Sentinel Colorado 4.4.2024

GRADE A-TEAM

Winter season All-Aurora team picks shine with talent, skill and perseverance

Political spoils with leftovers like Roth, Lopez make for a rank government stew

No, you aren’t forgetful or crazy.

Yes, former Parker Mayor Greg Lopez — elevated this week as the GOP person to take over Congressman Ken Buck’s seat — is the same Lopez convicted of once assaulting his then-pregnant wife, telling everyone that Democrats stole the election from Donald Trump and that every abortion should be illegal, even to save a woman’s life.

And, yes, former Aurora Councilmember Bob Roth — appointed this week to the Aurora Planning Commission — is the same Roth exposed in the Sentinel for trying to curry favor to his personal bank account by hawking the influence of his elected position.

Roth was appointed to the Aurora City Council in 2011 and elected once after that. In June 2018, Roth announced on social media that he was creating his own consulting firm, Roth Collaborative Resources. He has for years dabbled in commercial real estate, business development and all kinds of things that depend on dealing with local governments for permits, perks and subsidies.

His website, rcrinc.org, now defunct, was thick with ethical red flags and blatant violations of the spirit of state ethics laws, if not the law itself.

Here’s a sample of what he told prospective business and industry clients:

Roth said, for a price, he could provide “Legislative assistance.” Because as an elected official, he could “Engage civic executives and elected officials on behalf of clients for development projects.”

That’s solid dog whistle for, “I got the ear of the city’s manager and enough votes on the city council to make it happen for you, for a price.”

Roth said as an elected official “with a vast network in the public and private sector…we can open doors that have not been available previously.”

Read: They won’t even return your calls, but I have them on speed dial.

The Sentinel investigation also revealed Roth was cutting private business deals with potential Gaylord Hotel contractors at the same time, as a city official, he was voting on Gaylord Hotel questions about a project that cost hundreds of millions of dollars, including tax dollars.

Roth never disclosed any of that during any vote, and he certainly never recused himself.

He lost his seat on the city council in 2019 to current Councilmember Alison Coombs. He ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for a state Senate seat in 2020, and as a Republican for an Arapahoe County commissioner seat in 2022.

On data he supplied the city, he’s now a real estate agent for a Denver firm.

Does this sound like a guy you would want making calls on whether businesses or taxpayers have to pay for traffic signals or whether bar owners can get a bye on city regulations meant to protect neighborhoods and homeowners?

It sure did last week to the fellow Republicans on the council dais, who not only jumped at the chance to appoint him to the powerful board, but they refused to even talk to or about the other candidates the city had asked to apply for a long-empty spot on the board.

Further south in Parker, the situation is far more grave in the 4th Congressional District, which wraps around Aurora to the east and south.

Amidst hours of political drama last week in Hugo, Republicans statewide gathered to choose a Republican candidate for the June 25 special election to fill outgoing GOP Ken Buck’s seat until next January.

Buck suddenly got tired of the bedlam in Congress, which says a lot, and stepped down early, creating a vacancy that has to be filled by a special election in June.

Lopez was chosen among nine fellow Republicans asking to be the nominee for the special election.

A gaggle of Republicans, including Western Slope carpetbagging Congressperson Lauren Boebert, will be duking it out in a separate nomination election to run for the seat in November.

Republicans want you to forget or overlook the facts about Lopez, who ran unsuccessfully against Republican Heidi Ganahl for the party nod to run for governor in 2022, among other statewide races.

During that campaign, Lopez scored points among the Texas and Florida wannabes by insisting that all abortions should be illegal, even if needed to save the life of the mother.

That might not sound so harsh from a man who rationalizes a 1993 domestic violence episode with his then-pregnant wife.

The Denver Post, the now-defunct Rocky Mountain News, 9News and others have repeatedly written about the assault, which Lopez admits to but explains away as an episode of young love. He was 29.

He and his wife were arguing when she hit him over the head, according to police reports, published many times. He then pushed her down, kicked her and pulled her by the hair, according to the charging report.

He, and his wife, have since said there was no hair pulling. He regularly points out that they both were ticketed. He was accused of assault. She was accused of harassment.

Lopez calls it a live and learn situation.

That’s essentially how he also referred to his DUI charge in 2003.

It’s less clear how Lopez codifies his run-in with federal prosecutors. Lopez was forced out of his appointed high-level SBA role in 2014. In 2020, he settled a Department of Justice civil case against him for $15,000 after being accused of trying to “exert improper influence over a federal agency on behalf of his friend” according to DOJ records.

Colorado politics have been so rife with the quid pro quo rodeo trampling over taxpayers that voters overwhelming approved Amendment 41 in 2006. The measure sets an ethical bar for elected officials and government employees, strictly limiting graft and explaining what “ethics” are to those unaccustomed to the concept.

Political leaders and insiders who think Roth and Lopez are the best Colorado and Aurora have to offer, ask yourself this: “How would you feel about this person if they didn’t belong to your political party?”

Now, act on that.

And if you answered, “I would still support them.”

Seek help.

ABOVE: Greg Lopez, then Republican candidate for governor, pauses at his campaign headquarters on June 2, 2022, in Parker. RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via AP BELOW: Former Aurora City Councilmember Bob Roth Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado

Decency not politics demands Israel must end Gaza genocide

The world has seen too much wanton genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Israel must be stopped from continuing to indiscriminately slaughter innocent Palestinians, including tens of thousands of women and children who are no more to blame for Hamas terrorism than Israelis themselves.

After months of brutal, senseless and malevolent attacks on millions of Palestians in their homes, schools and even inside their ruined hospitals, Israeli military officials capped their own ghastly behavior this week.

On Monday, Israeli soldiers murdered seven international aid workers in a convoy that was working with Israeli military officials to safely bring food to starving children and Palestinian residents unable to find refuge from the Israeli onslaught.

“It was a mistake that followed a misidentification – at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldn’t have happened,” Israeli Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi told reporters on Tuesday.

It is inexcusable and intolerable.

After months of offering the world little but word salad and criminal justifications for their guarantee of vengeance against their enemy, Hamas, Israeli leaders are indifferent to and deliberately targeting the millions of innocent Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, and outside experts such as The Lancet and others say they see no reason to doubt the estimate of body counts, about half of which are children and women.

International law is clear, cogent and indisputable: There can be no justification for a nation to collectively punish any nation or community. The law strictly forbids nearly every aspect of how Israel has conducted its war on Gaza since it began Oct. 6.

The righteous outrage of the world over Israel’s sadistic battle against innocent people has nothing to do with the indefensible and appalling assault by Hamas on Israeli innocents last year.

The law is clear, there is no justification for collective punishment, genocide and indiscriminate killing and torture of civilians.

It does not matter that Israeli military forces believe that Hamas hides among innocent civilians, inside Gaza hospitals or lurks in tunnels beneath Gaza schools. International law and humanitarian reason is resolute in prohibiting the Israeli military from targeting civilians as so much inescapable collateral damage in its zeal to exact revenge on Hamas.

It does not matter now that the Israeli military and ruling government is either criminally corrupt or criminally incompetent. It must be stopped.

Some of Israel’s staunchest allies are unified in demanding Israel immediately stop the indiscriminate massacre of innocent civilians they have trapped in the Gaza Strip. The critics include a growing number of Israeli citizens themselves, now protesting en masse.

If the Israeli government and military will not allow for effective food and humanitarian aid, and immediately cease the slaughter of civilians, the US and other allies must stop them.

Israel has no reason to change its course while the world offers tough talk against Israeli war crimes and at the same time sends money, weapons or other forms of support.

The Israeli government will only abide by international law and end its cruel genocide and collective punishment if it faces real and substantive consequences.

The Colorado congressional delegation should lead an effort in both the House and Senate to immediately suspend all sales of weapons to Israel and to join other Israeli allies to demand the Israeli military change its tactics in fighting against Hamas.

The international demand for Israel to cease the genocide in Gaza is apolitical and separate from the endless dispute there. It’s a matter of law, logic and human decency.

NBC News’ bad case of the ‘Ronna’

The welcome announcement arrived at dinnertime, and it was good for digestion.

Top NBC executive Cesar Conde ate crow: “Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor…I approved (the hire) and I take full responsibility for it.”

Then he tried to explain: “Our initial decision was made because of our deep commitment to presenting our audience with a widely diverse set of viewpoints and experiences.”

That’s precisely where they stepped in it with both feet. McDaniel, who worked closely with the criminal defendant to overturn a democratic election and obstruct the peaceful transfer of power, offers a “viewpoint” that is frankly fascist, that is far more Russian than American, that is the antithesis of every hallowed value this country stands for – and thus deserves nary a red cent from any respectable network’s treasury.

More broadly, Ronna has rebooted questions that have plagued the mainstream media ever since the MAGA virus took root: How do you cover a party that has degenerated into a cult? Is it possible (memo: it isn’t) to present “both sides” with traditional journalistic “balance” when the leader and fellow travelers of one party lie as they breathe and openly conspire to sabotage our democratic institutions?

I’ll tell you a little story. In the spring of 2018, during my time as a columnist under contract at WHYY News (Philadelphia’s public media outlet), it became clear to me that the station’s overlords were discomfited by my relentless focus on Trump’s serial misdeeds. (I called him “a clear and present danger” to the nation.) They asked if I could recommend a conservative columnist who might be willing to “balance” me and defend Trump.

I told them there was a big problem: No conservative pundit with an ounce of integrity and a respect for facts was willing any longer to defend Trump. Also, by definition, any pundit still willing to defend Trump was untethered to factual reality and likely had a screw loose.

The problem then is the problem now. Alas, Ronna McDaniels’ defenders don’t understand that.

For instance, GOP pollster Frank Luntz tweet-

ed that McDaniel has a “perspective we all would benefit from. Instead of trying to silence her, we should be listening intently for all we can learn. I listen to people I disagree with all the time.”

So working to overthrow a democratic election is just another “perspective”? We’re supposed to normalize that?

Greta Van Susteren, the Newsmax host, tweets that mainstream broadcasters should not “disrespect” McDaniel because to do so “is not journalism,” it’s “Russia TV.” Those last few words are Orwellian topsy-turvy.

Over on Fox, Jeanine Pirro, said: “The liberal media can’t stand the idea of having a different point of view on their air.” Abetting a violent coup is just a “different” view, like maybe tax cuts versus tax hikes.

Some of McDaniels’ defenders have pointed out that ex-insiders have long migrated to the media, so what’s the big deal. Granted, that is one of Washington’s revolving-door traditions. The list of ex-Republican insiders who’ve made the big leap includes William Safire, Pat Buchanan, David Gergen, Bill Kristol, Michael Steele, Nicolle Wallace, Joe Scarborough, David Jolly, Brendan Buck, and many more. But – how hard is this to understand? – none of them have ever worked to destroy democracy from within.

That’s the obvious line McDaniel crossed –yet it’s still not clear that the NBC bigwigs get it. Conde’s announcement implied that the MAGA hack would be a paid pundit in good standing if not for the fact that the entire newsroom rebelled on the air.

“We must have diverse viewpoints on our programs, and to that end, we will redouble our efforts to seek voices that represent different parts of the political spectrum,” Conde wrote. Not a word about whether all coup conspirators and abetters of fascism will be persona non grata.

Apparently the quest for a truth-telling MAGAt with a credible “viewpoint” will continue. Good luck with that.

Dick Polman, a veteran national political columnist based in Philadelphia and a Writer in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania, writes at DickPolman. net. Email him at dickpolman7@gmail.com

DICK POLMAN, CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST

Aurora city court could drop domestic violence cases to skirt state bill

CHANGE WOULD LET AURORA EVADE STATE BILL BLOCKING FLAT-FEE CONTRACTS FOR PUBLIC DEFENSE WORK

Aurora City Council member Danielle Jurinsky declared Friday that council conservatives would sooner overhaul how domestic violence cases are prosecuted in Aurora than back down from trying to privatize the work of the city’s public defenders.

