THE PERFECT CRIME FIGHT?
Aurora police chief outlines new plans to fight crime with data
Stop being polite about deadly quackery. Tell anti-vaxers to stick it in their arm or up an ori ce
You don’t have to look any further than just below the shoulder of millions of aging Americans to see how ridiculous Robert F. Kennedy Junior’s anti-vax quackery is.
If you’re gray like me, you almost certainly have that odd little scar on the outside of your arm at your shoulder that is proof of the power of real science and public vaccination.
Anyone born even in the late 1970s and beyond doesn’t have the scar we all got from being vaccinated against smallpox.
That’s because it actually worked.
Smallpox was eradicated from every human on the planet, officially, in 1980.
Before then, about one in every third person who caught the intensely contagious disease died. As in dead.
Even before vaccine technology became as stunning as it is today, we all lined up to get our itchy scabs and then forget them for the rest of our lives. Until now.
DAVE PERRY Editor
For the past 20 years or so, the vaccination rate for highly contagious and sometimes deadly diseases, like measles, has been declining among kids in school, which is the viral cesspool we all know and love that so efficiently facilitates mass breakouts of colds, flu — and now measles.
One of the biggest culprits for the decline in mass vaccination was Andrew Jeremy Wakefield. He is a debunked quack from Great Britain who falsely claimed he had proof that the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, often called MMR, was linked to autism. His fakery got him kicked out of British medicine and into the United States. Here, he peddled the same quackery, eventually being exposed for his fraud here as well.
But the damage was done.
Tens of millions of Americans since then have backed off ensuring their children are vaccinated against deadly measles, and states like Colorado have fed into and accommodated the quackery and outright stupidity that led to the outbreak problem, Texas, and RFK Junior.
Texas isn’t the only state that has leveraged moronic and malfeasant governance into a fullfledged public health disaster, but it’s a shining example of what the other 49 states must do immediately to prevent additional states of panic.
An Associated Press story this week diving deep into how any state in the 2020s would
become a hotbed of measles turned up solid clues.
It turns out that health officials knew the vaccination rate among children was sliding over the past several years, but no one could convince state lawmakers to adequately fund vaccine distribution and education programs to counter years of fakery and disinformation from anti-vax trolls and quacks.
For vaccine technology to be effective, at least 95% — at least — of the population needs to be vaccinated to prevent the spread of viruses such as measles. Vaccine rates in Texas cities where hundreds of cases of measles have spread, and two children have died, have hovered at about 93%, and some even lower.
Voila! A nearly instant outbreak that has now spread to Colorado, where three cases have been reported, including one in Denver.
The problem in Texas, according to the Associated Press report, is that a large Mennonite community, which has long said “no” to vaccines, simmered the measles outbreak. Then the low vaccination rate just outside stricken towns lit up with measles cases like a gasoline fire.
Colorado absolutely could be next.
A story this week from Chalkbeat offers readers a look into their local school districts to see how well-vaccinated the children are at the local schools.
Cherry Creek schools? A marginal 94.5%. Aurora Public Schools? A scary 90.7%. Denver is not much better at 93.2%
But outstate is even far, far worse. The Elbert School district, southeast of the metro area? Only a very scary 76.3% of kids there have had the MMR vaccine. And in the Moffat 2 school district in southern Colorado, fewer than 60% of students are vaccinated.
Like Texas and so many states, Colorado lawmakers are complicit in the problem. With so many parents skittish about vaccinating their children, “just in case” the repeatedly debunked and absolutely false link between vaccines and autism might not be so false, the state allows parents to “opt out” of the MMR vaccine mandate just by saying they prefer not to opt in.
At one point, just a few years ago, it was easier for a parent to just go through the optout process than dig up the paperwork to prove their kids have had their shots so they can go to public school. Legislators now require parents to at least watch an educational video before just saying, “No thanks.”
That’s it, though. Because some parents
know so little about science and medicine, and don’t have someone in their lives who persuades them to do the smart thing, the safe thing, millions of Americans, and Coloradans, face being scarred for life instead of just on a tiny place on their arms.
And just when the adults in the room figured this science-fiction nightmare couldn’t get any more dangerous, Americans re-elected Donald Trump, the king of dumb decisions.
Trump decided to hire, as the head of America’s health system, one of the nation’s most prevalent and prolific medical quacks, Robert F. Kennedy Junior. He’s the very guy who not only drank vast quantities of the deadly Andrew Jeremy Wakefield poison propaganda, he capitalized on it as a shady lawyer.
Even now, as he sheepishly tours towns in Texas devastated by measles, he mumbles to the public that, yeah, well, maybe vaccinating your kids before they get sick and die isn’t exactly a bad idea.
But he refuses to tell parents that their children could get sick and die from measles if they don’t get the MMR vaccine, or they may infect other children who could become sick and die.
The answer here is so obvious and easy.
If you want your child to attend any public school in Colorado, they must have the MMR vaccine, or a valid medical exception, which are rare. If you want to send your kids to a public pool or rec center, or a day care, or a summer camp, they must have the MMR vaccine.
If you still disbelieve decades of science and undeniable proof about how effective and safe the vaccines are, and your real doctor can’t convince you that you should vaccinate your kids, then teach them at home. Let them swim in your backyard. You can go camping by yourselves.
But no parent should be empowered to risk the lives of thousands of other children, and millions of adults, because we choose as a community to politely accommodate someone’s neurosis and misinformation.
We don’t let kids take deadly guns and knives to school, so why would we let them take deadly diseases?
Fully fund public vaccination and education campaigns. Require parents to do the smart and right thing for their child and all the other children by reinstating real vaccine mandates.
Follow@EditorDavePerryonBlueSky, Threads,Mastodon,TwitterandFacebookor reachhimat303-750-7555ordperry@SentinelColorado.com
FILE - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, arrives at Reinlander Mennonite Church in Seminole, Texas, on Sunday, April 6, 2025, after a second measles-related death in the state. AP Photo/Annie Rice
A plan for A-Town
AURORA ADVANCES MAJOR ECONOMIC REVIVAL PLAN FOR EAST COLFAX CORRIDOR
BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer
The East Colfax Corridor is moving into a second phase of a strategic economic revival plan as city lawmakers decide what redevelopment mechanism will benefit it most.
“We want to create a champion, an organization, an entity, that’s going to champion all of the interests in the Colfax corridor,” said Brad Segal, president of Progressive Urban Management Associates, consultant for the City of Aurora.
All of the city council approved moving forward with two recommendations to create and combine a Downtown Development Authority and a Community Development Corporation, except Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky. Jurinsky said she supports the development authority but not the community development concepts.
The so-called “Colfax Corridor” is no stranger to controversy and redevelopment plans, some hailing back decades. The city’s aging urban beginnings have long been a focus of ways to weed out crime, homelessness and decades of urban decay and install new businesses and cultural venues.
The three options city council chose from were a Business Improvement District (BID), a Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and a Community Development Corporation (CDC).
A BID and a DDA are similar, and both are governed by a state statute, while a BID only includes commercial properties and a DDA includes commercial and residential properties. BIDS are created through a petition and voted on by business owners and tenants, while DDAs allow residents voting power as well.
A BID comprises at least five property owners, while a DDA has a board of five to 11 members. BIDs are funded by an added property tax or special assessment, but a DDA can also add a tax for operations. It is usually funded by a Tax Increment Financing (TIF), which allows the district to keep future increases in sales and property taxes, above a baseline.
A TIF is not a new tax or an added tax, said Segal. TIFs enable the district to capture future increases in property tax revenue and sales tax revenue.
“So as an area improves, as it prospers and tax proceeds increase, the increment or the amount of revenue above the original base, the district is what we capture and we reinvest into the area,” Segal said.
The focus for a BID is on management, marketing, advocacy and economic vitality, and the focus of a DDA is development and redevelopment, infrastructure and economic vitality.
Downtown Development Authorities can also help with both infrastructure and services, such as street and sidewalk improvements, safety enhancements, beautification projects and economic development. DDAs can also fund capital improvements in the district, such as upgrading intersections, improving pedestrian safety, enhancing connectivity, activating underused or vacant spaces and even potentially developing multifamily housing.
The third option city lawmakers considered, which they decided to combine with the DDA, is a Community Development Corporation, which is not governed by a statute and is formed by incorporation as a non-profit group.
It is community-led and focuses on acquiring and renovating real estate for community benefit. A CDC lacks a dedicated funding stream, but it can pursue grants, donations and foundation support.
“A lot of nonprofits in Northwest Aurora, almost all, are focused on social services of one form or another,” Segal said. “This would be very different because a community development corporation is focused on real estate and is focused on helping to acquire and renovate real estate for community benefit.”
The next steps in the plan will include creating boundaries for the district, calculating the tax increment financing baseline, determining how the DDA and CDC entities will work together, governance structures and ongoing community engagement. PUMA will be back in midsummer for direction from the city council on the next steps.
Members of the PUMA group have been collecting feedback from an area focused so far on an East Colfax Avenue Corridor that includes Yosemite to Peoria streets, and East 17th Avenue to East 13th Avenue. The area is just being tested for feedback and is not the potential district, Naomi Lacewell said, the project manager on this project, and a senior associate for PUMA.
“The work in phase one has been a lot about understanding the area, getting oriented, working through data, looking, doing data analysis, reading previous plans and community outreach,” Lacewell said.
The third phase includes city council deciding the district details and creating a resolution that would put the DDA issue on the ballot this November for the affected electors within Northwest Aurora.
Aurora has a project webpage up in multiple languages for residents in the area to get additional details and complete a
survey. The survey was supposed to end in March, but Lacewell said they are going to keep it open. Visit: engageaurora. org/colfaxplan
Feedback collected so far from the community expresses a need for more safety improvements, cleaning, maintenance and beautification. Residents who have given feedback also want to see more arts and creative businesses, along with additional support for existing small businesses.
“We’ve been hearing a strong emphasis on safety. Safety is absolutely a key common theme,” Lacewell said. “Not only in terms of reducing crime, but also in terms of traffic safety. Colfax is a very dangerous traffic corridor. Folks want a better pedestrian environment. They want to feel safe walking up and down it and crossing it.”
Creating a combined DDA and CDC will also help with another issue, Lacewell said she heard from their outreach, which was a need for more synergy, communication and coordination between the city, the entities and the different groups in the area.
“Remember, the DDA has a tax increment, and it’s got the opportunity for potential mill levy when it’s partnered with CDC, then you also have philanthropic opportunities,” Segal said. “So the opportunities for foundations, for corporations, a whole variety of philanthropic opportunities that can leverage the resources that are being pulled together for the community.”
ABOVE: A plaza of five businesses on the 10100 block of East Colfax Avenue, sandwiched between Fulton Street to the west and North Galena Street to the east.
BELOW: East Colfax Avenue Aurora Sentinel File Photos
AROUND AURORA
Fitzsimons Innovation Community strives to expand hub for science and healthcare
What Aurora officials say is an industrious Fitzsimons Innovation Community could also become a community where scientists don’t just work, but also live and play while exploring bio and life science.
