THE FACES OF JUNETEENTH
The history of this historic holiday reaches into Aurora’s varied cultures and communities
Juneteenth is still a community prize for all
Arapahoe County Commissioner Rhonda Fields will be marching in the annual Juneteenth Parade in Denver this weekend, just like she has for years.
That won’t change.
The veteran state lawmaker, activist and now county commissioner says, however, she’s hoping a tsunami of political change since last Juneteenth — maybe the biggest and best ever Juneteenth Parade and music festival in Five Points — won’t diminish the event.
It looks like it already has.
Event organizers have reduced the musicfood-shopping-and-fun-packed event in Denver’s Five Points from three days to one this year, saying that corporate and other sponsors have pulled back.
It’s unclear whether association with anything to do with promoting minority rights or pushing for inclusion has businesses big and small nervous and unsure what’s next to come in the Trump administration’s push to dismantle those things.
Here in Aurora, conservatives on the City Council were in front of the Trump administration’s demands that governments dismantle Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs. They unfunded city programs a few years ago and finished ending it during the last few months.
Trump and supporters of his nonsense couch their insistence on a “merit-only” system of hiring, education and funding by calling DEI programs “reverse discrimination.”
Everett Kelley, who is the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, told the Associated Press earlier this year that the federal and state governments already hire and promote exclusively based on merit.
He said the recent push behind DEI programs, and just making people cognizant of subtle or blatant biases, has pushed the nation over the last several years to a place in time boasting the lowest gender and racial pay gaps in the workforce.
Trump not only set fire to DEI programs, he indulged his racist supporters who have demanded that schools, museums and other institutions stop working to educate and illuminate Americans about not only how horrific American slavery and segregation were, but how persistent the damage has been from those catastrophes for generations of Black Americans.
“They’re just trying to erase our history,” Fields said about the Trump administration. She pointed to just days after Trump was inaugurated and how the Pentagon removed from government websites on-line histories of Black heroes such as the Tuskegee Airmen and even baseball great Jackie Robinson.
All this contradicts so much progress made over the past few years in getting people to understand how inclusion of Black people, brown people, Asian people, women and others doesn’t cheat white people, and especially white men, out of anything. Nothing is more appropriate than the metaphor that a rising tide lifts all boats than with the idea that un-
derstanding, illuminating and honoring the history of Black Americans, and other minorities, moves equality in reach of everyone in the nation.
Juneteenth is maybe the perfect example of that.
The history, detailed in this week’s Sentinel cover story, offers a catalog of insights.
I never get tired of the story, which has plenty of parallels for today.
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, proclaiming that no human could own another as a slave. Only the Union States observed the proclamation. It wasn’t until the South caved during the Civil War in 1865 that slave states turned more than 3 million slaves free.
Most of the states, that is. Not Texas.
More than two months after Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Ulysses Grant, turning Texas into another free state, thousands of Black people were still enslaved in Galveston because white slave owners didn’t reveal to Black slaves what had happened.
Many of these people were enslaved for as much as six months after they should have been freed. It was only when Union troops reached the Gulf Coast and announced General Order No. 3 that the truth, literally, set thousands of slaves free.
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.”
It was June 19.
It’s impossible to miss that in 1865, executive orders created a flurry of rights and freedoms.
Since January 2025, however, the most prolific executive-order writer of all time almost
daily issues fiats restricting or outright ending rights and freedoms.
For the past few years, millions of Americans have been offered context and historical facts that had previously been glossed over or whitewashed. We’ve all learned a lot about each other, mostly how similar we all are. Not different.
For the first time since I can remember, the nation worked hard at ending the idea that there are “we” and “them.” The idea of isolating “others” didn’t end, but it became clearer than ever how dangerous and mistaken such a philosophy is.
It’s all back in full force, now, and then some.
“They” are poisoning the “blood of the country.” “They” are ruining the “fabric of the nation.” “They” are trying to “destroy the country.”
They are us. All of us.
And anything any of us can do to move any of us ahead is a victory for all of us.
Will Trump move to undo Juneteenth as a national holiday?