The comments were made in light of a Colorado House bill that would prohibit flat-fee contracts for public defense in cities such as Aurora that try domestic violence cases in their municipal courts.

“If we continue prosecuting domestic violence cases, we are locked into our current city public defender’s office. We would not be able to bring in outside counsel, which we’re not going to back off from,” Jurinsky said during the March 29 meeting of the council’s Federal, State and Intergovernmental Relations Policy Committee.

“Should this (bill) pass, the City of Aurora will no longer prosecute domestic violence cases. So go ahead and write about that. Go ahead and put it in your pipe and smoke it, because that’s where we’re at.”

Jurinsky is the chairwoman of the council’s Public Safety, Courts and Civil Service Policy Committee and the architect of many of the current conservative majority’s criminal justice policies, including mandatory minimum jail sentences for crimes such as shoplifting and de-

frauding restaurants.

Friday’s comments marked a fiery departure from Councilmember Dustin Zvonek’s words a few weeks earlier, when the city’s invitation to private law firms to bid on replacing the Aurora Public Defender’s Office expired with zero bids submitted.

Zvonek, who sponsored the bid process, said at the time that he viewed the outcome as the end of the council’s exploration into whether shifting to a private model could save the city money on public defense.

“I said from the beginning that I wanted to explore this because I believed that there was a way for us to provide the same level of service at a lower cost,” Zvonek said March 11. “Obviously, one side said ‘no,’ and others were saying ‘yes.’ I just wanted to find out what the real answer was. We’ll never know for sure.”

Throughout the process, he stressed that he would only entertain bids that provided the same level of service at a lower cost.

Despite the lack of evidence that emerged from the bidding process showing the city could save money through privatization, Jurinsky indicated March 29 that most council members want to continue down the path of abolishing the office.

She also accused Aurora’s chief public defender, Elizabeth Cadiz, of masterminding the bill.

“I’m sure that’s where this comes from, in an attempt to stop us from trying another (request for proposals) or continuing our efforts to get rid of our in-house public defender’s office,” Jurinsky said.

Cadiz attended the virtual meeting Friday but did not reply at the time to Jurinsky’s accusations. Cadiz later declined to comment, saying she was worried about retaliation.

Rep. Mike Weissman is one of the prime sponsor of the bill that would continue to allow private contracts for public defense where attorneys are paid at least the same hourly rate as attorneys under contract with the state’s Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel, while banning flat-fee contracts in cities like Aurora.

Such contracts have been widely denounced by defense attorneys and legal watchdog groups, who say flat-fee agreements to provide public defense discourage lawyers from taking the time to provide effective representation, since they are guaranteed the same amount of money regardless of how much time they spend on a case.

Other prime sponsors of the state bill include Sen. Rhonda Fields, Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet and Rep. Monica Duran.

Aurora invitation for law firms to bid on replacing the Aurora Public Defender’s Office spec-

BY MAX LEVY, Sentinel Staff Writer

ified that firms would be paid a flat annual fee. To get around the potential obstacle to privatization, Jurinsky said she and Zvonek would support an ordinance halting the prosecution of domestic violence cases in the Aurora Municipal Court if Weissman’s bill is voted into law.

“If this passes, a draft ordinance is already in place. Councilmember Zvonek let Judge (Shawn) Day know yesterday we would no longer handle (domestic violence) cases in the City of Aurora, and the respective budgets will reflect that immediately,” Jurinsky said.

Zvonek and Jurinsky did not respond to inquiries about the details and potential impacts of the ordinance. City officials have in the past defended Aurora’s decades-old practice of handling domestic violence cases at the local level, saying it empowers the city to make sure victims obtain justice.

Former city attorney and council member Charlie Richardson said domestic violence cases were moved into the municipal court in the 1980s, when Aurora lawmakers were concerned about other jurisdictions not making the phenomenon a priority.

Handling cases within city limits also eases the burden on victims, witnesses and police officers who might otherwise have to travel to courthouses in Centennial or Brighton for hearings.

“It made a lot of sense to consolidate,” Richardson said. “What a burden it would be, again, on the victims and the witnesses to get up to Brighton and have to travel to Centennial, because in criminal cases there are so many continuances.”

Jurinsky said during the committee meeting that Arapahoe County, which overlaps most of Aurora, and at least one of the district attorneys serving Aurora residents had been informed of the proposal to take domestic violence off the municipal court’s docket.

Halting the municipal prosecution of domestic violence could force those cases into county courtrooms. Anders Nelson, a spokesman for Arapahoe County, wrote in an email Monday that the county was “unable to confirm” whether a representative had been informed about the proposal prior to the March 29 committee meeting.

“We look forward to proactive engagement on this and other pol-

icy conversations with the City of Aurora in the future,” Nelson wrote.

Karmen Carter, executive director of Gateway Domestic Violence Services in Aurora, said she recognizes pros and cons of moving domestic violence cases out of municipal court, mentioning the inconvenience of having to attend hearings in Brighton or Centennial as a downside and accountability in the form of tougher penalties that may be handed down by a county judge as a potential upside.

However, Carter noted that the ability of county courts to pick up the slack of prosecutions will ultimately depend on funding.

“My hope is that people aren’t so swept up in the politics and continue to prioritize what’s in the best interest of victims of domestic violence,” she said.

Carter said she was not informed about the proposal before it was announced Friday. The Sentinel also could not confirm with a spokesperson from the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office that the agency had been notified beforehand.

Councilmember Angela Lawson, who chairs the committee that met March 29, did not respond to Jurinsky’s comments but said Friday that she opposes Weissman’s bill because it would limit the autonomy of local governments like the city.

After the meeting, Weissman said he was familiar with the ongoing push to privatize the Aurora Public Defender’s Office and pointed out that the city’s current model has been praised both in Colorado and at the national level by professional associations.

However, he described the latest bill as having a statewide focus, building on a 2023 law that requires municipal courts to comply with the notification requirements of the Victim Rights Act.

“What I know from eight years in the Capitol is that survivors of crimes want things to be handled efficiently, professionally and quickly, and to not be upset later on appeal. The effective provision of counsel to the accused in the first place is part of that,” he said.

“When you start to talk about a flat-fee type of model or an hourly model with a cap, you start to get into questions about whether that criminal defense representation can be done in a constitutionally sufficient and legally ethical way.”

The council committee’s March 29 discussion concerned a draft of the bill, which was introduced April 1 in the House with minimal changes.

AROUND AURORA

Judge reinstates Aurora pit bull ban, says 2021

city council repeal was ‘without authority’

Aurora residents are once again forbidden from owning pit bulls, after a district court judge ruled last week that the Aurora City Council’s decision in 2021 to repeal a ban on the dog breed defied the will of voters.

In an email to the Sentinel, city spokesman Ryan Luby wrote that Aurora has not yet determined what enforcement of the ban might look like, what the ruling means for pit bull owners and whether the city will appeal.

Matt Snider, the Aurora resident and member of the city’s Civil Service Commission who independently filed the lawsuit against the city a few months after the ban was lifted, said the ruling gutted the argument that the former City Council could unilaterally get rid of the legislation that had been upheld by a ballot question in 2014.

“I like dogs, but it wasn’t about dogs,” Snider said “This could have been about car battery recycling, and I still would have done the same thing. … The decision of the voters is, to me, holy ground. You just don’t mess with that, because that is what keeps our democracy going.”

First introduced by the city council in 2005, the pit bull ban survived a 2014 referendum asking voters whether it should be struck down, with roughly two-thirds of Aurorans expressing their desire to continue prohibiting the breed.

Aurora’s City Charter states that a “proposed ordinance adopted or rejected by electoral vote under either the initiative or referendum cannot be revived, repealed, amended or passed except by electoral vote.”

In her ruling granting Snider’s motion for summary judgment against the city, 18th Judicial District Judge Elizabeth Beebe Volz wrote that the language of the charter clearly prevented the council from striking down the ban after residents had voted to keep it.

“The plain language of the City’s Charter and City Code requires that, once an ordinance has been submitted to the voters by way or resolution or referendum, the subject ordinance cannot be revived, repealed, amended or passed except by electoral vote,” she wrote March 26.

“Since the City did not submit the proposed repeal of the pit bull ban to another vote, its enactment of an ordinance contrary to the vote of the resolution proposing repeal was without authority and therefore is void.”

Volz previously found that Snider wasn’t allowed to sue the city because he failed to prove that he was personally harmed by the council’s decision to repeal the ban. After Volz tossed the case, Snider appealed, and early last year, the Colorado Court of Appeals found in Snider’s favor, returning the case to district court.

When Snider’s case was allowed to proceed, attorneys representing the City of Aurora argued that the 2014 referendum was only “advisory,” since council members would still

have had to sign off on the ordinance lifting the ban if the idea of doing so had earned the support of voters.

Snider said attorneys representing the city had “fought me every step of the way,” contributing to the nearly three-year duration of the case. He also said he does not blame the current council for the choices made in 2021 and was hopeful that the group will accept the ruling of the court.

Mayor Mike Coffman wrote in an email to the Sentinelthat he was unsure how the council would respond to the reinstatement of the ban but mentioned how he opposed the 2021 repeal and proposed sending the question back to voters at the time, an idea that a majority of that council rejected.

“My proposal copied what the Denver City Council had sent to the voters that I thought was a more balanced (approach) than the language used in Aurora’s previous referendum,” Coffman said. “I’ve not had any discussions yet with council members since the decision came down.”

Councilmember Alison Coombs, too, wrote in an email that she wasn’t aware of any discussions among council members about how the city should respond.

— MAX LEVY, Sentinel Staff Writer

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION

Lawmakers considering different bills affecting charter schools in Colorado

Colorado lawmakers are once again considering changes to charter schools this legislative session, but unlike in past years, there’s now one big bill calling for a comprehensive list of changes that critics say will weaken charter schools.

Under the bill, charter schools, which are publicly funded but independently run, could have to pay more to use buildings owned by school districts. School districts would be allowed to keep more of the per-student funding for charters, and they would have more control over decisions to close the schools.

Lawmakers backing the bill say it’s needed to hold charter schools accountable. But charter school supporters have called the bill “harmful.”

A separate bill seeks to pave the way for more charter schools to get local funding for construction projects.

The issues addressed in the new comprehensive bill aren’t new concerns for critics of charter schools, but this may be the first time they’re all addressed in a single bill. It may be a sign of growing division on the merits of charter schools.

Democrats control both chambers of the legislature, and both bills have Democratic sponsors. But Democrats themselves don’t always agree on charter schools. In recent years, legislators have expanded funding for state-authorized charter schools and voted down bills that would have made it easier for school districts to reject charter schools.

Democratic Gov. Jared Polis founded two charter schools and is a

supporter of the independently run schools. He opposes the comprehensive bill, saying it would undermine school choice.

Rep. Barbara McLachlan, a Democrat from Durango, said she does perceive a widening division among lawmakers regarding charter schools, and said that while she hasn’t made up her mind about the proposed restrictions on charters, she knows she would rather see more charters and districts working together.

“Instead of writing bills, one that is all pro-charter and one that is all anti-charter, you know, we waste a lot of time doing that,” McLachlan said. “I think eventually we’re going to have to come together.”

McLachlan sponsored the other bill, to help charters get construction funds. That’s the only one that has made its way through one of the legislative chambers. The comprehensive bill on accountability still awaits its first hearing and is already seeing considerable pushback from pro-charter school groups.

A third bill that would have required districts to report more data about how charter schools are performing compared with district-run schools was killed earlier this month.

Here’s more information about the two bills that could still pass:

One bill focuses on strengthening charter school accountability.