“Aurora saw the vision that said this could be home to healthcare, bio and life science center for the state of Colorado, and today, we boast one of the largest bioscience communities in the nation,” Kelly Brough, the executive director for the Fitzsimons Innovation Committee told Aurora lawmakers at a recent update during the study session April 7.
The Committee is formerly the Fitzimons Redevelopment Authority, which was in charge of converting the former Army hospital base into a campus for medical education, research and hospitals.
On a 600-acre campus at Fitzsimons, which includes the Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, UC Health, The Children’s Hospital, Colorado University Anschutz campus with more than 40 academic
programs and the Fitzsimons Innovation Community, is responsible for about 184 acres. An estimated 28,000 people currently work across the campus, Brough said.
“This is part of the northern part of the campus, which is really the or Fitzsimons redevelopment area, and what it utilizes is the Sand Creek area in an incredible way,” Mayor Mike Coffman said. “It’s the revised master plan.”
The Fitzsimons Innovation Community has plans for apartments, a luxury hotel and restaurants, and the ability to host more than 80 startup companies, with many of them founded by researchers or faculty from institutions, even the Colorado School of Mines, Brough said.
Start-ups and companies renting inside of the lab spaces have access to clinical trials and medical experts, affordable labs and office space.
“These companies don’t have a lot of money, and they really need that support of people who are helping them start the company, get to (clinical) trials, and see if their drugs or their life-saving technology can actually work,” Brough said.
Aurora is the most diverse city in Colorado, which is critical, proponents of the expanded Fitzsimons mission say, because so many of the companies on the campus are trying to address the inequities seen in healthcare,
Brough said.
The community already has 415,000 square feet dedicated to lab, office and research space, with 90,000 square feet set aside for manufacturing, Brough said. While that facility is unoccupied for now, Brough said there’s been a lot of interest in the past month from potential tenants.
Despite reported slow growth in bioscience and life sciences industries, the Innovation Community is close to 90% occupancy, according to a city report.
The Innovation Community needs to reinvent itself, too, Brough said.
“We’re increasing density,” Brough said. “Part of the challenge we face is that when companies want to build a lab or bring their company, they want to be in a place that’s really vibrant, where their employees can eat in a restaurant and there’s retail.”
Future development will include more parks, public art and gathering spaces. The Fitzsimons Committee is also committing to a 1% investment in the arts and open space to ensure that it’s a place where people want to live, not just work.
“So that people in our community want to live there as much as they want to work there, where scientists are bumping into each other when they’re walking down our streets,” Brough said. “We really want to soften the edg-
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es so that our surrounding community sees this as their campus, too, where they’re coming and going, where we’re offering to host community events and activities.”
In collaboration with Aurora Public Schools, the Fitzsimons Committee is also helping shape the next generation of healthcare professionals. A new high school focused on healthcare is opening across the street from the campus.
“I think our partnership will be seamless, where I intend every one of those kids to come work on our campus and help support our future,” Brough said.
Brough said she hopes to strengthen the relationship with the other healthcare organizations by looking into a shared energy system or enhancing mobility services. For example, she said the Fitzsimons Committee is exploring the use of autonomous vehicles to shuttle employees across the campus.
“I’m excited for the Master Plan process to come forward to council, because I think it’s really going with Kelly’s leadership and board,” Councilmember Curtis Gardner said. “It’s really going to allow us to take advantage of what this campus could be unique all across the US.”
— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer
Aurora, Denver legislators lead measure limiting cooperation with ICE
Colorado lawmakers gave initial approval to a bill Tuesday that seeks to curtail cooperation and the release of records to federal immigration enforcement officials, including public schools, colleges and universities, and child care centers.
Senate Bill 276 also would ensure public schools and colleges have rules to limit federal authorities’ access to buildings. Immigration enforcement officials only would be able to get access with a court-issued order, subpoena, or warrant.
While a state law passed in 2021 already limits state agencies and local law enforcement from cooperating and sharing information related to a resident’s immigration status with U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, unless required by federal or state law, the bill seeks to extend that provision to others, including cities, counties, and schools.
The bill is a response to the Trump administration’s hard-line stance on immigration that has led to an uptick in raids, deportations, and the revocation of college student visas. The actions have led to fear among immigrant communities and bill sponsor state Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat, said the bill protects immigrant rights and ensures students and families feel secure going to school.
The bill cleared its first hearing Tuesday in the Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs committee with a 3-2 party-line vote. The bill will now be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee before heading to the Senate floor.
“We’ve seen the Trump administration wield attacks against immigrants, regardless of their immigration status, with increasing frequency and with less and less regard for due process here in Colorado,” Gonzales said during a news conference before the hearing on the bill. “We have no control over what ICE does or does not do, but we do have control here in Colorado over what we do and what we don’t do.”
gration enforcement at “sensitive” or “protected” places, such as schools, hospitals, and churches.
Recent raids in the Denver-area have terrified communities, and students have said they have seen immigration enforcement drive past school grounds. That’s caused students to stay home and families to skip medical care, supporters of the bill testified.
The bill is also sponsored by state Sen. Mike Weissman, an Aurora Democrat, and state Democratic Reps. Lorena Garcia, from Adams County, and Elizabeth Velasco, from Glenwood Springs. It would cost the state $500,000 a year in additional administrative costs.
Higher education institutions and K-12 schools already are required to protect student information under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, which protects a student’s data and prohibits releasing most student records, such as student identification numbers or Social Security numbers. Information can only be obtained through a warrant, order, or subpoena, according to student privacy law.
Although the federal law has been in place since 1974, the Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit, nonpartisan civil liberties organization, released a study that said about 17% of teachers nationally reported their school shared information with ICE. Colleges and universities would also not be allowed to share visa sponsorship information.
Gonzales said the bill would ensure federal authorities go through the correct process to get student data. And she said it’s important that lawmakers reaffirm that sharing student data isn’t permissible without a court order.
“We are in a moment in which long-standing bedrock protections are being eroded or overturned outright,” she said in an interview. “It’s for that reason that these data privacy safeguards are so critically important.”
The proposal also importantly ensures schools would need to have policies in place on how to respond if federal officials request student information, Weissman said. For instance, Aurora Public Schools sought guidance after February raids in the community, he said.
Summit School District Superintendent Tony Bird, who supports the bill, said the proposal addresses the concerns of communities and provides clear guidelines for districts on what to do if ICE requests cooperation and student information.
“This bill will foster trust in our community,” Byrd said. “When families feel safe, they’re more likely to engage with our schools.”
The bill also would require state and local groups to keep records of third parties seeking personal information. Reports would then be sent to the governor’s and attorney general’s offices.
The bill would allow fines to be levied if workers violate the law. Employees could face a civil penalty of $50,000, with that money going to Colorado’s Immigration Legal Defense Fund. The Colorado Municipal League has asked lawmakers to amend that portion of the bill due to concerns about the penalties.
The bill removes a portion of state statute related to obtaining state identification and the state’s Advancing Students for a Stronger Tomorrow program, which allows eligible public college and university students to pay in-state tuition.
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The vast majority of speakers during the hearing testified in favor of the bill, which is supported by immigrant rights groups, the ACLU of Colorado, and several education advocacy organizations. Three groups have opposed the bill, including the town of Castle Rock, SAFE Colorado, and the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police.
Bill sponsors and advocates said the bill is especially important after the Trump administration revoked a decades-old policy that limited immi-
The bill would no longer require a resident who isn’t here legally to submit an affidavit that says they will apply for legal status if they’re applying for in-state tuition or an identification document. The stipulation is intended to prevent residents from having to submit their information to federal officials, which could open them to deportation.
— Jason Gonzales of Chalkbeat Colorado
In the batters box or on the pitching mound, Ethan Wachsmann just wants to play baseball.
The versatile junior has pitched well and hit at a high level so far this season, which is part of the reason Grandview is off to an outstanding 10-3 start and sits No. 2 in the Colorado High School Activities Association’s Class 5A rankings.
Wachsmann made his biggest impact April 12 on the mound, when he threw a seven-inning no-hitter against fierce rival Cherokee Trail in a 2-0 victory.
BASEBALL
Stellar stuff
Indeed, that was on display in the no-hitter, as he worked out of two innings in which Cherokee Trail (9-6) had multiple baserunners.
Wachsmann overcame a hit-by-pitch and walk in one inning and consecutive walks in another inning to keep the Cougars at bay.
“Last year in tough situations, I would feel the moment getting big and I would crumble inside,” Wachsmann said. “This year, I’ve tried to work on staying confident in myself and just believing I can get out of those situations. That worked on Saturday.”
The Wolves already featured Pfister (2-0, 3.00 ERA), Dean (2-2, 2.33 ERA) and Nick Martensen (1-0, 0.00 ERA) who all picked up postseason victories a year ago on their run to the Class 5A semifinals. The staff is even stronger with the improvement of Wachsmann plus the contributions of senior Josiah Giron, who is 1-0 with a 1.56 ERA.
BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor
“I just want to help my team find a way to win, whether that’s hitting or pitching,” said Wachsmann, who leads Grandview’s talented pitching staff with four wins and ranks second among hitters with 13 RBI to go with a solid .333 batting average.
He played a key role in both ways in the memorable victory over Cherokee Trail, in which he shut down the potent Cougars’ lineup (which hadn’t been kept off the scoreboard all season) with nine strikeouts and also singled in one of the two runs for coach Scott Henry’s Wolves.
It was the best performance yet in an already outstanding season for Wachsmann, who has logged 23 innings (14 of which came in complete game wins over Cherokee Trail and Fruita Monument) and owns a sparkling 4-1 record with 1.83 ERA with 36 strikeouts. That is a remarkable step forward for the 6-foot-4, 215-pound right-hander, who had a 1-2 record with a 5.60 ERA a year ago in just 20 innings of work, which mostly came in relief.
“Obviously, Ethan is physically gifted and he has improved his velocity and upped his strike percentage,” Henry said. “What has really made the difference is mental maturity and knowing that things aren’t always going to go the way we want them to. When things start to go a little sideways, he’s shown a little bit more control over those situations this season.”
What also helped him overcome adversity and frustration that he couldn’t throw his breaking ball for a strike was the connection he had with sophomore catcher and good friend Kayden Bohmeyer — who Wachsmann said he shook off only once the whole game — as well as the reliable defense played behind him.
A no-hitter almost always requires some key defensive plays to keep it going and this one most certainly did.
Junior third baseman AJ Maroni made a diving stop and throw out in the early innings and senior center fielder Kyler Vaughn tracked down a ball in deep left center in the seventh inning that Henry said it “seemed like he was running for days” to reach before he hauled it in. Another key play that didn’t have an impact on the no-hit bid, but was important in the result, was Bohmeyer picking off a baserunner at second base after a missed bunt attempt.
“I have insane confidence in all my guys behind me,” Wachsmann said. “They can track down any ball or make any play.”
Wachsmann tries to be just as reliable when he is in the field on days he doesn’t pitch.
His older brother, Isaac, was a key offensive weapon and outfielder for Regis Jesuit before he graduated in 2022 and now plays Division I baseball at Xavier. Ethan Wachsmann also plays in the outfield and loves to hit — he drove a pitch opposite field to bring in senior Jax Pfister with the only run he needed against Cherokee Trail — but worked on pitching as well since he started playing in the seventh grade. That fits right in on this Grandview team, which also features two-way contributors in seniors Pfister and Justin Dean among others.