“Anything is possible with this administration,” Aurora NAACP Omar Montgomery told the Sentinel. “Depending on which side of the bed the administration wakes up on.”
But for now, Montgomery’s NAACP is planning their local Juneteenth event with the Town Center of Aurora mall for June 21. No doubt that Montgomery, a regular in the Denver Juneteenth Parade will be marching and waving this year.
Fields will.
“I’ll be there. So will my grandkids,” Fields said. “We just have to weather this, and someday, soon, “I’m hoping that we can reconstruct.” Follow @EditorDavePerry on BlueSky, Threads, Mastodon, Twitter and Facebook or reach him at 303-750-7555 or dperry@SentinelColorado.com
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A woman carries a sign during a parade to mark Juneteenth on Saturday, June 19, 2023, in Denver.
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California Gov. Newsom’s fair warning to states like Colorado needs to be heeded
President Trump has zero credibility in defending his sending armed troops to California under the pretense of needing to quell unbridled violence from protests in Los Angeles against his mass-deportation scheme. We agree with California Gov. Gavin Newsom that the stunt is the act of a “dictator,” not an American president.
Newsom has sued the Trump administration. He said Trump overstepped his authority, needlessly, essentially creating more chaos from that he and his administration have already fostered with their ill-conceived “Operation Aurora,” Trump’s previous code word for mass deportations.
Trump regularly forfeits being a credible source on his actions, or being an observer of just about anything, because of his relentless discharges of misinformation, disinformation and regularly outed lies.
But in this one specific stunt in his previous and current presidencies, Trump cannot escape that fact that he took part in, and by many accounts led, the Jan. 6 riots and insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. Then, he refused to call in the National Guard, despite repeated requests from those in charge of the building during the infamous attack.
Not only did Trump at the very least inspire and provoke the historic assault on the Capitol, the nation and democracy, his allegiant thugs brutally beat and injured police at the Capitol, leading to the death of one officer, others injured and leaving behind millions of dollars in damage. An analysis by the U.S. General Accounting office reported that the overall cost to American taxpayers was $2.7 billion.
Two courts in Colorado ruled that Trump was responsible for the riots, and deemed him an “insurrectionist” because of his part in the attack.
And on the first day Trump was returned to office, himself a felony convict from another crime out of New York, he pardoned more than 1,500 of the convicted and charged vandals, terrorists, insurrectionists and thugs responsible for one of the most horrific and dangerous attacks in the nation’s history.
Trump cannot sidestep his undisputed actions for not just provoking that assault on the Capitol and the nation, but of perpetuating the profound damage he inspired.
Newsom is absolutely right in pointing out that this unprecedented military assault on a U.S. city he regularly, publicly holds in contempt isn’t the result of political disagreements, they the result of Trump’s “ego.”
Trump and his cronies foolishly believe that his violent and incompetent secret police antics in trying to round up millions of immigrants is in any way an acceptable solution to the nation’s serious immigration problem.
Decades of political impasse in Congress and the White House in regards to immigration are to blame for a system that does not account for immigrants nor does it hold immigrants accountable for the law.
There is no doubt that Trump’s “mass deportation” boondoggle will continue to be astonishingly expensive and equally as unproductive in removing millions of people who came here for a better life, and who just want jobs and a peaceful place in America.
Leaders in California, like Colorado — and Aurora — clearly understand and support the facts of immigrant life in our communities. Holding immigrants accountable to the law is important, and it makes sense. But using local police, schools and other governments as immigration agents makes no sense at all. Those foolish notions drive immigrants into the shadows and into lives of desperation.
Desperate people do desperate things, just like Trump.
Desperate to cling to power in 2021, Trump first tried to persuade everyone, and then anyone, that he had actually won the 2020 contest, which he did not. Desperate to remain president, he pressed his vice president to act complicitly in an effort to undermine the election as a participant in his treason. Even more desperate, he then prompted and permitted hordes of fellow insurrectionists to storm the Capitol.
While acting on his desperation was inexcusable, if Trump is ever held accountable by a jury for the Jan. 6 insurrection attack, his frame of mind could, and should, weigh on his sentencing.
