free for those under 18, tickets range to $27 10 a.m.

Denver Art Museum 100 W 14th Ave Parkway INFO: 720-865-5000 or, denverartmuseum.org

Editorials Sentinel

The voting is done, but the fate of US health care is still on the table

The election is over, and regardless of who steps into power in the White House and capitols in Denver and Washington DC, American healthcare is systemically ill.

Spending on health care in the United States is expected to have grown 7.5% for 2023, stunting “positive” news that more Americans have some insurance.

It means that Americans are spending upwards of $5 trillion a year on healthcare, as much as $14,000 per person.

Healthcare continues to eat up an astonishing 17% or more of the gross domestic product, pushing the United States to the top of the GDP list with nations like Afghanistan and Liberia.

Every year, during every election, prospective members of Congress, the state Legislature and candidates for president promise to address the nation’s scandalous health-care quagmire.

Despite that, Colorado residents are paying more for health care and health insurance than ever before. Each year, health insurance companies create new ways to soak customers for more money while providing increasingly fewer benefits.

In 2009, Congress took a route to create the sea-change Affordable Care Act, a measure so tortuous that there was no way the United States would create a better way to provide affordable health care.

Rather than do the logical thing, Congress tried to create a way to accommodate the desires of the most vocal lobbyists, hospitals, drug companies and providers. The needs of a sensible system and package of reform went by the wayside.

We got here after Americans demanded health care reform because people who were ill couldn’t get care because they simply couldn’t afford it. The country was trapped in a downward spiral of quality and affordability.

And here we are again. Fifteen years later, health insurance rates eat further into residents’ paychecks. Many Coloradans are getting less coverage than they did earlier because they’re trading off deductibles for more affordable rates.

The country is spending more on health care than ever and there is not only no end in sight, but insurance companies are predicting more increases for the next round of hikes.

The Affordable Care Act as written, doesn’t work. It can’t work. It can’t work because Congress kowtowed to a massive health care machine composed of endless factions and lobbies, many of whom provide only bureaucracy and not health care.

It can’t work because Democrats caved to Republicans and refused to regulate prices and rates, which remain out of control.

It can’t work because Democrats caved to Republicans in 2009 and beyond, failing to create a “public option,” which was the country’s only hope for driving down market insurance prices.

It can’t work because too many important insurance companies and too many states are participating in this volunteer experiment.

While Colorado has pressed for some kind of “public option,” for state residents, it has yet to materialize.

This newspaper and hundreds of other critics of the Congress that created the Affordable Care Act warned Americans then and all along the way that compromises made by Democrats in creating Obamacare would undermine its laudable goal: increasing Americans’ access to affordable health care. It was conservatives who insisted that the health-insurance industry be preserved in a new health-care system, turning aside single-payer ideas that would have done away with billions of dollars in insurance company profits and payrolls, which feed from the U.S. health care trough without providing health care services.

We are where we began because health care is too expensive for too many once again. In fact, it’s easy to argue that it’s unaffordable for more people now than ever before. In a system that’s a gift to doctors and hospitals, which no longer have to dish out mountains of free care, no one is doing anything but raising rates again.

“In Colorado, there were 382,500 uninsured people in 2023,”

Truly, dying makes everything in life worth living for

Get this: life expectancy has apparently hit its peak.

According to msn.com, a recent study published in the journal Nature Aging finds that, barring any major medical breakthroughs, “people will top out at a maximum average age of around 87 — 90 for women, 84 for men.”

This news runs counter to numerous more optimistic studies I’ve written about the past 20 years.

Back in 2003, I wrote about futurists who strongly believed that advances in cell and gene manipulation and nanotechnology would allow humans to live up to 180 years — and maybe even into the 500s.

Good God, do we really want to live until we’re 500?

Do we really want “Me Generation” Baby Boomers to have 430 years to vote government benefits for themselves after retiring?

Do we really want to encourage our younger generations, notorious slackers, to keep putting off adulthood? (Mother to son in year 2125: You’re a century old, when are you going to go out and get a job?)

I don’t want to be a killjoy, but there are downsides to living long.

Sure, I’d love to have my parents around forever. It would be great if Dave Chapelle could keep telling jokes, or someone like Elon Musk could keep advancing rocket science.

But the rest of us?

I’m 62 already and have no desire to live for 100 years. In my experience so far, life is made up of colds, bills, speeding tickets and people who let you down.

These experiences are connected by a series of mundane tasks we must complete to sustain ourselves — like working in an office with people we loathe.

This daily drudgery is occasionally visited by an exciting and enjoyable moment, but do we really want to live 500 years like that?

Besides, how would we pay for it all? Living is expensive. Are we going to work full-time for 40 years, retire, burn through our nest eggs, then sling hamburgers at McDonald’s for hundreds of years?

Anyway, it’s dying that makes life most worth living!

Consider, would you enjoy a movie if you knew it was going to last for 24 hours? No, what makes the movie enjoyable is its ending.

The key to human happiness, you see, is not an abundance of a thing, but the shortage of it.

Doesn’t pie taste better when we know it’s the last slice?

Doesn’t a football game capture our attention more when it is the last of the season with only a few minutes left — the final game that determines who goes out the winner and who goes out the loser?