The infield of Maroni, senior shortstop Chase Chapman (who has team bests in batting average at .541 and RBI with 20) and Pfister at first base provides stability, as does the full time return of Vaughn in center field after he was injured for the majority of last season. Wachsmann and senior Kyle Cacciavillani solidify the outfield as well.
Eaglecrest picks up big win at Grandview in 2-0 week
Wachsmann’s wasn’t the only special pitching performance on the Grandview field during the week, however.
On April 10, the Wolves themselves were victims of an outstanding showing from Braden Elliott in a 2-1 victory for coach Tory Humphrey’s Eaglecrest team.
The Raptors surrended double-digit runs to Grandview April 8 (a 12-2 loss) in the first of back-to-back meetings, but the quick turnaround against the same opponent and Elliott’s ability to consistently get ahead in the count turned the tables.
“We really needed to bounce back after the first game against Grandview,” Humphrey said. “The biggest thing Braden did was he filled the zone with three pitches. If we can just throw strikes, it makes our battle much easier.” Elliott struck out nine and allowed just four hits. His defense stepped up and he got some good fortune as well, such as an inning when a groundball glanced off shortstop Tavish
and went directly to second baseman Leo
for a force out. Junior
Dey
Jimenez
Blake Anderson’s double brought home the go-ahead run in the fifth inning.
ABOVE: Grandview junior right-handed pitcher Ethan Wachsmann poses during practice on April 14, just two days after he threw a seven-inning no-hitter against Cherokee Trail in a 2-0 Centennial League home victory. Wachsmann struck out nine hitters in his second complete game of the season to earn the Wolves’ 10th win of the season and improve his team-best record to 4-1. BELOW: Eaglecrest senior Braden Elliott fires a pitch during his four-hit complete game April 10 in a 2-1 victory at Grandview. (Photos by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)
BOYS BASKETBALL
Hardin, Smoky Hill agree to part ways after decade
Anthony Hardin’s run as Smoky Hill’s boys basketball coach has come to an end after a decade and a lot of excitement and winning.
Hardin told the Sentinel April 8 that he and the school had “agreed to part ways,” after he had held the job since the 2015-16 season and guided the program to nine postseason appearances in 10 seasons. He said he plans to coach again elsewhere next season.
The Smoky Hill job has been listed on the Cherry Creek School District site and is listed as open until April 17.
“We thank Anthony for everything he did and we wish him the best,” Smoky Hill athletic director John Thompson said. “I know we didn’t get to where he wanted to, but he created some good times here. I think the kids had a blast and the student body had a blast watching. He did a lot here.”
Hardin left his assistant job at Overland in 2015 to take over the Smoky Hill program in the wake of the departure of Keenon Clement and went 155-87 (a 64 percent winning percentage), including a 13-10 mark in the recently completed 2024-25 season. Aside from a 4-19 opening season, Hardin’s team’s won double figures nine straight times and made the postseason each time, with its deepest push coming in 2023-24 when the Buffaloes lost to eventual state champion Valor Christian in the semifinals.
For comparison, only three other Aurora coaches were on the bench for that same span in Rangeview’s Shawn Palmer, Regis Jesuit’s Ken Shaw and Overland’s Danny Fisher and Hardin ranks third among them over that span with his 155 wins behind the 196 of Palmer and 166 of Shaw. Both Palmer and Shaw had records below .500 during that span, however, while Hardin did not, while Fisher and Palmer both won state titles.
Hardin guided the team to the Final Four once, plus three other trips to the Great 8 and four more Sweet 16 berths. In the 2024-25 season, Smoky Hill finished as the runner-up to eventual state champion Eaglecrest in the Centennial League Challenge and as the No. 14 seed in the Class 6A playoffs lost its first playoff game to 19th-seeded Rock Canyon.
The Buffaloes featured three All-Centennial League first team selections in seniors Lorenzo Contreras and Kaylan Graham along with junior Carter Basquez. Conteras, Graham and Tashawn Isaac graduate, but Smoky Hill had a large group of juniors on varsity with a few sophomores and a freshman.
BOYS SWIMMING
Buffs, Cougars take 2nd & 3rd at Smoky Hill Invite
Mullen walked away with the Smoky Hill Invitational title Saturday evening, but not without withstanding a big challenge from Smoky Hill and Cherokee Trail.
The host Buffaloes had no individual event champions, but racked up 609 points to earn the runner-up trophy behind the Mustangs — who accrued 665 — while the Cougars had four event champions and picked up 542 to hold off Ponderosa (537) for third.
Coach Scott Cohen’s Smoky Hill team was unable to defend the invitational title it won last season, however it had plenty of top performances from meet veterans and newcomers alike.
In his final Smoky Hill Invitational, senior Ian Noffsinger secured two top-three individual finishes, led by a runner-up result in the 500 yard freestyle, while freshman Cooper Walkup did the same in his inaugural meet, which included a second place in the 100 yard backstroke.
Coach Kevin Chatham’s Cherokee
Trail team — which defeated Smoky Hill in a Centennial League dual meet just two days earlier — opened the meet with a victory in the 200 yard medley relay from seniors Jacob Mueller and Bronson Smothers, junior Tyson Walker and sophomore Anderson Hardin. It only got better from there for the Cougars, as Walker won the 200 yard individual medley, Smothers claimed the 100 yard butterfly and the same group of relay swimmers set the meet and pool record in the 200 yard freestyle relay.
WEEK PAST
The week past in
Aurora prep sports
MONDAY, APRIL 14: A light schedule for Aurora teams included baseball, boys and girls lacrosse, boys volleyball and girls tennis SATURDAY, APRIL 12: Ethan Wachsmann threw a seven-in-
ning no-hitter and helped himself with an RBI as the Grandview baseball team topped Cherokee Trail 2-0. Chase Chapman doubled twice and drove in the other run for the Wolves. ...Connor Brennan, Blake Anderson and Cosme Vera homered for the Eaglecrest baseball team in an 11-3 Centennial League road win at Smoky Hill Brian Moreland pitched six strong innings for the win for the Raptors, while Tate DeMara drove in two of the Buffs’ three runs. ...The Regis Jesuit baseball team finished 2-2 at the USA National Baseball Invitational in Cary, North Carolina, that was capped by an 11-2 loss to Granada. ...The Eaglecrest girls soccer team got two goals from Annika Boex to take a two-goal lead, then held on in a wild finish for a 4-3 win over Lakewood at Legacy Stadium. ... Despite Brooke Metcalfe’s second-half goal, the Regis Jesuit girls soccer team dropped a 2-1 contest to Divine Savior
ABOVE: Evangeline Ansah, right, brings home the baton for the Eaglecrest girls 4x100 meter relay team in its heat at the Cherry Creek Invitational track meet April 12 at Stutler Bowl. Ansah combined with Tatum Gratrix, Zenobia Witt and Jaylynn Wilson to run a state-leading time of 46.75 seconds. LEFT: With plenty of spectators watching, Overland senior Jarrius Ward launches the discus that landed 184 feet, 2 inches, away during the boys competition at the Pomona Invitational April 11 at Je co Stadium. Ward is the defending state champion in the event and his throw leads the state thus far. BELOW LEFT: Grandview senior Andrea Davis clears the high jump bar set at 5 feet, 7 inches, during the girls competition at the Pomona Invitational April 11 at Je co Stadium. Davis finished second in the competition, an inch behind state leader Braelyn Bailey of Roosevelt.
BELOW RIGHT: Cherokee Trail’s Jacob Mueller, left, Bronson Smothers, center, and Tyson Walker celebrate a win in the 200 yard medley relay at the Smoky Hill Invitational boys swim meet April 12.
PHOTOS BY COURTNEY OAKES/AURORA SENTINEL
Holy Angels at the Catholic Cup. ...The Grandview boys track team won the Pomona Invitational by half of a point over Cherry Creek to cap a competitive two days at Jeffco Stadium. The Wolves picked up in the team win despite no event winners, while 11th-place Overland had the champion of the discus in Jarrius Ward, the defending state champion in the event who had a top of throw of 184 feet, 2 inches. The Grandview girls track team finished 4th without an event winner, while Kiyah Enoch won both the 100 and 300 meter hurdles to help Smoky Hill to sixth. ...The Eaglecrest girls track team earned 91 points to place second behind Mountain Vista at the Cherry Creek Invitational at Stutler Bowl with help from four event wins. Zenobia Witt and Evangeline Ansah took individual events and then combined with Tatum Gratrix and Jaylynn Wilson to win the 4x100 meter relay in a time of 46.75 sec-
onds that is the fastest in Colorado so far regardless of classificiation. Malanya Z, Mia Silva, Jenna Hallman and Jenna Winn teamed to win the 4x800 meter relay as well. Vista PEAK Prep tied for fourth with help from a 200 meter dash win by Amaya Rogers, while Regis Jesuit placed ninth. The Eaglecrest boys track team finished third with help from a discus win by Naizel Keys Miller, while Vista PEAK Prep got a huge day from Isaiah Watson to finish sixth and Regis Jesuit was 13th. Watson won the 100, 200 and 400 meter dashes, while the Bison team of Michael Corral-Rascon, Landin Kemp, Adonai Kidane and Brandon Pearcy took the 4x800 meter relay as well. ...The Eaglecrest girls lacrosse team got a big offensive game from Shylin Collins and held off a late really by Liberty for an 11-7 win at Legacy
›› See PREPS, 11
Hardin
Stadium. ...The Grandview boys volleyball team defeated Discovery Canyon and Fossil Ridge to claim the championship of the Cheyenne Mountain Tournament. ...The Eaglecrest boys volleyball team went 4-0 to claim the Legend Invitational as Jackson Shaw led the team in kills in every match. The Raptors’ wins included one of Regis Jesuit, which went 1-2. ...Luis Rangel Cepeda had six kills and three service aces to help the Hinkley boys volleyball team to a 25-14, 25-14, 25-14 win over Abraham Lincoln. ...The Regis Jesuit girls tennis team finished third at the Full Send Invitational at APEX Tennis Center. ...FRIDAY, APRIL