House Bill 1363, sponsored by Democrats Rep. Lorena Garcia, Rep. Tammy Story and Sen. Lisa Cutter would change many rules for charter schools. Among them: Charter schools would no longer be entitled to use buildings or space owned by school districts with limits on rent, and districts wouldn’t have to share lists of available space with charters. Denver Public Schools has long shared vacant buildings with charter schools and has even housed charter schools in the same buildings as district-run schools.

School districts could retain more of the per-pupil state funding allotted to charter schools based on their enrollment, beyond the current 5% cap. Currently, the amount retained up to that cap covers administrative and overhead costs, but under the bill, districts could also keep money to cover the costs of special education services provided to the charter. This change would eat into charter schools’ budgets and could make it harder for them to operate Charter school applications would have to include minimum enrollment thresholds, and schools would face closure if they don’t meet them. School districts are not currently allowed to close a charter school solely because of low enrollment.

New reporting rules would require a charter school website — and a district’s enrollment website — to include information about the laws and policies waived by the charter school, such as licensure laws for teachers.

Community members would be allowed to appeal their district’s approval of a charter school.

Proponents of the bill say it’s needed to give local communities more control and to give charter schools requirements that are similar to what district-run schools have.

The organizations that have signed on to support the bill include teachers unions.

Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of the Colorado Education Association, said she doesn’t consider the bill anti-charter, but rather, “pro-transparency and pro-accountability.”

“We’re supporting making sure that when parents are making decisions, they have the full picture, that they know where funding is coming from, what waivers of state law are being waived. That they understand what’s happening in their schools,” she said.

She said the union also supports allowing local school boards to make more decisions about charter schools in their communities.

Charter school advocates, meanwhile, are calling the bill harmful. Education reform groups and conservative groups such as Americans for Prosperity are against the bill, but so are other groups including the Douglas County school district, the Colorado Catholic Conference, El Paso County, and the Westminster Chamber of Commerce.

The Colorado League of Charter Schools condemned the bill, saying it “disrupts well-functioning systems and creates division between charter and traditional schools rather than improving public education.”

Dan Schaller, president of the league, said that the bill is frustrating because it brings up “some of the same fights of the past that don’t focus on kids.”

He said that if the bill was about accountability, it should focus on school outcomes. He also argues that some of the pieces of the bill are redundant and already addressed in law. Charter school boards, for example, are subject to the same conflict of interest laws that other school boards are, he said. And as far as being subject to closing because of declining enrollment, he said charter schools are already having to do that.

“Charters by their very nature have that self-regulating function built in,” Schaller said.

Gov. Polis’ office said in a statement: “Public charter schools are a popular option in Colorado, serving around 15% of our school-age children. This bill would weaken, rather than strengthen, school choice in Colorado and the Governor strongly opposes it.”

The other bill lets districts share tax money with more charters

In Colorado, charter schools can be authorized two ways: by a local school district or by the state Charter School Institute. House Bill 1154 would allow charter schools that are currently authorized by the Charter School Institute to ask to share in some of the proceeds of local voter-approved tax increases when they need funding for construction or building renovation projects.

Years ago, Colorado passed a law requiring that school districts share proceeds from their millage levy requests with their charter schools. But most districts took that to mean the charter schools they’ve approved, and not Charter School Institute schools, even if those schools are physically located within their district.

The Charter School Institute currently authorizes 43 charter schools in the state, serving about 20,000 of Colorado’s approximately 880,000 students.

In some cases, lawmakers said during a hearing on the bill, charter schools approved by the state agency have not been allowed to share in that money. And even in cases where they ask to be included from the start, they have been turned down by school district administrators who often say that’s not allowed in the existing law.

The bill was modeled after a collaboration that took place in Durango.

McLachlan, the bill’s sponsor, said that in that community, the school district deliberately planned and included the state-approved charter schools in its tax request, and used that as a selling point for voters.

Voters in that community could be confident that all children in the community would benefit from the tax revenue, regardless of which school the children attended, McLachlan said.

The bill would not require districts to include charter schools authorized by the Charter School Institute, but aims to make it clear that districts can, if they choose to.

The bill was amended to lay out requirements on how these arrangements would take place, taking into account concerns from some lawmakers.

Those requirements include asking charter schools to show detailed plans ahead of time, and to explain why other funding sources aren’t enough for the capital projects. Then, school districts must enter into agreements with the charter schools that clarify how the bond proceeds would be shared and specify that districts can take over the buildings to recover money owed if a charter school closes before the bonds are paid off.

The bill passed the House and has been introduced in the Senate.

— YESENIA ROBLES Chalkbeat Colorado

Proposed Colorado budget would boost college budgets, end funding scheme shortchanging public schools

Next year’s $40.6 billion Colorado state budget proposal unveiled Tuesday aims to provide a big boost to K-12 schools and colleges and universities across the state.

K-12 funding would increase nearly 7% to about $9.7 billion next year. Average per pupil spending would increase by about 7%, or $780, to $11,450 next year.

Higher education funding would get an even bigger increase, 10%. But the total amount of state money going to colleges and universities — about $1.6 billion next year under the proposal — is far less than the funding allocated to K-12 schools.

For the first time since 2009, the budget proposes to “fully fund” K-12 schools by eliminating a maneuver that withheld education funds to pay for other priorities. The end of what’s called the budget stabilization factor

marks a turning point for the state and schools.

The budget proposal was crafted by the powerful six-member Joint Budget Committee, using recommendations issued by Gov. Jared Polis in November as a starting point. The budget committee once again prioritized education in a budget that also features increases to Medicaid reimbursements and more money for state workers.

The proposal’s introduction kicks off lengthy debate in the House and Senate over amendments to the budget. Budget committee members typically reject most of those amendments from fellow lawmakers before

›› See METRO, 8

Arapahoe County Budget

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ARAPAHOE COUNTY

Arapahoe County faces significant budget shortfall starting in 2025

After years of insufficient tax revenues combined with a continued increase in demand for services, Arapahoe County faces a choice - and is asking for your input. Read more and provide your input at acbudget.com.

Cottage Food Safety

Learn food safety guidelines and the specifics of operating a home-based cottage food business from a home kitchen. The next class will be held on Friday, April 12, 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Register now: https://bit.ly/CSUCottageFoods

Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office to provide law enforcement services for Town of Bennett

Beginning May 1, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office will provide law enforcement services for the entire town of Bennett, which includes two full-time deputies and a part-time detective. Previously, law enforcement was shared between Arapahoe and Adams Counties as the town resides within both. Learn more at arapahoeco.gov.

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The COVID-19 public health emergency has ended. This means Health First Colorado and CHP+ members will go through the renewal process to see if you still qualify for Medicaid coverage. Check your email, mail, and PEAK inbox and take action when you get o cial messages.

DON’T RISK A GAP IN YOUR MEDICAID COVERAGE

sending it back to them for final approval.

Joint Budget Committee members have faced challenges wrangling this year’s budget due to an unexpected $170 million shortfall and last week held marathon sessions to pare down some priorities.

Although the budget writers made cuts and used one-time revenue to fill holes, they were able to preserve K-12 spending and provide far more for higher education funding than what was called for in Polis’ November budget proposal.

Colorado lawmakers are required to continually adjust funding for schools based on the rate of inflation plus growth in the state’s student population. But for years the state has withheld money that should have gone to schools, through the budget stabilization factor — over $10 billion since 2009.

Lawmakers have said they do not want to keep pulling money away from schools. They hope to meet their obligation from now on. But even without withholding money from schools, the state’s education funding for next year would fund schools at 1989 levels, adjusted for inflation.

within a rural district, defined as a district with fewer than 6,500 students.

However, the school finance act doesn’t make bigger changes to the school finance formula. Advocates have called for lawmakers to overhaul the state’s school funding formula. Earlier this year, they received recommendations that call for almost half a billion dollars annually to be pumped into a formula overhaul.

The recommendations call for phasing in the formula changes, but it’s a large sum for the state next year and in subsequent years, especially when lawmakers have proposed dipping into reserves next year to pay for K-12 education increases. So far, no bill has been filed calling for changes to the state’s education funding formula.

The school finance act would also hold off on changing how the state calculates which students are considered “at risk,” meaning students living in poverty and facing other challenges outside of school. Districts receive more money to educate at-risk students.

WORK DIFFERENT AT THE DENVER AIRPORT. GO FROM MAKING PEANUTS TO AWARD WINNING STEAKS.

Still, many school funding advocates see this year’s proposal as a step in the right direction for the state, even as they push for more funding in future years.

The budget also provides enough money for the state’s Healthy School Meals for All Program, a new program that provides free school meals for all students but is facing a funding shortfall, because more kids than expected are taking part. The state would spend $56.1 million to ensure the state doesn’t have to cut back the program.

Lawmakers will cover $15.1 million of the program cost next year through general fund revenue. The rest will come from tax money dedicated to the program.

Colorado would also fully fund state-authorized charter schools at a level similar to other schools, bringing total spending to $49.2 million. Unlike district-authorized charter schools, state-authorized charter schools are not required to get a cut of locally raised tax money.

Along with the budget, committee members also will file a separate bill that will provide $24 million this year for newly arrived immigrant students. Colorado schools are grappling with an influx of newcomers, and the bill will call for providing more money for districts serving students who enrolled after the Oct. 1 funding cutoff.

Meanwhile, the separate school finance act, which outlines education spending and was filed on Friday, adds a new formula for funding rural schools. In previous years, lawmakers have used one-time allocations to direct more money to rural districts.

The school finance act and budget are the only two pieces of legislation lawmakers must pass before they adjourn in May.

Next year, a new permanent recurring factor would add $32.7 million to total education funding to be distributed based on student enrollment

The state was considering rolling out the new formula this fall to use socioeconomic factors, including eligibility for Medicaid, food stamps, and other government assistance, along with data from the U.S. Census about community poverty, to calculate how many of a district’s students are at risk.

Instead, the school finance bill would push using the new calculation into the 2025-26 budget year.

Joint Budget Committee members held off for weeks on making any decision on higher education budgets to see if they could increase funding well beyond Polis’ $48.2 million recommendation. The proposal nearly triples that amount.

Lawmakers plan to set aside $139.4 million more next year for college and university operations and student financial aid: $114.3 million more for operations, and $25.1 million for student financial aid.

The state would also spend $1.5 million in financial aid for youth experiencing homelessness.

Under the proposal, colleges and universities would be allowed to raise tuition by up to 3% for in-state undergraduate students. Institutions would be able to increase nonresident undergraduate student tuition by no more than 4%.

In a December letter, Colorado public college and university leaders said they would need $161.4 million more next year to meet inflation and wage increases. This is the third year colleges and universities have banded together to ask for more money beyond Polis’ budget proposal.

Even with the extra funding next year, concerns remain about the rising tuition burdens on students, especially because Colorado students pay more on average than students at peer universities in other states. And Colorado also spends less on average for higher education than other states.

— Jason Gonzales, Chalkbeat Colorado

Mile High opens ‘free, positive’ space for kids and teens living on East Colfax

‘WE’VE BEEN VERY, VERY FORTUNATE THAT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY HAS RALLIED AROUND THIS.’

Arefuge for children and adolescents living in poverty along Aurora’s East Colfax corridor welcomed most of its staff this week and began gearing up for the end of the school year at a new space on Montview Boulevard.

BY MAX LEVY, Sentinel Staff Writer

While giving a tour of the colorful, artwork-filled facility — which has been renovated inside and out with the help of millions of dollars worth of grants, donated construction materials and volunteer labor — Anna Miller pointed out the kitchen near the open classroom where grade schoolers will gather for homework help, reading classes and shared meals.

“A lot of times, their last meal for the day is with us, until they’re back for free and reduced (price) breakfast at school,” Miller said. “On Fridays, we send home food boxes for the whole family, because they really just don’t have those resources.”