Rather than press immigrants into their own desperate situations, it would be far more effective, cheaper and humane to allow a set number of immigrants to obtain work or school visas and permits, which could expire or lead to citizenship under specific circumstances. To make the system work, businesses and other agencies would have to be responsible, and accountable, for ensuring their employees or subjects have credentials.
In the meantime, states like Colorado, California and others must stand behind laws that not only reject Trump’s federal intrusion but ensure some protection for immigrant residents. A new Colorado law prohibits jails from holding inmates past their release dates solely for immigration enforcement and threatens penalties against institutions that improperly collect immigration status data.
In doing so, Colorado and other states are testing the boundaries of federalism. These states assert that while immigration enforcement is a federal domain, local participation in civil enforcement is not mandatory.
As Colorado Gov. Jared Polis rightly said, “State and local law enforcement cannot be commandeered to enforce federal civil immigration laws.”
Multiculturalism is a toxic salad
The multiculturalism movement is a cancer disguised as a cure. It claims that learning more about minorities would elevate them and improve national harmony, and opening our borders to people from other countries will enrich us as they combine their cultures with ours. Our public schools enthusiastically embraced this, deemphasizing reading, writing, and arithmetic to fill the vacuum with “social justice.” Colleges created new departments for ethnic studies, black studies, Latino studies, etc.
Multiculturalism isn’t innocent or apolitical. It was a planned early stage ― DEI was the next stage ― in the “fundamental transformation of America” (the goal proclaimed by President Obama) into a globalist socialist utopia. Radical left-wing academics who relentlessly denigrate our history by obsessing on our sins while ignoring our many more virtues also championed multiculturalism as a means to that end. (What nation’s history is without sin?) This strategy has been effective in the left’s indoctrination and recruitment of callow idealistic students.
In practice, multiculturalism doesn’t lead to national harmony, just the opposite. It spawned identity politics, tribalism, divisiveness and has undermined national unity. Americans don’t need a hyphen to describe themselves. Nobody whose ancestors came from England 400 years ago calls himself an English-American today. Why would a black man whose Swedish grandfather became a U.S citizen in the 20th century be called African-American?
Our nation has traditionally been a “melting pot” where newcomers and their descendants assimilate into our culture. Fifth-generation Americans with Italian roots, for example, might call themselves Italian-Americans on some occasions but they speak English, are proud to be American, and may have ancestors who fought for the U.S. against Italy in World War II. The Left weaponizes multiculturalism to reject assimilation in order to divide our people. The Marxists among them deploy multiculturalism in the Leninist strategy of permanent revolution to overthrow capitalism.
Multiculturalists would replace our melting pot with a “salad bowl” of identity politics. But salads can become disharmonious. I prefer iceberg lettuce and discriminate against arugula which is better suited for grazing cows. Barbecue sauce is unwelcome in a Ceasar salad.
Diversity makes sense in an investment portfolio but can go way too far in a country. Europe has been devastated by a tsunami of immigrants, many of whom refuse to assimilate, especially Mus-
lims. In France, Parisian suburbs like Seine-Saint Denis have effectively become separate Islamic societies where Sharia law has displaced French civil law and police are afraid to go. Denmark banned Muslim face coverings to crack down on the crime wave, has “No Ghetto” policies to prevent the growth of immigrant enclaves, and now aims at “zero migration.” Britain’s socialist Prime Minister Keir Starmer ― once an avowed multiculturalist ― recently declared that its experiment with open borders is turning the nation into an “island of strangers” with “forces that are slowly pulling our country apart.”
Countries have borders to protect their sovereignty, for national defense, and to block unwanted individuals. Historically, the U.S. has imposed limits to immigration allowances among countries to balance it out. Now, that’s diversity. Instead of America’s great advantage of a common language, multiculturalism taken to its ultimate destination would substitute a virtual Tower of Babel.
Former Colorado Governor Dick Lamm, a Democrat before they turned radically left, was leery of multiculturalism warning that “diverse peoples worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other, that is when they’re not killing each other. A diverse, peaceful, or stable society is against most historical precedent.”