11: The Regis Jesuit baseball team got a complete game effort from Michael Kroll in a 2-1 win over Collierville (Tennessee). Chase Massey had an RBI and Gavin Cronin and Christopher Lopez scored the Raiders’ runs. ... Hazel Bonasinga broke a scoreless ties and Zuleyka Perez added two more goals as the Rangeview girls soccer team earned a 3-0 win at Hinkley. ...Elly Bante and Annabelle Turner had a goal and an assist apiece for the Regis Jesuit girls soccer team in a 2-1 win over Catholic Memorial at the Catholic Cup. ...The Vista PEAK Prep girls track team racked up 129 points at All-City Stadium to win the Thomas Jefferson Twilight Invitational meet. Amaya Rogers won the 100 meter dash and then contributed to wins in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, while Nabria Minor (200 meters) and Justice Ray (discus) also earned wins for the Bison. Third-place Rangeview got long and triple jump wins from Maddie Kilmer and a 4x800 meter relay crown from Aiden Schumacher, Mia Orozco, Addison Hill and Elliana Wright. The Rangeview boys track team won the 4x200, 4x400 and 4x800 meter relays plus individual wins from Darrius Lightner (200 meters), Kimi Bulto (1,600 meters), Abdinasir Hassan (3,200 meters) and Nasir Bandy (high jump) to finish in second place, while Vista PEAK Prep came in fifth with help from the 4x100 meter relay victory of Kie’Leek Ware, Isaiah Watson, Joshua Gallien and Josiah Hitch Ryan Olsen and Jackson Large combined to stop 11 shots in goal and the Regis Jesuit boys lacrosse team shut out ThunderRidge 16-0. ...Despite four goals and two assists from Mason Kelly and Cameron Festi’s three goals and an assist, the Grandview boys lacrosse team dropped a 13-11 contest to Colorado Academy. ...The Grandview boys volleyball team won twice to open the Cheyenne Mountain Tournament. The Wolves knocked off last season’s state champion — Mountain Vista — with a 25-19, 21-25, 20-25, 26-24, 19-17 victory. ...The Vista PEAK Prep boys volleyball team got a 26-kill performance from Tristan Rowley (who also had five bocks), plus 36 assists from Ein Bamba in a 25-22, 24-26, 16-25, 25-21, 15-11 City League home win over Denver South. ...THURSDAY, APRIL 10: Braden Elliott threw a complete game with nine strikeouts to outduel Justin Dean as the Eaglecrest baseball team downed Grandview 2-1. Blake Anderson had the go-ahead RBI in the fifth inning for the Raptors, who got three hits from Landen Holmes, while Kyle Cacciavillani had two hits and an RBI for the Wolves. ...Yaandy Aguayo drove in three runs and pitched five solid innings to help the Gateway baseball team top Overland 17-7. Mervin Loya went 3-for-3 and joined Angel Ferrusquia with 4 RBI for the Olys, while Ruben Luna drove in three runs for the Trailblazers. ...Hudson Alpert scattered three hits and allowed one earned run for the Regis Jesuit baseball team in a 3-1 loss to Trinity Christian Academy to open the USA Baseball National Invitational in Cary, North Carolina. ...Paige Jasinowski scored in the opening half for the Grandview girls soccer team in a 1-0 win over Arapahoe. ...The Aurora Central girls soccer team earned a 3-1 Colorado League win over Thornton. ...The Cherokee Trail boys swim team earned a 10076 Centennial League home dual win over Smoky Hill that saw Tyson Walker and Bronson Smothers win two events apiece, while Max Egbert, diver Drake Miller and the 200 and 400 yard free-
style relay teams also prevailed for the Cougars. Ian Noffsinger won twice, Cooper Walkup also took an event and the two combined to help the Buffs take the 200 medley relay as well. ...The Grandview boys swim team honored its seniors and defeated Arapahoe 96-80 with help for wins in 11 of 12 events. Christian Burgeson, Evan Linnebur and Niko Rentzios won two events apiece, Hunter Bull took diving and Oliver Schimberg won once individually and swam on all three winning relay teams for Grandview. ... The Regis Jesuit boys swim team fell 174-135 in a high-powered dual neet at Cherry Creek that included four event wins for the Raiders. Trevyn Krauss set the pool record in the 500 yard freestyle and also took the 200 freestyle, while Spencer Greene won the 100 butterfly and Greyson Connett took the 100 backstroke. ... The Regis Jesuit girls track team finished third and the boys sixth at the Don Osse Invitational at Jeffco Stadium. ...The Regis Jesuit girls lacrosse team continued to roll with an 18-5 road win over Pine Creek. ...Eliza Monson scored four times for the Grandview girls lacrosse team in an 8-4 win over Liberty. ...The Eaglecrest boys volleyball team swept past Mullen. ... The Grandview girls tennis team won all matches save No. 1 singles in a 6-1 Centennial League home win against Overland Olive Melius took the No. 1 singles match for the Trailblazers. ...The Vista PEAK Prep girls tennis team edged George Washington 4-3. ...The Regis Jesuit girls tennis team dropped a big Continental League dual against Rock Canyon 4-3 with wins coming at No. 3 singles from Rebecca Gelfer as well as at No. 1 (Catherine Carolan and Lily Beebe) and No. 3 (Brooklyn Craver and Abigail Puschaver) doubles. ...Audrey Whitmore shot a 1-under-par 71 to place third for the Regis Jesuit girls golf team, which finished fourth at the Heather Cho Memorial tournament.
PEAK Prep boys volleyball team got a 25-12, 25-21, 25-16 City League road win at George Washington. ...The Gateway boys volleyball team prevailed in four sets over Manual. ...
For complete Aurora preps coverage, visit sentinelcolorado. com/preps
TUESDAY, APRIL 8: Carter Wilcox racked up 14 strikeouts among the 15 outs he recorded over five innings for the Cherokee Trail baseball team in a 5-2 home win over Arapahoe. Peyton Michlig hit a three-run home run and Michael Zimmerman had the other two RBI for the Cougars. Chase Chapman and Ethan Wachsmann drove in three runs apiece for the Grandview baseball team in a 12-2 Centennial League road win at Eaglecrest Justin Dean and Kyler Vaughn also drove in two runs for the Wolves. ...The Overland baseball team scored 13 times in its final three at-bats in a 14-4 home win over Aurora Central as Uriel Hernandez pitched five solid innings. Humberto Perez drove in four runs, Luis Chavez knocked in three and Ruben Luna went 3-for-3 for the Trailblazers, while Alberto Avila had three of the four RBI for the Trojans. ...Abel Salinas allowed just a single hit over seven innings
with nine strikeouts as the Vista PEAK Prep baseball team picked up an 8-0 City League road win at Denver East. Nathan Coronado had three RBI and Domenic Montoya plated a pair for the Bison. ...Katarina Charles, Mia Forsythe, Lindsey George and Paige Jasinowski all found the back of the net for the Grandview girls soccer team in a 4-1 Centennial League win over Mullen. ...The Cherokee Trail girls soccer team earned a 4-0 Centennial League win over Smoky Hill at Stutler Bowl as Selah Davis, Sam Garofalo, Gianna Mathenge and Peyton Mathews each scored goals. ...Victoria Perozo had goals in each half for the Overland girls soccer team in a 2-1 home win over Skyview. Destiny Miranda-Sanchez assisted on both goals for the Trailblazers. Elly Bante scored in the second half for the Regis Jesuit girls soccer team to lift the Raiders into a 1-1 Continental League tie with Legend. ...The Regis Jesuit boys lacrosse team got three goals from Rocco Biviano plus two apiece from Owen Hynes and William Wilson in a 15-2 win over Chaparral. ...Madisyn Jokerst tallied four goals, while Natalie Chilton, Anna Hodges and Addison Kindy had three apiece for the Regis Jesuit girls
lacrosse team in a 21-4 win over Castle View. ...The Grandview boys volleyball team had four players in double digits in kills — Taven Johnson with 17, Alex Garcia with 14, Connor Deickman with 13 and Ethan Carroll 10 — in a 25-18, 22-25, 25-16, 25-18 road win at Cherry Creek. Jackson Shaw racked up 16 kills and 17 digs, Austin Wells had 11 kills and Matthew Dye 10 and Will George dished out 48 assists as the Eaglecrest boys volleyball team earned a 25-17, 25-19, 2325, 25-22 win at Overland. ...The Cherokee Trail boys volleyball team swept past Mullen 25-23, 25-21, 25-12. ...The Regis Jesuit girls tennis team got a singles sweep from Madeline Dickey, Otylia Martino and Rebecca Gelfer plus wins at Nos. 2, 3 & 4 doubles in a 6-1 win over Mountain Vista. ...Francesca Johnson (No. 1) and Karla Rodriguez (No. 2) got singles win to pair with a doubles sweep for the Vista PEAK Prep girls tennis team in a 6-1 dual win over Denver North. ...Singles wins by No. 1 Laila Solorzano Bravo and No. 3 Cloe Hernandez combined with No. 3 and No. 4 doubles wins for the Hinkley girls tennis team in a 4-3 win over George Washington in a dual that saw four three-set matches.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9: The Regis Jesuit baseball team opened the USA Baseball National Invitational in Cary, North Carolina, with a 3-1 win over Wesleyan Christian Academy behind six strong innings from Luke Reasbeck and RBI from Chase Massey and Nick Wiley ....The Vista PEAK Prep girls soccer team shut out Montbello 3-0 as Goretty Vazquez De Leon scored twice and Kylie McMullin also had a goal. ...The Rangeview boys volleyball team outlasted DSST: College View 26-28, 19-25, 25-20, 25-23, 15-12. ...The Grandview boys volleyball team earned a 25-21, 25-16, 25-19 sweep of Overland. ...The Vista
ABOVE LEFT’: Eaglecrest senior Austin Wells (8) elevates on an attack as Overland’s Julian Stevenson (11) and Justin Cabalo (1) put up a block during a Centennial League boys volleyball match April 8 at Overland High School. Wells had 11 kills to help Raptors to a four-set victory over the Trailblazers. ABOVE RIGHT: Regis Jesuit senior Lily Beebe puts away a shot at the net during the No. 1 doubles match in a Continental League girls tennis dual April 10 at Regis Jesuit High School. Beebe and partner Cait Carolan won in three sets, but the Raiders fell to visiting Rock Canyon 4-3. (Photos by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)
ORGANIZED CRIME FIGHTING
Aurora police chief outlines plans to fight crime through data-driven approach
BY CASSANDRA
About six months in, Aurora’s most recent chief of police is ready to make the troubled department his own, he says.
Chief Todd Chamberlain says the proof is in the policing.
“Our primary mission is to fight crime,” Chamberlain said. “That is it, and that’s what I am focused on.”
How he plans on doing that is by implementing a host of changes, mostly based on data, metrics and analysis, he says.
The 35-year-veteran police administrator, who came to Aurora last September from leadership jobs in the Los Angeles Police Department and a school district there, told city lawmakers over the past few weeks that capturing more data and scrutinizing it has the most impact.
Chamberlain has been expected to meet the whims of an often divided and demanding city council that has often sent mixed messages about making meaningful changes in Aurora’s controversy-plagued police force. The majority of its members have defended APD in its long string of excessive use-of-force cases and pushed against reform efforts required under a state order and championed by a large part of the Aurora community.
That state order, called a consent decree, was imposed in 2021 after an investigation by the Colorado attorney general into APD’s record
It found “patterns and practices” of excessive use of force, especially against people of color. The decree requires APD to mend its ways by 2027.
The police department is the recipient of equal pressure to address as well as prevent a myriad of prevalent crimes.
Chamberlain was sworn in Sept. 9 amid multiple furors in the city: national controversy surrounding Venezuelan immigrants and allegations of international gang “takeover” of part of the city, a focus on episodes of gun violence, shoplifting and car theft.
When Chamberlain took the reins of the department in September, police union officials, community and city leaders said they were looking for stability in the department.
Chamberlain met with city council members multiple times in the past two weeks to explain to them how he plans to get there. He breaks down his strategy into three categories: process, policy and people.