What was once the Kamsy Event Center has been transformed into Colfax Community Network’s Family Preservation Center. At roughly 10,000 square feet, the space is about eight or nine times the size of the program’s previous home at Aurora First Presbyterian Church and represents years of advocacy and careful plan-

ning by its parent organization, Mile High Behavioral Healthcare.

According to Miller, who serves as Mile High’s director of business development and public relations, funding secured for the facility include $1.7 million and $300,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funds controlled by Adams County and the City of Aurora respectively and $850,000 from Colorado Access, a state health insurance exchange program.

The Colorado Roofing Association also put a new roof worth $130,000 on the building for free, while contractors with the Denver Metro Building Owners and Managers Association and the Denver chapter of the International Facilities Management Association donated doors and drywall.

“We’ve been very, very fortunate that the entire community has rallied around this,” Miller said. “And I think once people get in and see it, even more people will be like, ‘What do you need?’”

A grand opening event is tentatively slated to take place later this month. By the end of last week, workers were hanging up bulletin boards and televisions, and putting other finishing touches on the facility’s interior before staffers moved in Monday.

The heavily-urbanized segment of East Colfax that crosses through north Aurora is one of the poorest and most housing-insecure areas of the city, according to data published as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index.

For local Aurora Public Schools families whose children qualify for assistance under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, the Family Preservation Center is billed as a safe after-school environment where students can continue learning, explore creative outlets such as music and pottery, and even receive immunizations and mental health care.

McKinney-Vento protects access to public education for children and youth who “lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence,” including students sleeping on the street, at a shelter or in a vehicle as well as those sharing another family’s home, staying at a motel or residing in “substandard” housing.

Colfax Community Network also offers transportation both from schools to the center and from the center to students’ homes.

Anna Miller of Mile High Behavioral Healthcare shows a gathering place for teens and young adults while giving a tour of the new Family Preservation Center on Montview Boulevard on Thursday, March 28, 2024.

Max Levy/ Sentinel Colorado

COPS AND COURTS

ized math and science tests with accommodations.

Colorado will allow some of this year’s new migrant students to skip state tests

Some students who are new to the U.S. and enrolled in Colorado schools after the official October count will not have to take any standardized tests this spring.

That’s according to new guidance issued recently by the Colorado Department of Education.

The department changed the guidance as school districts are seeing unprecedented numbers of students who are new to the country. Teachers have described various challenges they’ve faced trying to educate migrant students, and the students are unlikely to do well on standardized state tests given in English. As of February, the Denver, Aurora, Cherry Creek, Greeley, Adams 12, Jeffco and Mapleton districts told Chalkbeat they had enrolled more than 5,600 newcomer students after October count.

Denver Public School leaders told their school board this week that in their case, the majority of students new to the country will fall into that category to be exempt from testing.

Colorado students who are identified as new to the country and have no or limited proficiency in English already are exempt from taking standardized English reading and writing tests for at least their first year of school. Before the new guidance, they were expected to take standard-

This spring, if students are new to the country, have no or little English fluency, enrolled after October count, and had limited or interrupted schooling before arriving, they can also skip the math and science tests.

Limited or interrupted schooling includes not attending school for six consecutive school calendar months prior to Colorado enrollment or having two or more years of missed schooling compared to similarly aged students in the U.S. Students who had limited school options in their home country because of war, civil unrest, or needing to travel a long distance to an available school could also qualify for that designation.

Students who have not had interrupted schooling will still be expected to take math and science tests with accommodations. Their participation will count toward overall participation rates, but their scores will not be factored into school ratings for state or federal accountability systems.

Colorado tests students in third through 11th grades. CMAS English and math tests are given to students in third through eighth grades. Science tests are only given to students in fifth, eighth and 11th grades. In high school, students take the PSAT in ninth and tenth grades, and the SAT in 11th grade.

Families can always opt students out of tests.

In Colorado, this year’s spring testing window begins April 8, after most districts come back from spring break.

The facility is split into two sections, with one serving kids up to age 12 and the other serving teens and young adults. Miller said the side serving adolescents sets the center apart among similar facilities across the nation, with one room featuring a recording studio stocked with audio production equipment donated by Boulder Media House.

“It’ll be a ton of experiential therapy, because kids don’t like traditional therapy where they’re sitting in a chair across from a clinician. They don’t share as much,” Miller said.

“We will have guest producers and songwriters come in and work with the kids on turning their trauma and what they’ve overcome in their life into music. … We think that this will just be a great way to encourage them.”

Another room that includes seating and phone chargers opens onto a fenced patio where students served by Colfax Community Network may also perform music. Other rooms will be used as offices for therapists and case managers. The building also includes showers that could be used for youths who don’t have access to running water.

When asked whether the facility would serve the children of families who are part of the recent

DA: Drop fake-cancer charges against mother of Robin Niceta, who tried to frame Aurora lawmaker

Prosecutors have asked a judge to dismiss charges against a woman who was indicted for allegedly helping her daughter fabricate medical information to avoid the fallout of a separate criminal scheme targeting an Aurora lawmaker.

Janice Dudley was named along with her daughter, Robin Niceta, in a July 2023 indictment that said Niceta created fake medical records as well as a website for a fake cancer clinic in New Mexico. The ruse was created to persuade prosecutors that Niceta was suffering from brain cancer and thus incompetent to stand trial on felony and misdemeanor charges for falsely accusing Aurora City Council member Danielle Jurinsky of child sexual abuse.

While the clinic’s website and the phone number of a nonexistent doctor were traced back to Niceta and Dudley, in a motion to dismiss filed March 28, prosecutors said they had “determined that the evidence which originally established (Dudley)’s culpability in that conspiracy, and in this criminal prosecution, was itself also fabricated by Robin Niceta.”

“As such, the People submit that the interests of justice would not be served through the continued prosecution of the defendant in this case and request to dismiss this action,” the motion reads.

The status of the case will be reviewed April 8 by Judge Eric Elliff.

influx of Central and South American migrants in the Denver area, Rochelle Nadeau of Mile High said those children are generally not Aurora Public Schools students.

“Most of the kids who are in that immigrant flux, they’re not managing them through McKinney-Vento,” she said. “They’re managing them through human services, which is a little bit different, because most of them are not documented.”

However, Miller said the organization anticipates the number of children eligible for help through the Colfax Community Network program will likely increase over the summer. She said Monday marked the start of the second full week in the new center for grade schoolers, while adolescents will be welcomed in about two and half weeks.

“We’re really excited, because there’s not a lot of free, positive programming for teenagers, right? And they’re getting into trouble after school,” she said.

“To have a place where teenagers want to come, and it’s positive, and they can have their needs met without having to ask, whether it’s a meal, or laundry, or just support, or internet, or things that they don’t necessarily have at home, I think that it’s going to make a really strong impact on this community.”

Dudley wrote in an email Sunday that she didn’t understand why her alleged involvement in the case wasn’t scrutinized more closely from the start.

“I lost my youngest daughter to an awful rare cancer in July 2010. It was a similar situation for our family, and of course we took care of Robin. That was all it was,” Dudley wrote.

“They tried to serve the warrant on the anniversary of our youngest daughter’s death. I hope that was just a coincidence and not a vile move. I could not (have) made it through this stress without the support (of) my friends and family, especially my husband of 50 years. We are a hardworking, private family who did not deserve this harassment.”

In November, Niceta was found guilty of attempting to influence a public servant and making a false report of child abuse in connection with the fraudulent child abuse tip.

Her sentencing on those charges was originally scheduled for January but was twice postponed due to her attorney being unable to attend the hearings in question. She is currently scheduled to be sentenced May 24.

The trial associated with Niceta’s claim of suffering from brain cancer is scheduled to begin April 29.

— MAX LEVY, Sentinel Staff Writer

POLICE: Boy, 17, behind the wheel during fatal rollover crash had no driver’s license

Police say a 17-year-old boy without a driver’s license was behind the

wheel of a car when it crashed and rolled over early March 30, ejecting all five teenagers in the car and killing one.

A 15-year-old girl died from injuries she sustained after she and four others were thrown from the rollover on Interstate 225 in Aurora, police said.

“Five teens were in the vehicle, which was also stolen, and all ejected,” Aurora Police spokesperson Matthew Longshore said in a statement. “Four were transported to the hospital, one was checked out on scene and released.”

On April 1, police said the driver of the car was 17-year-old boy, not identified because he is a minor.

“He was initially transported to the hospital with serious injuries,” Longshore said in a statement. “He did not have a driver’s license.”

While police have yet to determine details leading to the crash, investigators said it appears excessive speed was a factor.

“There were both opened and unopened alcohol containers in the vehicle,” Longshore said. “That will also be a part of the investigation.”

Police investigators are working with the district attorney office to make a determination on charges.

The crash occurred just after 7:30 a.m. on northbound I-225 near East Alameda Avenue. The highway was closed for several hours to accommodate an investigation and cleanup from the crash.

Police said Saturday evening that one of the teens had died. The condition of the other injured teens was not released.

Jeff Mullins of Mile High Behavioral Healthcare sets up a bulletin board in the reception area of Colfax Community Network’s new Family Preservation Center on Thursday, March 28, 2024 where teens and young adults will enter the building.

Max Levy/Sentinel Colorado

›› METRO, from 8

WINTER WONDERS

All-Aurora teams in boys and girls basketball, ice hockey wrap up outstanding winter season performances for city preps

BY COURTNEY OAKES,

Editor

The kings and queens of the basketball court and hockey rink in the Aurora area get their due for the captivating 2023-24 winter prep sports season, which ended last month.

The AuroraSentinelAll-Aurora boys and girls basketball and ice hockey teams — chosen by the Sentinelin conjunction with balloting of city coaches — is a collection of shining talent that brought their programs to or within reach of state championship.

Here’s a look at the top talent in each of the sports, with expanded coverage at sentinelcolorado.com/preps:

Ott — an assistant under original coach Dan Woodley — deeply felt a return to the team-oriented culture that existed during the program’s most successful runs. The arrival of one individual — freshman goaltender Easton Sparks — had a transformative effect on the Raiders, who were galvanized around his unflappable presence in the sport’s most difference-making position.

For all of the Sentinel’s Winter Sports All-Aurora teams for 2023-24, visit aurorasentinel.com/preps

STATE CHAMPION REGIS JESUIT HEAVY ON ALL-AURORA ICE HOCKEY TEAM

The only team championship from the winter prep sports season for Aurora area teams came on the ice, where Regis Jesuit ended a long — by its lofty standards — drought with a rousing 3-1 win over rival Valor Christian at Magness Arena in the Class 5A final.

With an existence of less than two decades, Regis Jesuit now has seven all-time state ice hockey championships, while puts it second in Colorado history behind Cheyenne Mountain, which owns a whopping 14.

It had been since 2019 that the Raiders had hoisted a state championship trophy, however, but coach Terry

Sparks proved his mettle time and time again, but especially in the postseason, in which he played all 153 minutes the Raiders were on the ice and finished 3-0 with a 1.67 Goals Against Average and a sparkling .940 save percentage. His signature play came in the opening period of the championship game when he cooly stonewalled Valor Christian star Maddux Charles on a penalty shot and he turned aside everything the Eagles put on goal until the final frantic minute. For the season — which saw him start every game against a team that made the postseason — Sparks was 11-2-2.

Joining Sparks from Regis Jesuit on the All-Aurora first team are a pair of forwards in senior Ian Beck and junior Parker Brinner — who both had goals in the state championship game — as well as senior defenseman Dhilan Paranjape.

12

On The Cover: Eaglecrest junior LaDavian King did damage from in the paint as well as beyond the 3-point line on his way to a spot on the 2023-24 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Boys Basketball Team. Photo by Courtney Oakes/ Aurora Sentinel

Above: Regis Jesuit freshman goaltender Easton Sparks earned the first team distinction on the 2023-24 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Ice Hockey Team with a debut season in which he went 3-0 and allowed a total of five goals in three high-level Class 5A state playoff games, while his stellar performance against Valor Christian helped the Raiders win the state title.