And isn’t a comedian funnier when he exits the stage before we want him to go?

Hey, futurists, we don’t want to stick around on Earth too long. If you believe in God, as I do, life is just a testing ground anyhow.

This life is just practice. It’s like two-a-day football drills. We must first prove ourselves during the agony of summer practice to earn our rights to play in the big game in the autumn.

Do you really want to spend half a millennium

TOM PURCELL, CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST

›› XC, from 14

Puzzles

Begashaw outkicked Monument Academy’s Matthew Start on the final stretch inside the Norris Penrose Event Center to finish in 16 minutes, 16.3 seconds. Bel had come across the line in 15:57.7 to repeat atop 2A.

“Second wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but I went out, ran hard and had fun and that’s all that matters,” said Begashaw, the lone qualifier from Lotus School For Excellence, a K-12 with 800 students.

“ I was trying to stay up with No. 1 right there (Bell) and I was trying to light him up, but I couldn’t get him,” he added.

Begashaw made a massive improvement from his junior year, when he finished 33rd with a time that was 1:24 slower.

His state race went very much according to plan, though he said he felt “a little woozy” when he crossed through the water portion midway through the course.

Begashaw said his brother — who won the 2020 race in a time of 16:17.8 and is now at Adams State — texted him before the race and told him to “show them what Begashaws do.”

McDaniel leads Aurora area qualifiers in 5A girls state race

Jade McDaniel had company from her Cherokee Trail team in the Class 5A girls state cross country race after she ran it alone in 2023.

Obituary

Arthur Joseph Nichols

Arthur Joseph Nichols Birth: 11/09/1942

Deceasd 09/20/2024

A loving father, army veteran, a gentleman and a scholar

R.I.P. ART NICHOLS

Celebration of life will be 11/09/2024 at 15074 E. Mexico Dr. Aurora, Colorado 80012 at 10 am.

Feel free to contact Melissa at 7203643057 with any questions.

The sophomore paced the Cougars to 19th place in the final standings with a 66th-place finish at the Norris Penrose Event Center with a time of 19 minutes, 43.7 seconds. McDaniel finished in the exact same place she had earned the year before, but she ran seven seconds faster. Next up for Cherokee Trail was Clara Kapfer with a time of 19:57.7 that put her 82nd, while the Cougars’ performances were rounded

out by Anneli Reite in 124th, Sophia Lucero in 128th, Elle Van Fossen in 135th, Reese Kass in 141st and Dawn Armstrong in 151st. The lone Aurora area individual to qualify — Eaglecrest sophomore Jenna Winn — was third-fastest among locals with a time of 20:11.6 that put her in 96th place. The Aurora City Championship meet winner was the first Raptor to run in the 5A girls race since the entire team qualified in 2015.

“Coloradans expect their elected representatives to act with civility and respect,” Polis’ spokesperson, Shelby Wieman, told the Sentinel October 29. “Gov. Polis urges his fellow Americans, and especially public officials, to disagree better and to constructively work to find common ground no matter one’s personal political or policy opinions.”

Debates over the city’s head tax and Venezuelan migrants aren’t Jurinsky’s first controversies since she was elected in 2021 as part of a conservative takeover of Aurora’s council. Late last year, a federal judge threw out a class-action case she filed against Arapahoe County’s Department of Human Services for what she claimed was agency-wide misconduct. She pursued the case after Robin Niceta — a former Arapahoe County social services caseworker and the ex-girlfriend of Aurora’s ex-police chief, Vanessa Wilson — anonymously and falsely reported that Jurinsky had sexually molested her own son.

Niceta made the report shortly after Jurinsky criticized Wilson on a talk radio show. Investigators later concluded that Niceta’s accusation was unsubstantiated. Niceta was convicted of charges for retaliating against an elected official and making a false report of child abuse as a mandatory reporter. She also pleaded guilty earlier this month to charges of forgery, criminal imper-

sonation, attempting to influence a public servant, tampering with physical evidence and two lesser misdemeanors of second-degree forgery after faking having brain cancer to avoid prosecution in the case involving Jurinsky.

In a city government designed to have a figuratively strong city manager and weak mayor and council, it is Jurinsky whose voice has been by far the loudest this year. Even before she threatened her colleagues with text messages, people in and close to city hall grumbled not just about her effect on the city’s reputation, but also on the well-being of those working for the city.

Former Aurora Councilwoman Nicole Johnston, who represented Aurora’s Ward II from 2017 to 2021, works in El Paso County to improve mental health conditions in its workplaces. She never served directly with Jurinsky on Aurora’s council, but noted that municipalities are paying increasing attention to workplace culture, especially bullying, and that Aurora would be wise to do the same.

“Besides impacting the mental health for anyone on the receiving end…, my concern is the culture of toxicity she spreads to her council colleagues as well as the city staff,” Johnston said after reading Jurinsky’s texts, which she deemed “abusive.”

METRO

›› COUNCIL, from 4

Photo finish: Regis Jesuit senior Caleb Aex (131) vies with a Fairview runner all the way to the finish line of the Class 5A boys cross country state championship race Nov. 2 in Colorado Springs. (Photo by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)