The process includes crime analysis, police deployment and
data review. The policy includes guidelines, compliance and a focus on constitutional policing. The personnel include patrol, command staff, specialized units and the community.
Aurora will focus on crime analysis, officer deployment and data review
Equally important to best practices in policing, is regularly practicing review of just about everything the police department does, Chamberlain said.
“The framework that we have based and put into place for the police department right now is evidence-based,” Chamberlain said. “Evidence-based policing is being able to articulate, through data information, that the strategies that you’re implementing are having an impact.”
Chamberlain said he classifies three crime categories based on the severity of the situation police are dealing with. The divisions are based on whether the problem requires an immediate, near-term or long-term strategy.
Near-term strategies include hot-spot policing, where the department highlights specific areas with high crime rates that typically encompass only a block or a few blocks. They address it by using stops, citations and arrests, and then review to see if they are having an effect.
“Productivity is something that has not been measured here in Aurora a lot, but it’s something that’s really tangible, and it tells you if you are touching the right people, doing the right thing, based upon how crime goes up or down,” Chamberlain said.
Chamberlain offered a map of a three-by-three block area near Monview Park as an example of “hot spot” policing. The map showed locations of assaults and robberies, along with a chart listing calls for service and locations of reports of “shots fired” over each month, and totaled for the year.
Another chart showed “proactive policing by clearance” for different actions like arrests, summons, warnings and warrants. The graphic aid depicted which police team took action, among a patrol officer, a Police Area Representative (PAR) officer or a Direct Action Response Team (DART). Chamberlain said this information helps the department gauge whether its approaches are working in those areas.
Mid-term strategies involve sitebased approaches, Chamberlain said. Examples of that include col-
laborative efforts the police orchestrated to push the Edge at Lowry apartments into closure. The Edge at Lowry became a nationally notorious location after building owners and some city lawmakers claimed the building was “overrun” by Venezuelan immigrants and Tren de Aragua gang members. Police and city officials maintained that the apartment complex suffered from mismanagement, and while there were numerous crime incidents, including some involving Tren de Aragua, officials have refuted that gangs overran the complex.
Long-term strategies focus on intervention and prevention, identifying individuals with a “high propensity for violence,” Chamberlain said. The police will “call in” these repeat and high-risk offenders and use them as “lever pullers” to go back into their group or organization and tell them what future actions the police, city and courts will take on them if they persist in criminal activity.
The strategy is called “Operation Ceasefire,” where law enforcement communicates to gangs that there would be swift, sure and severe consequences for violence, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Aurora police recently targeted three individuals for their last “call in” session with Mayor Mike Coffman being involved, Chamberlain said. A police analysis revealed that those three people were linked to about 25 shootings in Aurora. The endeavor was a success story, he said, because one of them turned their life in a better direction.
“That’s an example of intervention prevention, trying to modify an individual’s behavior or place,” Chamberlain said.
Proactive policing and metrics
Chamberlain said crime analytics must provide crime location, date, suspect, details about the victims, crime patterns and details of how the criminals operate .
“Then we correlate that with the
actual individuals doing it, as opposed to just doing a broad brush where you’re infiltrating an entire neighborhood and you’re getting the community really upset,” Chamberlain said.
He said police focus on the time, the locations, the individuals and the victims.
Measures include assessing the results from stops and contacts, patrol arrests and citations. He said the department focuses on repeat offenders, while also assessing the impact of community contacts, intelligence and surveillance.
The key now to the success in preventing and fighting crime, Chamberlain said, is strategic collaboration.
“The department is much more than just patrol. It is a department that cannot work in silos, and that cannot function that way.” Chamberlain said. “It’s about using different resources in the most effective way, and then measuring that impact.”
The Aurora police department has also been examining a new youth-violence prevention program, Standing Against Violence Every Day, dubbed “SAVE.”
In cooperation with the city’s Youth Violence Prevention team, the effort collects information on contacts, gang affiliation, case outcome and even the age of the candidates brought in. The project also monitors and documents gang rivalries and levels of activity.
“It’s really challenging too, because a lot of the juveniles are not pursued by prosecution, and that’s why a lot of gangs will manipulate juveniles,” Chamberlain said. Juvenile detention centers typically do not have enough beds, some police and justice activists say, so they keep the most violent offenders and let the least violent offenders go. Chamberlain said that gangs often recruit juveniles with the least violent records.
“I just want to uplift the data driven approach,” Councilmember Crystal Murillo said. “I know there has been pushback in the past, from the Council on focusing
resources on specific areas, obviously, aligning that where there are high instances of crime makes a lot of sense to me, I just want to uplift that approach that you’re taking.”
Technology and RealTime Crime Center
The police department is in the process of opening a so-called Real-Time Information Center, which combines various technologies, including crime analysis, computer-aided dispatch, and crime mapping.
“We are slowly rolling it out,” said police spokesperson Agent Matthew Longshore. “We are waiting for other technology pieces to come in until we “officially” open it up. Ultimately, it’s people that actively monitor calls for service, cameras and other technology around the city to help with active calls for service, assist investigators, etc.”
Chamberlain said the centers can track crimes and pursuits, using technology like computer-aided dispatch, records management systems, crime mapping, forecasting, license plate readers and drones.
The chief has also said he’s interested in purchasing an Axon Fusus system to use as the technological system for the real-time information center in multiple meetings. An Axon Fusus connects to active cameras in the city — such as at local schools and grocery stores — to help track crime.
“When we talk about cameras, it allows for agencies to not have to invest in their own equipment and technology, but rather utilize camera networks that are already in place, meaning like they can capitalize on public, private partnerships, and they can integrate with existing cameras,” Kimberly Przeszlowski, assistant professor of criminal justice at Quinnipiac University said referring to Axon Fusus systems.
“Atlanta, PD, for example, had 1,500 of their own cameras when they first started out, roughly, but through Fusus, they were able to integrate an additional 16,000 plus
Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain at a community meeting with then State Sen. Rhonda Fields, now Arapahoe County Commissioners. SENTINEL FILE PHOTO
BALLARD, SENTINEL STAFF WRITER
cameras per the year because companies were public, maybe institutions like gas stations, schools, they’re allowing the agency to just access their cameras in real time.”
In the meantime, Chamberlain and police staff have been putting one together with the resources and funding they have while studying and visiting other real-time crime centers, according to Longshore.
These centers are different from just surveillance because they don’t look for people committing crimes; they look for them in the area once the crime is committed, Przeszlowski said. They can be used as surveillance in hot-spot policing for locations with heavy crime and/or gang activity, she added.
Besides ground observation technology, Chamberlain said police need a better view from above.
“We’re also hoping for an increase in technology related to our drone technology,” Chamberlain said. “You can pre-stage drones. They can go up immediately. They can be flown or observed based on longitude, latitude, out of the real-time information center, and they can track crimes. We can get units there quicker, or even say a unit doesn’t need to go there.”
There are a lot of limitations around drones, as well, Przeszlowski said. “A lot of information nowadays has to be publicly accessible, especially if you do have a drone as a first respondent program.”
Policy, guidelines and compliance
During the past few months of his tenure, Chamberlain has made a variety of changes to policing policy, notably how and when officers
can pursue suspects in squad cars.
“This has everything to do with fighting crime, because if our policies are not sound, nothing within the organization is going to function,” Chief Todd Chamberlain said.
This modification permits police to pursue stolen vehicles and drivers suspected of driving under the influence. While Aurora police have essentially been prohibited from car chases, there have always been exceptions, mostly when an officer perceives grave danger to the public if a chase isn’t carried out. Chamberlain said the change essentially justifies new criteria for police pursuits.
“We’ve had about 17 pursuits so far, since the modification took place, 75 percent of those individuals that were stuck in those pursuits had extensive, extensive, prolific criminal histories,” Chamberlain said. “They were stealing those cars and then going out and committing more crimes.”
Police said no injuries from the pursuits have been logged so far. National research and most police departments point out that police car chases are dangerous to both the public and the officers, and policies prohibiting them prevail.
An Aurora bystander was killed in northwest Aurora last year during a police pursuit when the suspect lost control of his car and slammed into a parked car on a residential street, killing the occupant.
Chamberlain said he has spoken with his officers about the danger of pursuits and issued a training video. He said he encourages officers to discontinue pursuits when they become dangerous for
positions that actually had any authority.”
Now, captains are placed in specific areas with commanders who act as their mentors to eventually train them into a commander role, as commanders get promoted to division chiefs. Chamberlain said that this also aims to streamline internal operations and support administrative functions like policy implementation and complaint adjudication.
Units were also consolidated, which Chamberlain said was also controversial in the department.
“I know that that was a big problem with a lot of people, where units were taken out of special operations and put back into patrol,” Chamberlain said.
This happened with the Direct Action Response Team (DART), Gang Robbery Investigative Team (GRIT), Regional Anti-Violence Enforcement Network (RAVEN), Aurora Safe and the Gang Intervention Unit.
The business services division was entirely “civilianized,” replacing multiple captains and lieutenants who previously held roles in that department. Sworn officers were reassigned to operational sections, overseeing personnel and resources. Civilianizing the division not only improved efficiency but also gave greater ownership to non-sworn, meaning civilian, staff, Chamberlain said.
“A department will sink or swim, not just on the sworn, but also on the non-sworn,” He said. “And our non-sworn are absolutely incredible, and they don’t get the identification and the praise that they deserve.”
Another key area that Chamberlain said needed attention was the team of analysts. Analysts play a vital role in understanding where, how, when and why crime happens, he said. Chamberlain had the police department evaluate the technological resources they have and encouraged the analysts to create in-house dashboards and data-driven research with that technology. This should also save the department a lot of money, he said.
the community. He said his officers have handled pursuits very competently.
“When you’re going into pursuit, there’s a high opportunity for tragedy to occur, both internal, within the organization, or external,” Chamberlain said. “We put a huge training policy video release to our officers, saying that if the pursuit is going in a really bad direction, discontinue. And we’ve had just as much success with discontinuing pursuits.”
Patrol, command staff, specialized units and community
Chamberlain said he also made changes to personnel and rank deployment, which caused some pushback for moving personnel from one command to another. Overall, he said, the move was necessary after reviewing operations and performance data.
For him, he said it became clear that leadership roles were not being “fulfilled” effectively in certain areas, and the changes brought fresh perspectives to teams that had grown stagnant, with some leaders becoming too close to the issues to maintain objectivity.
Essentially, the chief has combined some ranks and redistributed responsibilities among others.
“They got too close to the trees to see the forest,” Chamberlains said. “So those modifications were not only needed, but they were warranted.”
The captain rank in the police department was changed.
“It was a throwaway rank,” Chamberlains said. “The people that were captains were not put in
ians’ intended quota.
The national average is 2.4 or more officers per 1,000 civilians, Colorado is about 2.3 officers per 1,000 and Aurora is below 1.7 officers per 1,000.
The population of Aurora is an estimated 404,000, according to city and U.S. Census officials. The police department was authorized to employ 748 officers in 2021, but that number has not grown with the increase in population. The department should be authorized to staff 808 officers, Chamberlain said.