Photo by Courtney Oakes/ Aurora Sentinel

Sports

Beck scored with one second left in the championship game to put an exclamation point on the victory and it gave him five points (two goals, three assists) in three postseason games. He finished with an Aurora-best 15 goals plus 12 assists in 21 games.

Brinner scored an empty net goal with under a minute left in the championship game that actually turned out to be the game-winner after Valor Christian scored in a chaotic final minute and it gave him three points in three playoff games. For the season, he paced the Raiders with 13 assists, while he also had nine goals and 22 total points in 20 games. Paranjape was an assistant captain and was steady presence on the back line in front of Sparks, while he also jumped up on the offense when needed. As he helped a defense effort that saw his team allow just five goals in three playoff games, Paranjape dished out two assists and finished with three goals and 12 assists for the season in 20 games played.

The Cherry Creek co-op team — which mixes together players from across the Cherry Creek School District — advanced to the semifinals before it was stopped by Valor Christian in a 4-1 defeat.

Coach Jeff Mielnicki’s team was plenty talented and landed a pair of All-Aurora first team spots for senior forward Dominic Suchkov as well as senior defeseman William O‘Grady (who attends Grandview).

Suchkov had two points on a goal and an assist in two playoff games, but his one goal was a huge one as it lifted the Bruins over Mountain Vista in overtime in the quarterfinals. He finished with 13 goals and 12 assists for 25 points in 21 games played.

Cherry Creek’s defense was bolstered by the veteran, physical presence of O’Grady, who had speed to go with his 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame. He was all over the ice for the Bruins and contributed greatly on offense as well, as he registered a goal and two assists in two playoff games to give him four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 17 games.

ANOTHER BIG YEAR RESULTS IN LOADED ALLAURORA BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM

The bar is extremely high for Aurora in boys basketball, even though it has now been five years since a city team brought home a state championship.

There were no shortage of contenders, however, as three area teams — Eaglecrest and Smoky Hill in Class 6A and Vista PEAK Prep in 5A — all made the semifinals and were oh-so-close to playing for state titles.

Much of the talent from those teams gets together on the 2023-24 AuroraSentinelAll-Aurora Boys Basketball Team, which needeless to say is loaded.

Eaglecrest had the area’s transcendent individual talent in junior LaDavian King, whose perimeter prowess very nearly got the program back to its first state championship game appearance since 2017. King drained seven 3-pointers and he was fouled attempting another in the closing minute of the semifinal against ThunderRidge, making all three free throws to create a tie game the Raptors would end up losing on a buzzer-beater. The Centennial League Player of the Year finished with 31 points — four shy of his season high — in Eaglecrest’s biggest game and his 17.8 points per game average led the league and was second among Aurora players. The area’s most prolific 3-point shooter also averaged 3.7 assists per game to lead his team.

On a Smoky Hill team that prided itself on having a multitude of weapons that made it difficult on opponents, sophomore Carter Basquez was a big straw that stirred it all. The Buffaloes got scoring from a multitude of places and Basquez — an All-Centennial League first team selection — finished the season with an average of 12 points per game to rank third in a closer leaderboard. His season-high of 27 points came in the Centennial League Challenge championship game where he helped the Buffaloes defeat Overland to win the league title, while he had the shot of the postseason for locals with a buzzer-beating bank shot to beat Mountain Vista in the Great 8. Basquez also chipped in 5.4 points, 4.3 assists and 2.2 steals per contest to affect the game in many ways each time out during the Buffaloes’ 20-win season.

Vista PEAK Prep’s best-ever season — which ended with a heartbreaking two-point loss to Windsor in the 5A Final Four — came with a foundation of playing outstanding team defense. The biggest reason it worked so well was the presence of 6-foot-10 Kyree Polk in the paint, whose shot-blocking and rebounding made things easier on his teammates. Polk was the city’s top rebounder at 8.7 per game and he contributed 12.9 points per game — with a city-best nine double-doubles — while his 58 blocked shots (including eight against Windsor) led Aurora and tied him for 3rd in 5A.

Regis Jesuit didn’t make it to the Denver Coliseum pretty much because it ran into Smoky Hill in an all-Aurora Sweet 16 contest that was a treat down to the final seconds of overtime. Leading the way for the Raiders was Eric Fiedler, one of the area’s toughest force in the paint. The 6-foot-5 sophomore earned All-Continental League first team honors during a season in which he poured in 19 points per game (Aurora’s highest average and exponentially higher than the 3.8 per game he averaged as a freshman), while he was third among locals with an average of 7.1 rebounds per contest.

Overland also came up short of making it to the Coliseum, but the Trailblazers — who should have back virtually their entire roster next season — had a lot of impressive pieces. Leading the way was junior guard Siraaj Ali, who finished behind only King in scoring average among Cen-

tennial League players at 16.6 points per contest, while he was the city’s most prolific playmaker as he accounted for 6.4 assists per game.

ALL-AURORA GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM PACKED WITH PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

The starting five of the 2023-24 AuroraSentinelAll-Aurora Girls Basketball Team has absolutely everything you could want on a court: size, skill, heart and championship pedigree.

Two players from Class 6A runner-up Regis Jesuit — the senior duo of Hana Belibi and Coryn Watts — two players from 6A No. 1 seed and Centennial League champion Cherokee Trail (senior Damara Allen and junior Delainey Miller) and junior Sienna Betts, who just happened to repeat as

Colorado’s Gatorade Player of the Year combine to give the area a formiddable presence.

Betts won two state championships in her first two seasons and though that run finally came to an end — as the Wolves lost to Centennial League rival Mullen in the 6A Sweet 16 — she had another elite season. The 6-foot-4 frontcourt player, who committed to UCLA prior to the season, went out and led the state’s largest classification in scoring (22.5 points per game) and rebounding (15.6 per game), while she also ranked in the top five in blocked shots (third at 3.2 per game) and assists (fifth with 4.6 per game), all while centering a Wolves team with a lot of new faces.

Belibi won Continental League Player of the Year honors and finished second among Betts in the top two statistical categories among area players, as she averaged 17.9 points

(which was just outside the top 10 in 6A) and 8.7 rebounds per contest. The Harvard University commitment upped her scoring average to 19 points in five playoff games and had 26 in a loss to Valor Christian in the state title game.

Watts combine with Belibi to form the highest-scoring duo for an Aurora girls team, as she poured in 15.9 points per game to give the Raiders a combined 33.8 points per contest. She knocked down 45 3-pointers to lead her team — which made a total of 204 triples on the season — and she was unafraid to take the ball to the basket as well. Watts, the area’s assist leader among guards at 4.3 per game, has signed with the University of Denver.

Cherokee Trail’s best-ever season — which saw it make the Great 8 and Final Four for the first time before it suffered its only loss of the season to Valor Christian — was

the realized goal of its senior catalyst, Allen. The University of Texas-San Antonio recruit didn’t have to do everything for her team, but she took big shots, welcomed the toughest defensive assignments — like guarding Betts in the post — and infused belief. Allen finished as the tea’s leading scorer at 11.9 points per game, while the All-Centennial League first teamer also pulled down 6.3 rebounds per game (and finished with six double-doubles).

On a team with mostly carved out roles, Miller provided a little bit of everything that coach Tammi Traylor-Statewright needed. She was the team’s second-leading scorer at 11.8 points per contest, but upped that nearly 15 per contest in four playoff games, including 21 points against Valor Christian. Miller also averaged just under six rebounds, 2.2 assists and a steal per game.

TOP LEFT: Eaglecrest junior LaDavian King was the area’s top 3-point shooting threat and second-leading scorer as he helped the Raptors make the Class 6A semifinals LEFT: Grandview junior Sienna Betts led Class 6A in scoring and rebounding in a season that netted her Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year honors. ABOVE: Overland junior Siraaj Ali dished out the most assists per game among Aurora players in the 2023-24 boys basketball season at 6.4 per game. TOP RIGHT: Regis Jesuit senior Hana Belibi was the leading scorer for a team that finished as the Class 6A state runner-up. ABOVE LEFT: Regis Jesuit senior Coryn Watts, left, led Regis Jesuit in 3-point shooting and paced area players with more than four assists per game. ABOVE RIGHT: Senior Damara Allen was a driving force as the Cherokee Trail girls basketball team reached the Denver Coliseum for the first time.. RIGHT: Throwing down dunks or blocking shots, senior Kyree Polk was an absolute force for the Vista PEAK Prep boys basketball team in its best-ever season. FAR RIGHT TOP: Regis Jesuit senior defenseman Dhilan Paranjape helped the Raiders win their first state title since 2019. FAR RIGHT BELOW: Senior William O’Grady (Grandview) gave the Cherry Creek co-op ice hockey team a fast, physical presence at the blue line. PHOTOS BY COURTNEY OAKES/AURORA SENTINEL

For full All-Aurora hoops teams, visit sentinelcolorado. com/preps

FOOTBALL

Tony Lindsay Sr. eager to begin at Overland

Tony Lindsay Sr. has been hired as the new Overland football coach and is ready to get to work.

One of the staples of the Colorado prep coaching ranks who has led two programs — Denver South and the Far Northeast Warriors — to state championship games, Lindsay Sr. is set to go to work with an Overland program that is coming off three consecutive 5-5 seasons.

The 66-year-old Lindsay Sr. — who led Far Northeast to a Class 5A state championship during the spring season of 2021 played during the COVID-19 pandemic and who took Denver South to the 4A title game in 2012— follows Kyle Reese, who stepped down in December following the conclusion of his fourth season (during which he went 16-210). Lindsay Sr. will be Overland’s sixth had coach since Hall of Famer Tony Manfredi retired in 2010. Ken Milano was the original coach when the school opened in 1978, and the interim job in 1981 went to Manfredi, who would lead the program to a 198-120 record in his tenure with three trips to the state title game, including a win in 1993.

Since the conclusion of last season, three Aurora football programs now have new coaches, as Eaglecrest hired Jesse German (to replace Mike Schmitt), and Vista PEAK Prep brought Mike Campbell aboard after Thornton Sr. departed.

For more on Lindsay Sr.’s hire, visit sentinelcolorado.com/preps.