I’ve been to about 70 countries. I’m intrigued by their sights, people, governments, histories, cuisines, and cultures. I like some better than others, and some not at all. But I prefer our culture, system of government and economy, and I don’t want our culture to be overwhelmed by mass immigration. I favor assimilation. I’m not opposed to immigration. I am opposed to unlimited and illegal immigration, regardless of nationality or race. That’s a vital distinction Mexican-American columnist Rubin Navarette routinely ignores when he falsely labels as racists those who oppose illegal immigration ― especially if the illegals are Latinos. All of the world is not wonderful. World citizenship is a delusion and a path to open borders. It would require a world government and a world military. The United Nations is a farce. Imagine the compromises America’s representative to a World Constitutional Convention would have to make to satisfy China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. Our Constitution would be trashed. And why do multiculturalists cheer when they’re told that whites will soon no longer be a majority in the U.S? Isn’t that racist? Longtime KOA radio talk host and columnist for the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News Mike Rosen now writes for CompleteColorado.com.
MIKE ROSE, GUEST COLUMNIST
Naloxone, education and access turned the tide in Colorado’s opioid crisis, experts say
“I CAN’T PUT WORDS TO WHAT IT HAS FELT LIKE TO LOSE A SON TO SOMETHING THAT HE EXPERIMENTED WITH.” – ANTHONY ALVARADO
BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer
Someone near you starts to show signs of an opioid overdose. Then they stop breathing. That person has six minutes before their brain cells start to die.
What would you do?
Six minutes is barely enough time to call 911 and for the emergency responders to arrive in time.
Say you are in a busy place. That gives you six minutes to find someone who can help. Now, consider that person is not just a stranger, but a loved one—a cousin, a sibling, a parent or even your child.
“I can’t, I can’t put words to what it has felt like to lose a son to something that he experimented with,” Anthony Alvarado said about his son, who died from fentanyl poisoning after he experimented with Percocet that he didn’t know was laced with fentanyl.
Someone administering naloxone to his son could have saved his life.
Aurora is considering installing one or more naloxone vending machines, paid for by outside funding for opioid overdose prevention, but some city lawmakers fear it could promote drug use.
“I just want to make sure we’re not promoting any sort of, you know, safe injection sites, and for me, that kind of teeters on that,” Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky said during a May city council meeting about a plan to procure the vending machines.
The city is on track to receive more than $3.4 million over the next 17 years as part of Colorado’s share of national opioid settlement funds to help combat the opioid crisis, and naloxone — also known as the brand name Narcan — vending machines were one prevention proposal.
Local, regional and national public health officials say naloxone has become an important tool in pushing back rising numbers of opioid overdose. Denver has installed the vending machines in hospitals and, most recently, police stations.
As stronger forms of opioids continue to flood the black market and can now be found in a variety of other drugs such as marijuana, Percocet, cocaine, MDMA and methamphetamine, opioid overdoses have greatly spiked in the last five years, and only began reducing after Colorado took strong preventive measures, according to state health officials.
“During the global pandemic, my son found himself in isolation and disconnection, and even knowing all of the education and support in those moments of struggle, in those moments of not being willing to ask for help, in those moments of unknowing,” Alvarado said.
He said the fentanyl-laced Percocet took his son’s life at 17.
“That completely turned our life upside down,” he said.
Alvarado is the founder of Rise Together, a youth empowerment program founded to break the stigma and silence around mental health and addiction. He was previously an addict who became an advocate for addiction recovery before his son died, and he said he actively modeled education for his son, never imagining it would happen to his own family.
“I was joining stages with mothers who have lost children,” he said. “I could have never imagined that I was going to be sitting in the same group that they are, and I’m now a grieving parent who has lost a child. Young people deserve access to this education, and young people are not the only ones dying.”
He said that the nation’s elderly are also dying at much higher rates from unintentional fentanyl overdoses. Several university and government research sources say that overdoses among Americans over 65 have quadrupled over the past decade.
Overdoses in all age groups spiked during the pandemic and only recently started to decrease again, after mass education, reduced stigma and naloxone availability became more common practice.