The department currently has 690 officers hired, with a vacancy of 58, and only 590 of those officers are actively deployed because of either attrition or trainees being unready to step in full-time. That would make for 118 vacancies if the city authorized 808 officers.
Mayor Mike Coffman said he is not worried about unfilled positions for the authorized 748 cops. After the national reckoning of George Floyd, and the pandemic, many officers left police forces across the nation including in Aurora. The Aurora police and fire department medics involved in the death of Elijah McClain, also made officers less interested in signing up to work for the Aurora Police Department for the past five years, some city lawmakers say.
“The department got better in 2024,” Coffman said. “We had the largest class we’ve ever had in the history of the city, which started out around 50. Right now, 44. That’s enormous, and so if we can continue down that path, we can bridge this gap.”
The transparency portal on the Aurora Police website shows that as of April 1, 690 sworn officers and 235 civilian personnel made up the police department. Of those sworn, 438 are officers, 106 are agents, 97 are sergeants, 31 are lieutenants, eight are commanders, six are chiefs and four are captains.
“They should be able to build that technology based on the request of the organization and what’s needed,” Chamberlain said.
Money and people
Aurora has long struggled with trying to determine the size of its police department, and pay for it.
For decades, Aurora strived for a self-imposed ratio of hiring two officers for every 1,000 residents, never reaching the goal.
Besides years of semantic arguments over the need for officers on the streets or just officers in the department, the “two-perthousand” goal has been elusive because of attrition, recruitment, training time and money.
While the majority of police-department dollars are spent on people, a large portion of money goes toward cars and technology. In Aurora, and across the nation, communities and police departments argue over whether more, visible officers is a better crime deterrent than technology.
Both, Chamberlain says.
“This is not a request for bodies,” Chamberlain said. “I understand the budget. I understand the mechanics of that. This is more of an enlightenment for everybody in this room, because I think it’s an important conversation.”
The Bureau of Justice Administration and the FBI generally believe that a police department should have two officers for every 1000 community members, according to FBI policy statements.
The Aurora Police Department is well behind the national average and the state average, along with the two officers per 1,000 civil-
“Even with that, these numbers still reflect that this department is locally understaffed,” Chamberlain said.
He said the target number does account for what he estimates to be thousands of people migrating on and off Buckley Space Force Base on a daily basis, as well as 20,000-30,000 undocumented, and uncounted, immigrants and homeless people.
With both substantial current and predicted budget shortfalls, upwards of $12 million this year, more officers is unlikely, city council members have pointed out over the past few weeks.
He estimates that 450,000 is a more accurate population estimate for Aurora.
Chamberlain said the department is stretched too thin with only 202 officers spread across three shifts for round-the-clock service.
Despite that, Chamberlain made a pitch to city lawmakers to spend money allocated to hiring officers, but unspent because of vacancies, on technologies that can make the department more productive.
Drones, technological systems and related strategic policing efforts could bridge the city from what it allots for the police department and what it needs, he said.
“Not every department needs the same numbers, but I would tell you without question, having 1.6 (officers) in the City of Aurora, with all the diversity, with the crime issues, with the problems, and having Boulder, or having Colorado Springs with a 2.5 (officers), that makes no sense, that’s completely upside down, something does have to be modified,” Chamberlain said.
An Aurora Police shift staffing among patrol officers. SENTINEL FILE PHOTO.
Aurora Police headquarters at the Aurora Municipal Justice Center. SENTINEL FILE PHOTO
Show room
BY LEANNE ITALIE, AP Lifestyles Writer
Robbie Randolph is a real estate agent and interior designer for the rich, yet even he’s not immune from the anxiety of “house shame.”
That’s the judged, bullied, defeated feeling you can get when Pinterest-perfect syndrome takes over, either in our own minds thanks to social media or fed by the side eye of a friend with impeccable digs.
House shame can make you reluctant to invite people over, and in some cases lead to isolation and despair.
“House shaming is actually how designers kind of get business,” Randolph said. “A client will go over to another home that’s professionally designed and they’ll be like, ‘Oh my gosh, my house isn’t that nice.’ They then seek out an interior designer.”
Randolph, in Greenville, South Carolina, said interior designers themselves are just as vulnerable. So are exhausted parents with young children, people who just don’t love to clean, those who can’t afford home updates, or folks who really have a lot of books and/or love collectibles.
“I’ll do an Instagram post of an amazing, immaculately decorated house and I go, ‘Wow, my house stinks,’” said Randolph. “And everyone walks into my home and tells me how amazing it is. At the end of the day, I’m still human and I still get trapped by the devil of comparison.”
Remembering one’s humanity in a world where true perfection is elusive goes a long way, he and other experts noted.
The scary side of house shame
Not wanting to entertain at home can simply mean spending time together elsewhere, in restaurants, at the theater or in the homes of others, for instance. But it can also bring on hoarding or other traumatizing behaviors
like losing the will to clean.
“I have a friend who refuses to have people over because she’s so ashamed of her house,” Randolph said.
His friend didn’t have the money or the will to fix up the house after her abusive husband moved out.
“I think house shaming is about comparison, but it can also be about a person’s own struggles,” he said.
Speaking of Martha Stewart ...
Barbara Fight was a TV producer for Martha Stewart for 12 years before going into home organizing in New York. She said house shame got way worse with the rise of social media and its idealized depictions of homes most people can’t afford or otherwise will never have.
But there are lots of easy, inexpensive ways people can help themselves feel better about their living spaces if they so choose.
The issue is often just too much stuff. She sees a lot of homes with row upon overlapping row of framed photos in ancient (not in a good way) frames. She suggests paring them down to the bare minimum and stashing the rest in a decorative box that can be pulled out for perusal.
Like Randolph, Fight has seen it all: People overloaded with things they’ve inherited from dead relatives. A young woman who wouldn’t bring her fiancé to her parents’ house, “because it’s such a mess.”
Fight suggests: “Take away a third of what’s out.” One client, she said, “had this long, narrow, beautiful table in her living room just filled with stuff. It was the first thing you saw when you walked in. I said to her, ‘It’s going to take me 15 minutes to make this look Instagram-worthy.’ About five pieces stayed on there. About 10 things were thrown out, and we found a different place for the rest.”
SO YOUR HOME’S NOT SOCIAL-MEDIA PERFECT? HOW TO GET OVER ‘HOUSE SHAME’ AND INVITE PEOPLE IN
Does changing your home feel overwhelming?
Jamila Musayeva is the author of “The Art of Entertaining at Home” and hosts a lifestyle YouTube channel with over 1 million subscribers. She’s also an etiquette coach.
“A home doesn’t have to be perfect to be welcoming,” she said. “It simply has to feel cared for. If you’re worried about how your space might be perceived, start by focusing on what you can control.”
That could mean freshening up an entrance with a lit candle and a small flower arrangement to shift the mood for guests.
“Think ahead about the rooms your guests will actually see. Give those areas some attention rather than overwhelming yourself with the whole house. A clean bathroom with a fresh hand towel, good lighting in the living room and somewhere cozy to sit go much further than expensive décor,” Musayeva said.
Where the memories are made
Wendy Trunz, co-owner of the Long Island home organizing company Jane’s Addiction Organization, said she grew up in the smallest house in her family’s circle of friends and family. Now, with a husband and two kids, she lives in the smallest house among her neighbors and loved ones.
“My mom’s door was always open. Their table always had an extra seat. You just knocked and came in, and my mom just believed the more the merrier, this is where the memories are made and don’t mind the mess. And there’s something great about that,” she said.
Trunz notes that along with social media, the COVID pandemic contributed to house shame by sending millions of people home.
“Even now, five years later, we’re going in and people are still not eating at their dining room tables and not having people over,” she said. “Their husband is still sitting there
working and it’s covered with stuff. We come in and clear that table and they call us in tears because for the first time they ate as a family around their dining room table again and not at the counter. It’s amazing. It’s amazing.”
Trunz had a easy solution for a client who had a stuffed front hall closet and felt she couldn’t accommodate the coats of guests.
“We just bought them a rolling rack, as if it’s a fancy thing. Nobody’s going to open the closet,” she said.
And if someone does house-shame you, there’s another easy solution, she said. One of her best friends is a teacher who invited teacher friends over for a meal and made her favorite tuna fish, choosing to focus on the magic of gathering rather than the toil of preparation.
“And one person in the group kept pointing out the fact that she only had one bathroom, and how did she live like that. I asked my friend, ‘What are you going to do about that?’ And she said, ‘You just decide not to have that person over.’ It can be that simple.”
Grant Magdanz, who uses Instagram to chronicle Los Angeles life living with his grandmother, has racked up about half a million likes for a video he posted last September showing off their decades-old furniture, mismatched cups and cluttered dining table.
“Not everyone’s life is themed, curated and made for social media,” a scroll on the video said. “In fact, most people’s aren’t. And we’re happy all the same.”
IF YOU GO
When: Through April 27. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, curtains vary.
Tickets: $20-$36
Details: vintagetheatre.org and 303-856-7830
Venue: Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St.
scene & herd
Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra to Present “Nat & Natalie: An Unforgettable Afternoon” at the Fox Aurora
The Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra (CJRO) is set to transport audiences through a rich tapestry of jazz history with “Nat & Natalie: An Unforgettable Afternoon,” a special concert honoring the timeless legacy of Nat King Cole and his daughter Natalie Cole.
This elegant tribute will feature the celebrated voices of Colorado artists Mary Louise Lee and Robert Bernard Johnson. With a shared performance history spanning over three decades, Lee and Johnson bring a unique synergy to the stage — Lee with her soulful depth and Johnson with his velvet-smooth vocals. Together, they will interpret the music of the Coles in a celebration of family, love, and musical legacy.
Audiences can expect classics like “Unforgettable,” “Mona Lisa,” and “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love),” brought to life by the dynamic talents of the CJRO. The orchestra, under the visionary leadership of Artistic Director Drew Zaremba and Founding Executive Director Art Bouton, will feature a lineup of top Colorado jazz musicians, including Art Bouton (sax/flute), Jared Cathey (sax/clarinet), Shane Endsley (trumpet), Zach Rich (trombone), Dana Landry (piano), Erik Applegate (bass), and Eric Gunnison (drums).
The CJRO is lauded for re-imagining jazz with bold arrangements that blend big band, soul, and Latin influences, offering concertgoers more than just a musical performance— it’s a full experience of artistic innovation and emotional resonance.
IF YOU GO
When: 3 p.m. April 27
Where: Aurora Fox Arts Center, 9900 E. Colfax Ave.
Tickets: $29–$38
Details: Aurora Fox Box Office at 303-739-1970 or www.coloradojazz. org/concerts.
’Grand Horizons’ at the Vintage Theatre
The Vintage Theatre is set to take audiences on an emotional rollercoaster with its upcoming production of Grand Horizons, a sharp and poignant play that explores love, identity, and the realities of long-term marriage. Written by acclaimed playwright Bess Wohl and directed by Bernie Cardell, the production boasts a compelling blend of humor and heartfelt drama.