WEEK PAST

The week past in Aurora prep sports

MONDAY, APRIL 1: Aron Gardea hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat and then pitched four strong innings for the Aurora Central baseball team in a 10-2 win at Gateway during a game delayed by lightning. Gardea — who allowed two runs and four hits in four innings with six strikeouts — had two RBI, as did Toby Sanchez and Jose Gomez for the Trojans. ... The Overland girls soccer team fell to Mullen 10-0 in a home Centennial League contest. ...The Smoky Hill boys lacrosse team dropped a 9-8 battle with Middle Park at Stutler Bowl. Laurel Johnson and Sydney John-

son had three goals apiece, and 10 different players scored for the Grandview girls lacrosse team in a 17-2 win over Eaglecrest at snowy Legacy Stadium. ...The Vista PEAK Prep boys volleyball team won the opening set, but visiting Niwot rallied to win 23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-22. ...SATUR-

DAY, MARCH 30: The Cherokee Trail baseball team put up five runs in the fifth inning to dig out of an early deficit and went on to a 10-6 win at Legacy. Anthony Rubio had four hits and pitched three shutout innings as the Gateway baseball team blanked Kennedy 10-0. ...Tony Crow and Tucker Smock drove in runs, and Ethan Wachsmann threw four solid innings, but the Grandview baseball team fell at Fort Collins 4-2. ...Kee Awi had a hat trick, and Maria Herrera also scored twice as the Gateway girls soccer team topped Westminster 7-2. ...The Eaglecrest girls soccer team scored twice in the opening half and went on to a 3-1 road win at Prairie View. ...The Overland girls soccer team put up a goal in each half of a 2-0 victory over Greeley West. ...The Grandview and Cherokee Trail boys swim teams put on an eight-team meet which

saw the Cougars finish in third place, the Wolves in fourth and Overland in seventh. Cherokee Trail had an event champion in Bronson Smothers (50 yard freestyle), while Grandview also had one in Oliver Schimberg, who took the 100 freestyle. ...The Eaglecrest boys track team topped a 27-team field at the Niwot Invitational. The Raptors team of Noah Brown, Eric Hill, Jeffrey Poku and Peace Warah dropped a time of 42.07 seconds in the 4x100 meter relay to take over the lead in Colorado regardless of classification and also won the 4x800 relay (Gabriel Gutierrez, Brady Hoffman, Evan Keppy and Thierry Asare) in 8:22.54. The Raptors finished seventh on the girls side. ...The Grandview boys track team finished two points in front of Cherokee Trail for second place at the Chaparral Invitational, while Vista PEAK Prep came in fourth in a meet that included a slew of Aurora teams among 25 that scored. Colton White (1,600 meters) and Owen Zitek (3,200) won individually, while Jericho Andrews, Nkongolo Wa Kalonji, Cash Coleman and Revano Plummer won the 4x100 relay. Gabriella Cunningham swept the 100 and

the Bison. ...The Grandview baseball team fell to Castle View 6-3 despite RBI from Chase Chapman, Collin May and Tucker Smock. ...The Eaglecrest boys lacrosse team scored in overtime to secure an 8-7 win over ThunderRidge. Wynston Crampton had three goals to pace the Raptors. ...The Cherokee Trail boys lacrosse team fell to Erie 11-7. ...THURSDAY, MARCH 28: Jax Pfister earned the win with five solid innings, and Chase Chapman had half of the six hits for the Grandview baseball team — including a home run and 4 RBI — in a 7-5 win over Mountain Vista. ...A nine-strikeout effort for Sebastian Heredia-Ruiz helped the Rangeview baseball team top Gateway 5-4. Max McGinnis homered and drove in three runs, and Micah McPhail had three hits for the Raiders. ...The Vista PEAK Prep baseball team blanked Northglenn 10-0 as Brian Herrera pitched five shutout innings with nine strikeouts, while Connor Angelini and Domenic Montoya each had two hits and scored a combined five runs for the Bison. ...The Regis Jesuit baseball team fell to Neumann (Florida) 12-0 in the championship game of the All Faith Classic in Las Vegas. Brody Chyr and Christian Lopez had hits for the Raiders. ...The Eaglecrest girls soccer team scored four times in each half en route to an 8-0 win over Rangeview. ...The Grandview girls soccer team fell to Fossil Ridge 1-0. ...The Grandview boys lacrosse team scored four times in the fourth quarter of a 12-11 win over Poudre School District in a game that saw Liam Szarka contribute five goals and an assist. Devin Melton made 13 saves. ...WEDNESDAY, MARCH

300 meter hurdles for the Grandview girls track team at the Chaparral Invitational, while the Wolves also took the 4x100 relay on their way to a runner-up finish behind Fossil Ridge. ...Everett Breniser had five goals and four assists to pace the Eaglecrest boys lacrosse team to a 16-3 victory over Palmer. ...Joe Alie tallied five goals, while Cameron Festi and Mason Kelly had four apiece for the Grandview boys lacrosse team in its 19-5 defeat of Pine Creek. ...Despite three goals and three assists from Kyla Bieker, three goals and an assist from Lorelei Gearity and 12 saves from Sophia Lilley, the Cherokee Trail girls lacrosse team dropped a 12-10 contest to Mead, last season’s Class 4A state champ. ...The Grandview boys volleyball team finished 1-2 at the Mountain Vista Tournament. ...FRIDAY, MARCH 29: Brayden Stufft fell just a home run shy of the cycle and drove in three runs, while Camden Mann, Landen Holmes and Tavish Dey had two RBI apiece in the Eaglecrest baseball team’s 13-2 win over Vista PEAK Prep Cosme Vera struck out seven to get the win for the Raptors, while Brian Herrera had three hits and an RBI for

27: The Smoky Hill baseball team topped Rangeview 7-0 behind Hudson Roth, who struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings. Dash Deavers drove in a pair of runs for the Buffaloes. ...The Cherokee Trail baseball team committed five errors, which led to an 8-6 loss to Rock Canyon. Logan Reid had three hits and Braedan Reichert had two RBI for the Cougars. ...Andrew Bell had three hits, and two RBI, while Hudson Alpert pitched five strong innings as the Regis Jesuit baseball team topped Faith Lutheran 9-5 in a semifinal at the All Faith Classic in Las Vegas. ...Wynston Crampton had five goals and Everett Breniser had two goals, and three assists as the Eaglecrest boys lacrosse team rolled past Highlands Ranch 15-2. ...The Cherokee Trail boys lacrosse team topped Lakewood 16-12. ...Madisyn Jokerst, Amina Pope and Delaney Sitzmann had three goals apiece as the Regis Jesuit girls lacrosse team rolled to an 18-2 win over Grandview, which got goals from Laurel Johnson and Gladys Mellinger TUESDAY, MARCH 26: Luke Reasbeck allowed just one hit over seven innings as the Regis Jesuit baseball team blanked Brophy Prep 4-0 in Las Vegas. ...Noel Pulley had three goals and Annika Boex collected four assists for the Eaglecrest girls soccer team in a 9-0 win over Vista PEAK Prep. ...The Grandview boys

lacrosse team rolled past Dakota Ridge 19-8. ...The Hinkley boys volleyball team earned a 25-18, 2515, 25-20 victory over Denver Waldorf behind a 12-kill effort from Samuel Addai-Opoku Juan Gutierrez was credited with 15 blocks, while Pragyan Gurung had 20 assists.

New ‘Blazer Boss: Tony Lindsay Sr., who has been hired as Overland High School’s new head football coach, poses at the school April 2. (Photo by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)

TOP: Aurora Central senior Aron Gardea delivers a pitch to Gateway sophomore Anthony Rubio during the second inning of the Trojans’ 10-2 win over the Olys on April 1 at Gateway High School. ABOVE LEFT: Grandview’s Laurel Johnson, left, eludes two Eaglecrest players on her way to scoring a goal during the first half of the Wolves’ 17-2 win over Raptors April 1 at snowy Legacy Stadium ABOVE RIGHT: Vista PEAK Prep’s Zachary Babers (6) puts up a block as Niwot’s Cooper Chudleigh attacks during the third set of the Bison’s four-set boys volleyball loss to the Cougars. Photos by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel

The Magazine

ROLL WITH IT

AURORA OFFERS FREE USE OF ALL-TERRAIN WHEELCHAIRS TO EXPLORE CITY TRAILS

BY

For wheelchair users in Aurora, being unable to walk means having limited access to many of the prairie and woodland trails that wind around the city.

But Aurora’s open spaces are more open than ever with the recent rollout of rugged, all-terrain wheelchairs allowing residents with disabilities to explore the trails at the Plains Conservation Center and Star K Ranch.

Brian Green of Aurora’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space Department said the city has spent about $36,000 on two Action Trackchairs, featuring tank-like treads that allow users to cruise over the uneven surface of dirt trails.

Members of the public can reserve the chairs and use them for free. Since midMarch, visitors to the city’s website have been able to block out up to two hours to take an Action Trackchair for a spin. Green counted roughly a dozen reservations made for future dates as of March 25.

“We have over 80 miles of 100% accessible, concrete trails throughout the city, but there are places where we have soft-surface trails that are more difficult for just a regular wheelchair,” he said. “We want people to be able to engage with their family members and others on a hike that’s not just on

a concrete trail.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2022, about 5.2% of all Aurora residents had a disability that made walking or climbing stairs difficult. A lack of accessible options for hiking may make the natural world seem out of reach for these people, particularly wheelchair users, and their loved ones.

For Aurora residents Melissa and Christopher Chavez, spending time at the beach and going on short hikes with their sons was a regular fixture of their family’s life in Florida.

After the two welcomed their youngest son, Anthony, and moved to Aurora to be close to Children’s Hospital Colorado, the logistics of hiking with a child who couldn’t walk on his own limited their ability to get back into nature.

At age 2, Anthony Chavez was diagnosed with Joubert Syndrome, a brain disorder that makes it difficult for patients to use their arms and legs, among other symptoms. The condition means the first-grader is unable to walk on his own.

“He can stand, holding onto something,” Melissa Chavez said. “He’s getting stronger and doing amazing, but we’re still really limited.”

Melissa Chavez said her family still finds ways of spending time together outdoors — a few weeks before the city invited them to test out one of the new wheelchairs, Christopher Chavez carried his son on a short

hike to Boulder Falls, between Boulder and Nederland.

“I want my kids to realize Colorado is awesome,” Melissa Chavez said. “I felt like crying when the city called, because (Star K Ranch) is right in our backyard. Traveling with a kid with a disability, there’s so many factors and so much equipment. It’s almost overwhelming enough to deter you from going. But this is right here. We know we can just go, and it’s accessible.”

Julie Reiskin of the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, who uses a wheelchair herself, said Aurora’s decision to buy the chairs and make them available for free sets it apart among Colorado cities.

She stressed the importance of free accommodations for people with disabilities, who tend to earn less than workers without disabilities — in 2019, the Census reported that disabled workers on average made about two-thirds of what their able-bodied peers earned.

“I think a lot of disabled people don’t know about these kinds of adaptive opportunities and might not even think about it if there isn’t something offered,” Reiskin said.

“An all-terrain wheelchair takes it to the next level, because what that says is you don’t have to only stay on something that’s really paved and perfect, and you can get out into more of the wilderness.”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has deployed the chairs in at least three state

parks, including Barr Lake near Brighton, which Green mentioned as an inspiration for Aurora’s program.

Green said Aurora considered buying the wheelchairs while developing a new master plan for the city’s 100-plus parks and several thousand acres of open space. One of the priorities of the plan, which Aurora’s City Council indicated its support for March 25, is ensuring all residents are able to access and enjoy city facilities.

The city also recently unveiled a disability-friendly, renovated playground at Fulton Park in east Aurora that features accessible swings, walkways and parking.

“This is a theme throughout the master plan and everything we do,” Green said. “Our leadership is really trying to connect those dots, and find those gaps, and make things as accessible as possible.”

Chavez said she was grateful for the investment by the city and local schools in the success of disabled residents.

“Unless you have someone affected by a medical condition or a disability, there are things you don’t think about,” she said. “But people in Aurora are thinking about it, and they’re taking steps to make a difference.”

The city’s two all-terrain wheelchairs are available to adults as well as children and may be operated using a joystick or by a second person using a remote control. Information about reserving a chair is available at AuroraGov.org/TrackChairs.

Anthony Chavez smiles as his father, Christopher, uses a remote control to steer an Action Trackchair along one of the trails at Star K Ranch on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.

Phot Provided By City of Aurora

MAX LEVY, Sentinel Staff Writer

The Bluebird

scene & herd

Frigid plunge into Aurora Reservoir will benefit Special Olympics Colorado on April 6

Aurorans can show their support for Colorado’s intellectually disabled athletes by braving the chilly waters of the Aurora Reservoir and tackling a 5-kilometer run April 6.

Special Olympics Colorado is hosting the morning 5K and reservoir swim, part of a series of statewide Polar Plunge events aspiring to raise $730,000 for Special Olympics Colorado’s 23,000-plus athletes.

A news release said participants are encouraged to dress in costumes, coordinate themes with friends and bring their creativity to bear on Saturday.

Registration will open at 9 a.m. Participants must raise at least $35 to run the 5K, which will begin at 10 a.m. For the 11 a.m. plunge into the reservoir, the fundraising minimum is $80, or $50 for students and Special Olympics Colorado athletes.