The age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths nationwide increased from 8.9 deaths per 100,000 standard population in 2003 to 32.6 in 2022, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The rate decreased to 31.3 in 2023. Those rates decreased between 2022 and 2023 for people ages 15–54, but increased for adults aged 55 and older.
Colorado had similar numbers, showing a minor increase in overdose deaths from 1,799 in 2022 to 1,865 in 2023, according to the Colorado Center for Health and Environmental Data. There was a more significant increase in opioid-related deaths from 1,160 in 2022 to 1,292 in 2023. All of the younger age groups decreased from 2022 to 2023, but all age groups older than 35 years increased in overdose deaths during that time.
Of the opioid related deaths in 2023, 311 occurred in Adams and Arapahoe Counties, and an additional 39 in Douglas County, totaling 350 lives in all three counties, an increase of 30 deaths from 2022.
There were 442 non-fatal opioid overdose-related emergency department visits in Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas Counties in 2023, Calli Tucker, Aurora’s Crisis Intervention Program administrator, said during a study session in April.
It means those three counties had more people who were saved from overdoses than people who died.
A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found a 13.9% decrease in fatal overdoses in Colorado from October 2023 to October 2024 compared to the previous year, according to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
The deaths caused by synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, dropped 28.5%, from 1,192 to 852, according to the article. Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, which is part of CU Anschutz’s Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, said that one reason the fatal overdose rate has declined is that naloxone is readily available for anyone to have.
“Research showed that 73.3% of drug overdose deaths in Colorado in 2023 had at least one potential opportunity for intervention, most often by a bystander,” Tucker said during the meeting. “Which speaks to why the focus on opioid abatement fund strategies is so crucial.”
Proven Solutions
Whether the person has an addiction, is using drugs recreationally or is experimenting for the first time, the first and most important step is keeping people alive to recover and move on, addiction experts say.
“We can only help a person to lead a productive life if they are alive,” said Dr. Aleksandra Zgierska, professor of family and addiction medicine at Pennsylvania State University. “Only then, they can enter treatment, only then, they can learn from their mistakes, however we approach it, but it’s only under those circumstances. So keeping people alive is our primary goal.”
Naloxone is an opioid overdose antidote that works by essentially bumping the opioid off key receptors in the brain, a mechanism that helps reverse overdose symptoms like slow breathing, Dr. Brandon Marshall, a professor of epidemiology at Brown University, said.
“Naloxone, as a substance, is used to reverse overdose, not to prevent overdose,” Zgierska said. “People are dead unless naloxone is administered by bystanders, which means that everybody should have naloxone to help those who overdose.”
Narcan is the popular brand name for naloxone. All forms of naloxone are considered safe, and naloxone can now be obtained without a prescription in every state, as mandated by law. Naloxone, as a nasal spray, can be easily administered to someone who is experiencing an overdose.
Bystanders who administer naloxone are advised by professionals to call 911 and, ideally, perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until the person regains consciousness. If the person does not respond after three minutes, professionals recommend administering additional doses of naloxone. The need for added doses has become more common with “super fentanyl” like nitazenes, which are another form of synthetic opioids that can sometimes be more potent than fentanyl.
Dr. Eric Hill, the medical director for Auro-
ra Fire and Rescue, said that there is still oxygen in the blood that can somewhat prolong the time of brain cell death. He said that administering mouth-to-mouth breathing to the person can help keep oxygen flowing to the brain. He said naloxone and mouth-to-mouth can both greatly aid emergency responders as a life-saving measure while they are en route.
“In terms of Aurora Fire’s travel times, 90% of AFR’s departmentwide travel time for first-arriving apparatus for fires and medical emergencies in 2024 were within 6 minutes, 42 seconds or less,” City of Aurora spokesperson Jennifer Soules said in an email.
Just because the person is conscious doesn’t mean they don’t need to see a doctor immediately. Naloxone is used to revive and stabilize the person before they are taken to the hospital or to see a doctor.
That doctor visit also provides professionals with an opportunity to discuss addiction treatment options with the patient, if it’s warranted.
“Addiction is a chronic disease and requires treatment by healthcare professionals,” Zgierska said.