Set in a retirement community, Grand Horizons begins with a bombshell: Nancy, after fifty years of marriage, announces she wants a divorce. The revelation throws her adult children into turmoil as they struggle to comprehend their parents as individuals with unfulfilled desires and personal needs. As the story unfolds, the audience is taken on a journey through the complexities of love, compromise, and self-discovery.
Since its Broadway debut, Grand Horizons has been praised for its witty dialogue and touching exploration of relationships.
Ballet Ariel presents ‘A Night in Spain Featuring Carmen Suite and The Three Cornered Hat’
Ballet Ariel closes its season with A Night in Spain, a captivating double-bill featuring Carmen Suite and The Three Cornered Hat. Resident choreographer Gregory Gonzales re-imagines
Carmen Suite, a tale of love and betrayal set to Bizet’s timeless music.
Artistic Director Ilena Norton presents a fresh take on The Three Cornered Hat, a comedic ballet blending Spanish dance and classical ballet.
IF YOU GO
When: April 26-27 at the Lakewood Cultural Center 480 S. Allison Parkway.
Tickets: $20-$35
Details: www.balletariel.org or call 303-945-438
’Something Rotten!’ in Northglenn at the Parsons Theatre
Northglenn Youth Theatre brings the Broadway hit ‘Something Rotten!’ to life in a laugh-out-loud musical comedy about two playwrights in the 1590s who set out to outshine Shakespeare — by creating the world’s first musical! Packed with witty wordplay, show-stopping numbers, and overthe-top characters, this production is perfect for theater lovers and comedy fans alike.
IF YOU GO
When: April 25–May 4. Curtains vary, 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Tickets:$15–$17
Details: NorthglennARTS.org or 303-450-8888.
Where: Parsons Theatre, One East Memorial Parkway
Really, Really Rembrandt arrives at the Denver Art Museum: Masterpieces from National Gallery
Metro residents a rare opportunity to experience the work of one of history’s greatest painters up close. As part of a nationwide initiative marking the 250th anniversary of the United States, the Denver Art Museum is holding two Rembrandt-related masterpieces on loan from the National Gallery of Art.
The featured works — “A Woman Holding a Pink” and “Portrait of Rembrandt,” likely painted by his workshop —w ill be on display in the museum’s European Art Before 1800 galleries through Feb. 6, 2027. The exhibit is part of the National Gallery’s “Across the Nation” program, which brings significant pieces from the national collection to museums across the U.S.
“We are honored to be among the first museums in the country to participate in this initiative,” said Christoph Heinrich, DAM’s director. “It is an incredible moment to carry the talents of Rembrandt at the DAM and offer our visitors the opportunity to interact with his brilliance.”
The exhibition places the Dutch master’s portraits alongside works by Mary Beale, Peter Lely, and Anthony van Dyck, highlighting Rembrandt’s lasting influence on European art.
IF YOU GO
When: Through 2025
Tickets: General admission includes access to the exhibit, and youth under 18 can visit for free.
Details: www.denverartmuseum.org or call 720-865-5000.
Place: Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway
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MLK JR. Library turns the page with $2.5 million renovation
Construction began this week on a major renovation of the Martin Luther King Jr. Library, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of one of northwest Aurora’s critical and popular public resources.
The $2.5 million project, funded through federal appropriations secured by U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, is scheduled to be completed by fall 2025.
The renovation will greatly expand the library by opening the building’s second floor to the public for the first time since it was built in 2004. Originally designed to hold city offices on its upper level, the second floor was vacated during the pandemic and has remained unused until now.
With its expanded footprint, the remodeled library is designed to become a hub for creativity, learning, and community engagement. Plans were developed after community input to include new digital media labs, maker spaces, flexible program rooms, and expanded areas for seating and study.
“This is a transformational investment in the people of Aurora,” said Ginger White Brunetti, Aurora Director of Library and Cultural Services. “Thanks to congressional support, we’re able to expand this cherished library without relying on city funds. We’re not just building space — we’re building opportunities for creativity, learning and belonging.”
The Martin Luther King Jr. Library, 9898 E. Colfax Ave., is among the most visited in the Aurora Public Library system, drawing more than 70,000 visitors and supporting over 40,000 computer sessions in 2024.
City officials say the upgrades are crucial as the library system undergoes a broader strategic planning process. Some Aurora library facilities are 60 years old. This project is seen as a first step toward modernizing and preparing the system for future generations.
Despite construction, library services are expected to continue with minimal disruption, officials said.
For updates on the renovation and other developments in the library system, visit http://www.auroralibrary.
org — Sentinel Staff
Resident physicians rally for collective bargaining at Anschutz campus in Aurora
An association of roughly 1,300 resident physicians and fellows at the University of Colorado School of Medicine is escalating unionization efforts that it says have stalled in the face of opposition from school administrators and CU system leadership.
Supporters and members of the Housestaff Association of the University of Colorado Hospitals, which represents medical trainees, rallied outside CU’s Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora on Wednesday, urging leaders to voluntarily recognize the union’s right to collectively bargain on behalf of its members.
Over 900 of HSA’s 1,300 members have signed a petition in support of collective bargaining and full unionization, which was delivered to a meeting of the CU Board of Regents on Wednesday. It’s the latest step the organization has taken after nearly a year of talks with school administrators that have proven “unproductive, uncooperative and unsuccessful,” outgoing HSA co-president Nik Kaufman said at Wednesday’s rally.
“We have meetings with administrators from all levels of the university, including some of the regents,” said Kaufman, who recently finished his fourth year of residency at Anschutz and began a fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine. “But we have yet to see movement or clarity, because CU has refused to bargain in good faith.”
Current and incoming HSA leaders say collective bargaining would establish a safe and transparent way for medical trainees to advocate for improved pay and working conditions, including standardized hours and rest periods between shifts.
“We got into this line of work because we want to help people,” said incoming co-president Simone Raiter, a third-year resident in interventional radiology who spoke at the rally
a few hours after coming off a long night shift. “Every Coloradan deserves high-quality care, offered by doctors who are mentally and physically prepared and able to provide it.”
HSA, founded in 1969, describes itself as having operated as a “union-lite” group for most of its history, meeting informally with administrators to discuss trainees’ compensation and well-being. In recent years, its members have begun to advocate for a more formal collective bargaining contract, joining a wave of dozens of similar union drives among residents at medical schools across the country.
We got into this line of work because we want to help people … Every Coloradan deserves high-quality care, offered by doctors who are mentally and physically prepared and able to provide it.
A law passed by the Colorado Legislature in 2023 expanded protections for public-sector union activity, but
stopped short of guaranteeing full collective bargaining rights for all public employees.
In a statement, Mark Couch, the CU School of Medicine’s chief of staff and associate dean of public relations, said the existing relationship between the school and HSA has “yielded considerable positive results for residents and fellows,” including stipend increases, moving bonuses and other benefits.
“Leaders of the Graduate Medical Education office are disappointed in how the HSA leaders who organized (Wednesday’s) event are portraying our shared commitment to their success,” Couch said. “We are committed to continuing our work with all 1,300 residents and fellows to prepare them to become outstanding physicians who offer compassionate care to our patients.”
But a collective bargaining contract would provide certainty for residents, said Gaiter, who became more
involved with HSA after what she called “b.s.” during negotiations over salary and benefits increases.
“We were initially promised what would have been a 20% increase, and they reneged on that,” Gaiter said. “And I learned more over time that this is not a new thing. This has been happening for the past 40-plus years.”
With the School of Medicine refusing to voluntarily recognize HSA’s collective bargaining rights, members are urging CU regents — a nine-member governing board elected by Colorado voters — to direct recognition instead.
“To have gotten over 70% of our members (to sign the petition), I think it shows that the regents should not ignore us,” Kaufman said. “They should do the right thing.”
— Chase Woodruff, Colorado Newsline
›› See METRO, 21
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PUBLIC NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF A MINOR ARAPAHOE COUNTY COURT, COLORADO Case No. 2025CV35
PUBLIC NOTICE is given on March 26, 2025, that a Petition was filed for a Change of Name of a Minor has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.
The Petition entered that the name of Ariella Ivanka Sosa be changed to Ariella Ivanka Garcia.
First Publication: April 3, 2025
Final Publication: April 17, 2025
Sentinel
C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30347 Estate of Bernice H. Champion aka Bernice Champion, 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 August 11, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Jolene George Champion, Personal Representative c/o McClary, P.C., PO Box 597 Fort Morgan, CO 80701 First Publication: April 10, 2025 Final Publication: April 24, 2025 Sentinel
PUBLIC NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF A MINOR ARAPAHOE COUNTY COURT, COLORADO Case No. 2024CV311
PUBLIC NOTICE is given on March 31, 2025, that a Petition was filed for a Change of Name of a Mi- nor has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.
The Petition entered that the name of Da’von Ja’khi Moore be changed to Damaj Ja’khi Moore.
/s/ Judge
First Publication: April 10, 2025 Final Publication: April 24, 2025 Sentinel
You gotta have art, and the city is looking for two new public project creators
The City of Aurora’s Art in Public Places program is calling on artists to apply for two large-scale public art projects that will complement community spaces and commemorate significant milestones.
“The City of Aurora Art in Public Places Program was created in 1993 to ‘expand the opportunities for Aurora residents to experience art in public places,’” a city statement said.
The first art installation is for the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the State of Colorado and the 250th anniversary of the United States, and the second art installation that can be applied to is for a sculpture or a series of sculptures, for the exterior park and plaza area at the Central Recreation Center.
“The art installation in commemoration of the state and country’s anniversaries aims to bring together the many voices of Aurora and will be located in Mission Viejo Park,” the statement said.
The project will have a budget of $250,000 for design, project management, overhead, fabrication, transportation, foundation, installation, insurance and any other additional costs.
The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. April 13, through the CaFÉ System of Creative West.
The Central Recreation Center sculpture or sculptures will be part of the center’s expansion plan. The expansion also includes a 14-acre community park featuring a playground, tennis and pickleball courts. It will also include a wetland designed to attract migratory birds and wildlife.
“The artwork should complement the surrounding landscape and could expand upon the exploration of movement, such as integrating kinetic elements with movement generated by the wind or by people,” the statement said.
The project will have a budget of $220,000 for the design, project management, creation, transportation, installation, insurance and any other additional costs.
The application deadline for that project is 11:59 p.m. April 30, through the CaFÉ System.
/s/ Judge
PUBLIC NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF A MINOR DENVER COUNTY COURT, COLORADO Case No. 2025CV32046
PUBLIC NOTICE is given on March 24, 2025, that a Petition was filed for a Change of Name of a Mi- nor has been filed with the Denver County Court.
The Petition entered that the name of Manuel Ayala be changed to Manuel Garcia Ayala.
/s/ Clerk of Court
First Publication: April 17, 2025
Final Publication: May 1, 2025 Sentinel
PUBLIC NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF AN ADULT ARAPAHOE COUNTY COURT, COLORADO Case No. 2025CV83
PUBLIC NOTICE is given on March 26, 2025, that a Petition was filed for a Change of Name of an Adult has been filed with the Arapahoe County Court.
The Petition entered that the name of Jesirae Rose Haun be changed to Jasper Dean Haun.