IF YOU GO:

April 6, 9 a.m. registration

Registration fees are $35-$80 in funds raised for the cause

Aurora Reservoir, 5800 S. Powhaton Road.

Details: buff.ly/3VJDU8p

Take flight with “The Bluebird,” a wordless journey of dreams and dreamers. The production is inspired by Charles Bukowski’s evocative poem “The Bluebird,” Buba Basishvili’s own immigration story, and the experiences of countless others who have left their homes for other lands. Weaving pantomime, visual metaphor and physical comedy, the show transcends linguistic barriers to deliver a poignant, whimsical narrative of the immigrant experience.

IF YOU GO:

$25-$48

April 4 7:30pm

The Savoy Denver 2700 Arapahoe St

Details: theartibus.com/ the-bluebird

ASO: Into the Blue

From the Bohemian Moldau to the beautiful blue Danube, rivers have inspired composers for centuries. Join the Aurora Symphony Orchestra for a musical journey on the waters of the world: “Into the Beautiful Blue.”

Program Repertoire:

Smetana, Vysehrad from Ma Vlast

Debussy, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

Ingrid Stölzel, Into the Blue Mendelssohn, The Hebrides J. Strauss Jr., By the Beautiful Blue Danube

Smetana, The Moldau from Ma Vlast

Finally, you will experience a live performance of the world’s most popular classical dance number: By the Beautiful Blue Danube, by the Waltz King, Johann Strauss Jr. — think “2001: A Space Oddyssey.”

IF YOU GO:

April 6, 7:30pm and April 7 at 3 p.m.

Overland High School Auditorium, 12400 E Jewell Ave.

Tickets: $7

Details: aurorasymphony.org/ events/tag/april-2024

One Night Stand Theater presents “Sleuths and Spies”

One Night Stand Theater presents “Sleuths and Spies. This production features performances and readings of six short plays and a poem about brilliant detectives, shady private eyes, and sinister secret agents: “Accidental Sleuth” by Dave Brandl, “Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Vacuity” by Leroy Leonard, “Modus Operandi” by David Lipschutz, “The Curious Case of the Teen Detective” by Jeffrey O’Leary, “Sammy the Sleuth” by Bill Thompson, “Spies!” by Dave Ufford, and “Bind…John Bind” by Sean Wellengard.

IF YOU GO:

Vintage Theatre 1468 Dayton St.

April 7, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $10

Details and reservations: OneNightStandTheater.org, or call 303-725-4959. Theater box office is at 303-856-7830

Cirque Italia: Paranormal Cirque in Aurora

Do you love thrilling, wicked, sexy, or even dangerous things?

Paranormal Cirque will expose you to a unique creation of combined theatre, circus, and cabaret with a new European style flare. Cirque Italia is now presenting a brand-new show for a mature audience!

This innovative horror story features different shades of sexy and an incomparable storyline - the only thing you can be sure of during this unique experience is that you will not know what to expect.

IF YOU GO:

Paranormal Cirque in Aurora

Tickets: Starting at $10 March 28 through March 31, evening and night performances

Age restricted: Under 18 requires accompanying by parent or guardian. The show has adult language and material.

Call 941-704-8572 for promo codes

13801 Grant St in Thornton black.cirqueitalia.com

A diamond at the Aurora Fox: Gem of the Ocean

In the heart of Pittsburgh’s Hill District, August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean” unfolds as a mesmerizing narrative steeped in the rich tapestry of African American history at the dawn of the 20th century. Set in 1904, this profound drama is the first installment in Wilson’s seminal ten-part Pittsburgh Cycle, exploring the African American experience across each decade of the 20th century.

The play centers around the enigmatic Aunt Ester, a 285-yearold spiritual healer, whose home becomes a sanctuary for those seeking solace and understanding amidst the turbulence of racial injustice and personal turmoil. When Citizen Barlow, a young man burdened by guilt and in search of redemption, arrives at her doorstep, Aunt Ester guides him on a transcendent journey aboard the mythical City of Bones, a spiritual voyage that promises to cleanse him of his sins and connect him to his ancestral roots.

Through Wilson’s lyrical prose and vibrant characters, “Gem of the Ocean” delves into themes of freedom, identity, and redemption, weaving a richly layered story that resonates with profound truths about the African American spirit. The play’s exploration of historical memory and spiritual rejuvenation challenges the audience to confront the past’s lingering echoes, offering a beacon of hope and healing in the quest for a brighter, more equitable future.

Directed by donnie l. betts, the cast boasts a long lists of credits by local talent.

IF YOU GO:

Through April 14

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30PM and Sundays at 2PM

No performance on March 31

Industry Night April 1

Tickets: $17-$42

Aurora Fox Arts Center, 9900 E. Colfax Ave. 303-739-1970

AuroraFoxArtsCenter.org And

Opening Night & Special Event

“And Meow This” is an art showcase featuring fiercely feline-inspired artworks from several amazing artists in a multitude of media. If you like cats, you’ll find this all-cat art show purrrrrfect. Featuring the artwork of Jacob Garvin aka Sex The Cat & other curated artists in Spectra’s main gallery.

IF YOU GO:

Free with RSVP

April 6 through April 29 5 pm

Spectra Art Space 1836 South Broadway spectraartspace.com/ andmeowthis

SONIC Cars and Shakes

Detail those rides and bring em’! All makes and models welcome for this casual car meet with friends. Grab a shake or some food and talk cars. Free event. No revving engines or burning rubber. Respect the spot and clean up your trash.

IF YOU GO:

Cars and Shakes

Fridays 4 p.m. - 8 p.m Sonic Drive In, 18501 E Hampden Ave Aurora

Because the people must know

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

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN. See attached legal description.

EXHIBIT A SITUATED IN THE COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO: LOT 356, BLOCK 1, SUMMIT PARK SUBDIVISION FILING NO. 2, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO. BEING

THE SAME PROPERTY CONVEYED BY DEED RECORDED IN INSTRUMENT NO. D7114714 OF THE ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO RECORDS. SUBJECT TO ALL EASEMENTS, COVENANTS, CONDITIONS, RESERVATIONS, LEASES AND RESTRICTIONS OF RECORD, ALL LEGAL HIGHWAYS, ALL RIGHTS OF WAY, ALL ZONING, BUILDING AND OTHER LAWS, ORDINANCES AND REGULATIONS, ALL RIGHTS OF TENANTS IN POSSESSION, AND ALL REAL ESTATE TAXES AND ASSESSMENTS NOT YET DUE AND PAYABLE Purported common address: 4231 S Fairplay Cir #A, Aurora, CO 80014. THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST. NOTICE OF SALE The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has

CO

DESCRIBED HEREIN

ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

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

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 05/01/2024, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the

Recording

Arapahoe

Recording Date of Deed of Trust

February 03, 2011

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

D1012223

Original Principal Amount

$141,372.00

Outstanding Principal Balance

$119,596.26

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

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN. LOT 7, BLOCK 9, AURORA HILLS, FILING NO. 8, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO

Purported common address: 12188 E Exposition Dr, Aurora, CO 80012.

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

NOTICE OF SALE

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust. THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 05/01/2024, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication 3/7/2024

4/4/2024

B5028308 Book: n/a Page: Original Principal Amount

$148,500.00

Outstanding Principal Balance

$139,326.07 Pursuant to CRS §38-38-101(4)(i), you are hereby notified that the covenants of the deed of trust have been violated as follows: Failure to pay principal and interest when due together with all other payments provided for in the evidence of debt secured by the deed of trust and other violations thereof.

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

See Attached Legal Description. Legal Description

Condominium Unit 2, Condominium Building 9, Sable Cove Subdivision Filing No. 1, Phase 10, According to the Condominium Map thereof, recorded August 24, 1983 in Book 58 at Page 55, in the Records of the Office of the Clerk and Recorder of Arapahoe County, Colorado, and as defined and described in Condominium Declaration for Sable Cove Condominiums recorded September 15, 1982 in Book 3698 at Page 273 in said records and the Statement of Annexation of Additional land recorded May 9, 1983 in Book 3857 at Page 534 of the aforesaid records, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

Purported common address: 909 South Dawson Way #2, Aurora, CO 80012.

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

NOTICE OF SALE

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

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 05/08/2024, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

Wednesday, 05/08/2024, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by

All the real property, together with improvements, if any, situate, lying and being in the said County of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, described as follows: Lot 1, Block 9, Murphy Creek Subdivision Filing No. 4, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado.

Purported common address: 24693 E Louisiana Cir., Aurora, CO 80018.

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

NOTICE OF SALE

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

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 05/15/2024, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law. First Publication 3/21/2024

01/12/2024

By: /s/ Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s)

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

©Public Trustees’ Association of Colorado Revised 1/2015

COMBINED NOTICEPUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0019-2024

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust: On January 12, 2024, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records.

Original Grantor(s) Chris Bombard and Autrey Hummel

Original Beneficiary(ies)

Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems,

attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is:

Jessica J. Groen #40660

Sandra J. Nettleton #42411

Marcello G. Rojas #46396

Susan Hendrick #33196

STATE OF COLORADO Purported common address: 25446 EAST ARBOR DRIVE, AURORA, CO 80016.

PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST. NOTICE OF SALE The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 05/22/2024, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

Condominium Unit 1842A, Building No. 4, Brittany Highlands Condominiums, in accordance with the Declaration recorded on June 29, 1981, in Book 3440 at Page 558, First Supplement to Declaration recorded on July 29, 1981 in Book 3459 at Page 777, Second Supplement to Declaration recorded November 30, 1981 in Book 3537 at Page 341 and rerecorded December 9, 1981 in Book 3543 at Page 136, and First Amendment to Second Supplement and Annexation Agreement recorded May 21, 1982 in Book 2629 at Page 65, and First Amendment to Condominium Declaration recorded April 26, 1982 in Book 2614 at Page 162 and First Amendment to First Supplement and Annexation Agreement recorded April 26, 1982 in Book 3614 at Page 171 and Third Supplement to Declaration recorded May 21, 1982 in Book 3629 at Page 69, and Fourth Supplement to Declaration recorded September 7, 1982 in Book 3693 at Page 494. The Condominium Map recorded on June 29, 1981 in Book 51 at Page 56 and the First Supplement to the Condominium Map recorded on July 29, 1981 in Book 52 at Page 23, and Second Supplement recorded November 30, 1981 in Book 53 at Page 76 and Third Supplement to Condominium Map recorded May 21, 1982 in Book 56 at Page 42 of Arapahoe County records, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado. TOGETHER WITH ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS NOW OR HEREAFTER ERECTED ON THE PROPERTY, AND ALL EASEMENTS, APPURTENANCES, AND FIXTURES NOW OR HEREAFTER A PART OF THE PROPERTY PARCEL ID NUMBER: 1975 21 3 14 038 Purported common address: 1842 S Pitkin Circle, Aurora, CO 80017. THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST.

NOTICE OF SALE

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

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 05/22/2024, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

The current holder of the Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust. THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 05/22/2024, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication 3/28/2024

Last Publication 4/25/2024

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

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

The name, address, business telephone number and bar registration number of the attorney(s) representing the legal holder of the indebtedness is: Attorney File # CO-23-972613-LL

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

©Public Trustees’ Association of Colorado Revised 1/2015

COMBINED NOTICEPUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0029-2024

To Whom It May Concern: This Notice is given with regard to the following described Deed of Trust: On January 19, 2024, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded in the County of Arapahoe records. Original Grantor(s) Kristopher Bevel Original Beneficiary(ies) MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION

of

No.)

E1048512

Original Principal Amount

$408,300.00

Outstanding Principal Balance

$388,574.08

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

THE LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE A FIRST LIEN.

LOT 9, BLOCK 1, MEADOW HILLS, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO

Purported common address: 3608 S. Elkhart St., Aurora, CO 80014.