Zgierska said that an overdose gives medical professionals a better ability to speak with people face-to-face and refer them to possible treatment opportunities. Stigmatization can make it more challenging for individuals to seek help.
“If we further stigmatize drug use and addiction, it’ll be harder and harder to bring people to treatment or even disclose that they have a problem,” Zgierska said.
A “non-judgmental tone” is a significant factor in one of their opioid prevention campaigns, dubbed “Keep The Party Safe.”
Keep The Party Safe, which is led locally by the consortium with CU Anschutz, is aimed at occasional and recreational drug users between the ages of 18 and 45 who are unaware that fentanyl can be found in drugs including cocaine, MDMA, meth and heroin. Counterfeit versions of prescription drugs, including Xanax and OxyContin, are also a
A box containing 12 doses of Naloxone, a nasal spray medication to reverse drug overdoses, is installed at Ontario Beach Park in Rochester, New York, on Monday, September 2, 2024.
AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey
danger, according to a research article from CU Anschutz.
“Research shows that when naloxone is made more widely available, overdose deaths decrease,” Marshall said. “One potential barrier I want to highlight is cost. Some pharmacies may charge upwards of $50 for just one naloxone kit, which could be unaffordable to many people who might benefit from having naloxone and administering it in the case of an overdose.”
Zgierska and Dr. Alice Zhang, assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the Pennsylvania State University, is the lead author of the review on the effectiveness of naloxone vending machines with Dr. Zgierska.
“One aspect of the vending machine that is not available through traditional means is that it’s available 24/7,” Zhang said. “It’s available after hours when businesses are closed. We’re seeing data from our vending machines that they’re being used from like 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., so that’s when most people aren’t typically awake.”
Zhang said they also found from a survey given through the smart vending machines that 38% of the people said they were getting naloxone to be prepared if they encounter an accidental overdose.
“Some of the survey data that we have showed that over half of the respondents thought that the vending machine was able to help reduce stigma around addiction and naloxone,” Zhang said.
Typical over-the-counter pricing for Narcan is $50 for a two-pack of nasal spray. In 2019, the state of Colorado created the Opiate Antagonist Bulk Purchase Fund, which provides free naloxone to qualifying entities. The problem is that KFF Health News reported last year that the fund is quickly depleting.
Other funds are coming from legal settlements after the opioid crisis, but those funds are also limited and reserved for all opioid prevention and abatement measures.
Aurora is on track to receive more than $3.4 million over the next 17 years as part of Colorado’s share of national opioid settlement funds to help combat the opioid crisis.
The grant funds come from legal settlements with pharmaceutical companies, distributors and retailers found to be responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic, Tucker said during the study session.
As of 2024, $1,737,942 in opioid settlement funds have been
for physical and psychological pain, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Through Rise Together, Alvarado has taught more than 300,000 students about substance use and mental health. The crisis impacts people across all demographics –from high school cheerleaders to students from various socioeconomic backgrounds, according to Alvarado.
Addiction is usually about underlying systemic issues like poverty, disconnection and unprocessed pain, Alvarado said. The settlement grant money the city is receiving for opioid prevention and treatment is from pharmaceutical companies taking advantage of those issues, prioritizing profits over people, and creating easily accessible addictive
medications.
“Don’t ever be that person who says it will never happen to you because until it impacts you personally, whether it’s a loved one, a family member, a child, a cousin, brother, uncle, sister, you name it,” Alvarado said. “The stories, while they might be different, nobody went into it thinking, oh, man, I’m going to be an addict and I’m going to die from this substance.”
If anything, being saved from an overdose can create a “cascading” effect where people who live through an overdose are more likely to become advocates who want to save other people’s lives, Zgierska said.
Similarly, having access to naloxone does not enable people to indulge in their addictions.
“Research dispels concerns raised by some people in the past that naloxone’s availability may increase someone’s likelihood to take more drugs,” Zgierska said. “In fact, research confirms the opposite –lack of naloxone’s availability increases the likelihood of death.”
According to Alvarado, communities must approach addiction with compassion, education and support. By reducing stigma and increasing access to resources such as Narcan, lives can be saved.