/s/ Judge
First Publication: April 17,
Funding for these projects and the Art in Public Places program is provided by Aurora’s Percent for Art Ordinance, which provides 1% of construction costs from specified city construction projects, separately from the city’s general operating budget, according to the statement.
Learn more and access the applications by visiting AuroraGov.org/ PublicArt.
All questions about the projects can be directed to publicart@auroragov.org.
— Sentinel Staff
Tell the city what to build next
Aurora residents are being asked what major components of the city are most important to them.
Build Up Aurora Infrastructure Task Force launched a survey at EngageAurora.org/BuildUpAurora to find out what infrastructure projects matter most to residents. This includes public safety, parks, transportation, accessibility and more, according to a statement from the city.
The city is hoping to receive community input and support to address unmet critical capital projects that are required to maintain city infrastructure for immediate and future needs.
“Safe, adequate and well-maintained infrastructure is essential for the city’s economic health and impacts Aurora’s quality of life,” the statement said.
Build Up Aurora is a strategic, longterm approach to address infrastructure needs.
“The effort started in 2023 with the city addressing a top priority of residents—transportation and roadways— by improving the condition of Aurora’s residential streets in the worst condition,” the statement said. “That work will continue annually.”
The city is now in the next phase to address more than $700 million in unmet critical capital projects required to maintain existing city infrastructure.
Residents can also meet with representatives in the infrastructure task force and give them feedback at the first-ever Engage Aurora Live event.
Get more information and take the five-minute survey before the end date, Aug. 31, at EngageAurora.org/ BuildUpAurora.
—Sentinel Staff
COPS AND COURTS
Aurora man faces attempted murder charges after car shooting injures couple, child
Police say an 18-year-old man faces attempted murder charges after firing his gun into a car with a couple and three children April 12 injuring the man and woman.
Investigators said the man and woman agreed to meet the suspect near East Colfax Avenue and Airport Boulevard Saturday even to finalize the sale of an unspecified item, police said in a social media post.
The exchange was apparently made at about 7:30 p.m. but a man later identified by police as Christopher Campos-Anguiano, got back in his car and drove away without paying.
With the woman driving and three children also in the car, the couple followed Campos-Anguiano, police reported.
At one point, Campos-Anguiano began shooting at the woman’s car, hitting both the woman and the man, who was seriously injured.
“A 12-year-old child in the backseat suffered a superficial graze wound.,” police said. “Two other children were not physically hurt.”
Later on Saturday, police identified a GMC Acadia they believe was involved in the shooting parked outside a home in the 1000 block of Jasper Street, police said.
“Surveillance was conducted by all three DART units, and after the vehicle left the residence, officers conducted a traffic stop near South Peoria St and East Mississippi Avenue, police said.
Campos-Anguiano was arrested. Police said he faces five counts of attempted second-degree murder in the case.
He is being held in the Arapahoe County jail in lieu of $50,000 bond. He was schedule for a court hearing Monday morning.
“The Aurora Police Department commends the diligent work of our Patrol Officers, Detectives, and all three District DART units, whose collaboration and quick action led to a fast and safe arrest,” Aurora police spokesperson Agent Mathew Longshore said in a statement.
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
Food Bank of the Rockies is currently constructing a new facility located at 20600 E 38th Avenue, Aurora, CO, 80011, within the Majestic Commercenter. The facility is a 270,000 square foot tilt-up warehouse and office building. This is public notification to bidders interested in Building Package 2B scope of work, which includes the construction of 3 repack rooms within the tenant improvements package. Building Package 2B scope of work includes mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and specialty packages. Bid bonding will be required.
Please contact Nick Elgin and Shaden Drazick if you are interested in bidding.
Nick Elgin: nick.elgin@caaicon.com Shaden Drazick: sdrazick@foodbankrockies.org
Proposals are due by Monday, 5/19/2025 no later than 4:00 PM MST and will be publicly opened at the project job trailer located onsite 20600 E 38th Avenue, Aurora, CO, 80011 on Tuesday, 5/20/2025 at 1:00 PM MST.
Editorials Sentinel
Congress, or Trump, shall make no law against legitimate journalism
The Constitution is clear and unequivocal about the importance of the media and the power it bestows on it.
“Congress shall make no law respecting…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...” No law. None.
This is turning out to be another case where President Donald Trump fancies himself to be above the law. The rest of the nation should not indulge him.
Trump’s disdain for the legitimate media hasn’t been a secret since newspapers exposed his fraudulent schemes even as a real estate owner in New York City.
Trump has long been infuriated by the legitimate press pointing out his proven and prolific habit of lying.
Trump has long dubbed the press the “lame-stream media” and angrily called it “fake news” in an effort to give credence to his deceits, fabrications, misinformation and false narratives. Now, Trump has begun a new game of dares, making clear that his war on journalism is without end.
Trump is playing his warped and dangerous game right now.
Just days after assuming office for his second term, Trump wantonly changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America as an aberrant titillation, and a dare.
The Associated Press, of which the Sentinel is a proud member, ruled that usage of Trump’s dalliance in triteness would be accommodated by referring in reports to the Gulf of Mexico as just that, adding that Trump changed it to “the Gulf of America.”
Trump petulantly rebuked the AP, and began punishing what is arguably the world’s largest distributor of legitimate news about the United States government here, and around the globe.
Trump has locked out AP reporters and photographers from a wide range of select presidential news events.
What he’s done is lock out hundreds of millions of news readers from across the political spectrum. In essence, giving in to his own craven personal problems with insecurity and authoritarianism, he’s violated the U.S. Constitution by abridging the press, in this case, the Associated Press.
That’s not just the opinion of the Sentinel, but of the federal court system.
U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden ruled that the government, including Trump, cannot punish the AP for exercising its right to free speech and the rights bestowed upon the press.
The judge didn’t say that Trump had to invite the AP into the press events he has locked them out of, the judge simply ruled that Trump can’t use the reporting of the AP as grounds for punishing its reporters, photographers and, ultimately, member newspapers and readers.
In a typical Trump move, he groused.
This week, Trump refused to let AP journalists into the Oval Office during a press event with El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
Trump petulantly raged even harder Sunday against the CBS news show “60 Minutes,” after a broadcast this week focused on recent moves by the new Trump administration.
“Almost every week, 60 Minutes ... mentions the name ‘TRUMP’ in a derogatory and defamatory way, but this Weekend’s ‘BROADCAST’ tops them all,” Trump said Sunday on his Truth Social account.
He has instructed his Federal Communications Commission chairperson to strike out against CBS and impose fiscal and other punishment for what Trump called, “unlawful and illegal behavior.”
CBS, with deep pockets and skilled lawyers, have fearlessly forged ahead in exposing what journalists there have determined to be Trump malfeasance, and offering viewers proof of their allegations.
The thin-skinned Trump, after spending years purporting unsubstantiated allegations of his political enemies “weaponizing” the government against him, and against the law, is flagrantly doing just that.
While the Associated Press and CBS News are able to withstand Trump’s puerile compulsions, there is no doubt his behavior has a chilling effect on parts of the press who care not to suffer the eccentric obsessions of Trump’s psychological frailty, or fear the retribution could be lethal.
Regardless of the political persuasion of Sentinel readers and “60 Minutes” viewers, everyone should aggressively push back against Trump’s perilous affliction. The Constitutional rights of the press guarantee the right to criticize the nation’s government, including its elected officials.
It’s up to readers and viewers to determine whether their news source is offering accurate, substantiated and reliable information, either inviting that into their lives or booting it out. That’s not the call for Trump or any elected official to make.
Cherry Creek schools partnership with Ntl Women’s Soccer League wins for everyone
On March 27, the Cherry Creek School District, City of Centennial, and Denver National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team announced an exciting new partnership.
The Denver NWSL will call Centennial home and build their new team headquarters and training center while we will help build 8 new playing fields and a stadium to be utilized by our new professional women’s soccer team as well as Cherry Creek Schools students, families, and communities across Arapahoe County.
When we were first approached about this exciting new opportunity, we recognized that it came at an interesting time. With so much uncertainty around state and federal funding for K12 education, we had to proceed thoughtfully, weighing both short- and long-term scenarios.
While potential operational funding cuts loomed large, we understood that a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was knocking. The project aligned perfectly with our Core Values and advanced our vision of helping every student pursue their Pathway of Purpose. Ultimately, we made the decision to invest in a long-term benefit for our students and our community.
At the same time, we continued to advocate against potential state funding cuts because both efforts were important to the future of our organization. We appreciate the willingness of several of our state lawmakers who took the time to meet with and listen to our Board of Education, parents, and students who took their time to voice their concerns via phone calls, emails, or visits to the Capitol. As a public school district, we interface with our constituents on a regular basis and appreciate when other public servants do as well.
For the past several years, we have seen the state’s share of K12 funding in Colorado continue to decline, leaving us in the bottom third of states for per pupil funding. Understanding our reality today and for the foreseeable future, we continue to explore alternative solutions to the inadequate funding levels we face as a public school district in Colorado.
This out-of-the-box approach is only possible thanks to the support of our community. We are incredibly lucky and grateful to continue to enjoy the strong support of our community when it comes to mill and bond elections which provide additional funding for our schools and students. The 2024 voter-approved bond measure provided us with the opportunity to rebuild many of our aging schools and grow our excellence with the expansion of the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus.
In the first round of bond sales, due to the excellent
credit rating of the district and strong demand, we were able to raise an additional $46 million dollars. These bond premium dollars can only be used for capital construction projects and cannot support the operating expenses of CCSD, such as increasing teacher pay or reducing class size. Reinvesting a portion of this revenue does not come at the expense of other bond projects and instead allows us to maximize taxpayer dollars while attracting families and economic activity to our community.
In the long-term, this first-of-its-kind partnership will mean much-needed playing fields for school and community use, long-term control of the Centennial stadium, and revenue-generating opportunities such as facility rentals and naming rights.
As the City of Centennial noted, “Bringing a professional women’s performance center to Centennial lays the foundation for a lasting partnership between the Team, the City, and the Cherry Creek School District, fostering community engagement and youth opportunities. This partnership also provides significant long-term financial benefits to the school district, creating a dedicated home for district team sporting events.”
The partnership comes with a robust list of immeasurable benefits as well, including internship opportunities, instruction and mentorship from Denver NWSL staff and/ or players for CCSD athletes, support for our Teacher Apprenticeship Program for athletes interested in pursuing a future teaching career, a donation to the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation, and free tickets for students and families to regular season games.
We have been so pleased to see so many of our female sports at all levels expand across the state in recent years, such as girls flag football. This project was another way to explore and promote pathways, specifically for our girls. Several of our female athletes from elementary school to high school got to participate in the announcement and help us celebrate this milestone in women’s youth, amateur, and professional sports in Colorado.
Since announcing this partnership, the positive energy and feedback we’ve received from our community has been electric. We appreciate the support from many who share our innovative vision to provide unique, world-class programs for students and look forward to working together to ensure Cherry Creek Schools remains a destination district for academics, activities, and athletics today and in the future.
ChrisSmithissuperintendentoftheCherryCreek School District.
CHRIS SMITH, CHERRY CREEK SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT
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