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

NOTICE OF SALE

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

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 05/22/2024, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

First Publication 3/28/2024 Last Publication 4/25/2024

The

Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, described herein, has filed Notice of Election and Demand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust. THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 05/22/2024, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

Michael

By: /s/ Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee

DATE: 01/26/2024

Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee in and for the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado

By: /s/ Michael Westerberg, Public Trustee

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

Alison L Berry #34531

N. April Winecki #34861

David R. Doughty #40042

Nicholas H. Santarelli #46592

Lynn M. Janeway #15592

Janeway Law Firm, P.C. 9540 Maroon Circle, Suite 320, Englewood, CO 80112 (303) 706-9990

Attorney File # 22-028052

The Attorney above is acting as a debt collector and is attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided may be used for that purpose. ©Public Trustees’ Association of Colorado Revised 1/2015

COMBINED NOTICEPUBLICATION CRS §38-38-103

FORECLOSURE SALE NO. 0044-2024

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

On January 26, 2024, the undersigned Public Trustee caused the Notice of Election and Demand relating to the Deed of Trust described below to be recorded

Any information provided may be used for that purpose. ©Public Trustees’ Association of Colorado Revised 1/2015

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

Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 05/22/2024, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334

Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

Publication

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

LEGAL DESCRIPTION

CONDOMINIUM UNIT 103, BUILDING 42, LOUISIANA PURCHASE II CONDOMINIUMS, IN ACCORDANCE WITH AND SUBJECT TO THE AMENDED AND RESTATED CONDOMINIUM DECLARATION FOR LOUISIANA PURCHASE II CONDOMINIUMS RECORDED ON JANUARY 13, 2012 AT RECEPTION NO. D2005423, AND AS FURTHER DEFINED AND DESCRIBED ON THE CONDOMINIUM MAP OF THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE II CONDOMINIUMS, BUILDING 42, RECORDED ON DECEMBER 12, 2000 AT RECEPTION NO. B0160794, COUNTY OF ARAPAHOE, STATE OF COLORADO.

PARCEL ID NUMBER: 1975-22-2-64-003

Purported common address: 1461 S Danube Way Unit 103, Aurora, CO 80017.

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

NOTICE OF SALE

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

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 05/22/2024, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest

NOTICE OF SALE

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

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 05/01/2024, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of

LIEN FORECLOSED MAY NOT BE

A FIRST LIEN.

Condominium Unit 104, in Building 32, The Louisiana Purchase Condominiums, in accordance with and subject to the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions for The Louisiana Purchase Condominiums recorded January 31, 1984 in Book 4076, Page 699 and as further defined and described on the Condominium Map of the Louisiana Purchase Condominiums Phase XVI, recorded January 21, 1997 in Plat Book 134 at Page 47, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado. Purported common address: 19152 E Wyoming Pl 104, Aurora, CO 80017.

THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED HEREIN IS ALL OF THE PROPERTY CURRENTLY ENCUMBERED BY THE LIEN OF THE DEED OF TRUST. If applicable, a description of any changes to the deed of trust described in the notice of election and demand pursuant to affidavit as allowed by statutes: **The Deed of Trust legal description was corrected by an Affidavit of Correction recorded on 12/15/2023 at Reception No. E3083590 , in the records of Arapahoe County, State of Colorado. C.R.S.§ 38-35-109(5) LEGAL DESCRIPTION HAS BEEN CORRECTED BY SCRIVENER’S AFFIDAVIT RECORDED 12/15/2023 AT RECEPTION NO. E3083590 IN THE RECORDS OF ARAPAHOE COUNTY.

NOTICE OF SALE

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

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 05/01/2024, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

INVITATION TO BID

mand for sale as provided by law and in said Deed of Trust.

THEREFORE, Notice Is Hereby Given that I will at public auction, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 05/01/2024, at The East Hearing Room, County Administration Building, 5334 South Prince Street, Littleton, Colorado, 80120, sell to the highest and best bidder for cash, the said real property and all interest of the said Grantor(s), Grantor(s)’ heirs and assigns therein, for the purpose of paying the indebtedness provided in said Evidence of Debt secured by the Deed of Trust, plus attorneys’ fees, the expenses of sale and other items allowed by law, and will issue to the purchaser a Certificate of Purchase, all as provided by law.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

You are hereby notified that a public hearing will be held on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the regular meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission of the City of Aurora, Colorado. This meeting will be held at the Aurora History Museum at 15051 E. Alameda Parkway. The hearing will consider a request for a Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA) for solar panels on the H.M. Milliken House.

Site Location: H.M. Milliken House, 1638 Galena Street, Aurora 80010

At said meeting any person in interest may appear and be heard on the requested approval.

/s/ Kadee Rodriguez City Clerk

First Publication: March 28, 2024 Final Publication: April 4, 2024 Sentinel District Court Arapahoe County 7325 S. Potomac Street Centennial, CO 80122

NOTICE OF HEARING BY PUBLICATION PURSUANT TO §15-10-401, C.R.S.

Case Number: 23PR582 In the Interest of Recendo Tavio

To: Resendo Tavio

Last Known Address: UNKNOWN

A hearing on Petition for Appointment for Guardianship for Minor for, Request Permanent Guardianship of Zion Marley Tavio will be held at the following time and location or at the later date to which the hearing may be continued.

DATE: May 01, 2024

TIME: 1:30 p.m. DIVISION: 12 COURTROOM: Virtual

First Publication: April 4,

Grand Basket, ABC, LLC as the assignee/trustee (“Assignee”) (Case No. 2024CV30390).

All persons having claims against Grand Basket Inc. are required to present them, under oath, to counsel to Assignee, Richard I. Miller, Mandelbaum Barrett PC, 3900 East Mexico Avenue, Suite 300, Denver CO 80210, in accordance with C.R.S. § 6-10-109.

Electronic (PDF) Sealed Competitive Proposals will be received by East Cherry Creek Valley Water & Sanitation District for the 2024 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Project until 2:00 pm local time on April 25, 2024. Provide sealed proposals through QuestCDN virtual bid. A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting and site walk will be held at 10:00 am on April 16, 2024.

The work to be performed under this Contract consists of the rehabilitation of approximately 1,300 LF of 15” diameter and approximately 1,000 LF of 18” diameter sanitary pipelines using cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining, removal and replacement of 7 manhole frames and covers, lining of 2 manhole structures, and miscellaneous manhole work.

Contract Documents may be obtained electronically starting on April 4, 2024 at www.eccv.org under the Resources and Information menu by clicking on Request for Bids. The user will then enter the bid number 9049466 into the search field and click the search button to find the project.

Download the digital documents for $22.

Contact QuestCDN Customer Support at 952-233-1632 or info@questcdn.com for assistance in membership registration, downloading digital project information and vBid online bid submittal questions.

Project bid documents must be downloaded from QuestCDN which will add your company to the Plan holder List and allow access to vBid online bidding for the submittal of your bid (which is required for this project). Bidders will be charged a fee of $42 to submit a bid electronically. For this project, bids will only be received and accepted via the online electronic bid service through QuestCDN.com.

The Bidder to whom a contract is awarded will be required to furnish “Performance and Maintenance” and “Labor and Material Payment” bonds to the District. The “Performance and Maintenance” and “Labor and Material Payment” bonds shall be furnished in the amount of 100 percent of the contract, in conformity with the requirements of the Contract Documents.

The District reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, or to accept that proposal or combination of proposals, if any, which in its sole and absolute judgment, will under all circumstances best serve the District’s interest. No proposal will be accepted from any firm, person, or corporation, who is a defaulter as to surety or otherwise, or is deemed incompetent, irresponsible, or unreliable by the District Board of Directors.

Contractor shall be prepared to participate in an interview if so desired by the Owner as soon as the afternoon of the second business day following the date that bids are due.

No proposals will be considered which are received after the time indicated above, and any proposals so received after the scheduled closing time shall remain unopened.

East Cherry

The Traditions Metropolitan District (Owner) is requesting Bids for the construction of the following Project: Traditions Pond ‘A’ Modifications RSN 1733892

Bids for the construction of the Project will be received electronically by uploading to a sharepoint link until May 2, 2024, at 5pm local time. At that time the Bids received will be privately opened and read.

The Project includes the following Work:

Conversion of the existing constructed wetland stormwater detention pond to a dry bottom water quality and detention pond. This work includes re-grading 207 linear feet of the Harvest Tributary channel bottom north of 6th Avenue, installing an 18-inch storm sewer across 6th Avenue, importing earthwork to fill the permanent pool and re-grade the pond bottom, replacing maintenance paths, concrete work encompassing a control structure, control weir, forebays, and trickle channels, and site stabilization, seeding and mulching.

A pre-bid conference for the Project will be held on April 18, 2024. This will be a virtual meeting via Microsoft Teams. A link will be sent to registered Bidders. Attendance at the pre-bid conference is encouraged but not required.

For all further requirements regarding bid submittal, qualifications, procedures, and contract award, refer to the Instructions to Bidders that are included in the Bidding Documents.

Bidders are hereby advised the Owner reserves the right to not award a Contract until sixty (60) days from the date of the opening of Bids, and Bidders expressly agree to keep their Bids open for the sixty (60) day time period. Owner reserves the right to reject any and all Bids, to waive any informality, technicality or irregularity in any Bid, to disregard all non-conforming, nonresponsive, conditional or alternate Bids, to negotiate contract terms with the Successful Bidder, to require statements or evidence of Bidders’ qualifications, including financial statements, and to accept the proposal that is, in the opinion of the Owner, in its best interest. Owner also reserves the right to extend the Bidding period by Addendum if it appears in its interest to do so.

Any questions concerning this bid shall be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 18th, 2024, and must be directed in writing via email to: Jay Peters, JPeters@wsbeng. com.

First Publication: April 4, 2024

Final Publication: April 11, 2024

Sentinel

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON INCLUSION

(Tract C Southlands Sub 19th Flg)

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to all interested persons that a Petition for Inclusion of Property (the “Petition”) has been or is expected to be filed with the Board of Directors of Eagle’s Nest Metropolitan District, City of Aurora, Arapahoe County, Colorado (the “District”). The Petition requests that the property described below be included into the District. The Petition shall be heard at a public meeting held on April 16, 2024 at 1:30 p.m, via teleconference.

Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83940413 003?pwd=QK5XDmVnKBdzTpWVMDAEl k0ZMSotwP.1

Meeting ID: 839 4041 3003

Passcode: 845550

The names and addresses of the Petitioners and a description of the property to be included are as follows:

Names of Petitioners: Kathleen Barela, Paulette Martin, Meredith Fish Addresses of Petitioners: Kathleen Barela 25261 E. Arbor Place Aurora, CO 80016

Paulette Martin 6310 S. Ider Street Aurora, CO 80016

Meredith Fish 6522 S. Kellerman Way Aurora, CO 80016

General Description of Property: That certain parcel of land known as Tract C Southlands Sub 19th Flg (otherwise identified as Parcel No. 2071-19-1-18002), located in Arapahoe County and consisting of approximately 0.16 acres

By: /s/ Jacen Dinoff Manager, Grand Basket, ABC,

First Publication: April 4,

LLC

Information and Bidding Documents for the Project can be obtained electronically by emailing Jay Peters at: JPeters@wsbeng.com

Bidding Documents may be downloaded from the sharepoint link provided by Mr. Peters. Prospective Bidders will be registered as a plan holder and will be made available on the sharepoint link. The designated Link will be updated periodically with addenda, lists of registered plan holders, reports, and other information relevant to submitting a Bid for the Project. All official notifications, addenda, and other Bidding Documents will be offered only through the designated link. Neither Owner nor Engineer will be responsible for Bidding Documents, including addenda, if any, obtained from sources other than the designated link.

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