“It’s not a matter of mental weakness,” he said. “It’s more of a matter of maybe mental fitness to be part of that conversation. It goes back to more access to education and more support for people who are struggling in the process, and that they’re experiencing life in a healthy way.”
ARAPAHOE COUNTY
made available to the city, with only $245,540 approved so far for vans and buses to transport people to and from the Aurora Navigation Campus. The center is Aurora’s workfirst, one-stop shop facility for handling homelessness in Aurora. It’s expected to open later this year.
An agreement with the state allows expenditures to fall within specific areas, including treatment, prevention, services for children, support for first responders, community leadership, staffing and training, research and related administrative costs.
According to Tucker, city staff proposed four initial funding projects based on the city’s history and available evidence:
Consulting services to access Medicaid billing, estimated at $125,000.
Implement naloxone vending/resource distribution sites, estimated at about $10,000 for each site, possibly two or more sites.
Expanded emergency medical services for opioid overdoses, estimated at $112,000
Expanded intervention services in response to opioid overdoses, estimated at $55,000-$87,000 per site, with possibly two sites.
Although there has been recent national news about Medicaid funding cuts, the opioid settlement money appears to still be secure, according to city officials.
Addiction has little to do with resolution
“It does not matter what you look like, or where you’re from,” Alvarado said. “Addiction does not discriminate, and we are tired of hearing that it’s just the addict’s problem. We are people. We are humans, and we deserve respect and support, period.
One in five teens has already tried prescription drugs illegally, according to the Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse. The majority, 76% of these teenagers, buy these prescription pills illegally, according to the 17th Judicial District Fentanyl Fact Sheet.
“Addiction is part of the inability to process pain,” Alverez said. “So you can address that deeper core issue, that’s where you start to see that form of recovery. But it takes a community.”
The pipeline from experimenting to misuse and addiction is not far. Repeated studies have found that in many cases, addiction behaviors can serve as coping mechanisms
County offices closed
In observance of the State’s Juneteenth holiday, all Arapahoe County offices will be closed Thursday, June 19
Bike to Work Day is June 25
Arapahoe County is participating in two bike stations. We’ll be at Arapahoe Road Trailhead and the Mary Carter Greenway from 6:30 to 11 a.m. Be sure to stop by for breakfast and a trail map. Commuters and recreational riders are welcome! Details at arapahoeco.gov/biketowork
Fee Change
New State Law Changes Recording Fees
Starting July 1, document recording fees will change to a flat fee of $43. Per-page fees will no longer be charged, regardless of document length.
For more details about the new fee structure, visit arapahoeco.gov/recording.
Allison Herens, with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, demonstrates the use of the overdose-reversal drug Narcan for employees of the Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018. AP Photo/Matt Rourke
AROUND AURORA
Aurora gains authority to step in against neglectful property owners
Amid local and national furor over three ramshackle Aurora apartments, city lawmakers gave final approval Monday to a measure that would allow the city to step in and manage derelict buildings.
“We want people to come into compliance,” Councilmember Stephanie Hancock, the bill’s sponsor said during a hearing on the bill in May. “We want to make sure that our neighbors, the people who live in these communities, the folks who surround these communities, are safe and secure.”
The proposal, allowing the city to intervene in the management of residential and commercial properties that create public safety hazards, comes amid Aurora doing just that at three northwest Aurora apartment complexes. Those apartments have been the center of a national controversy over allegations of immigrant gangs overrunning the buildings, a narrative created by building owners and some city officials. Aurora police and city staff have repeatedly denied the allegations, saying that the complexes have been the scene of a multitude of criminal acts, including some committed by immigrants, and possibly immigrant gangs.
The controversy brought to light the difficulty the city has in ensuring some commercial and residential
properties don’t fall into conditions that created similar havoc well underway.
The proposed ordinance for neglected and derelict buildings or properties would give the city the power to seek court-appointed receivership for properties, including single-family, multi-family and businesses, that pose serious health and safety threats and have violated city health and safety codes for at least six consecutive months.
“Using the Dallas Street example, it was, well, over two years of documented neglect and abuse from the property owner,” Councilmember Crystal Murillo said, referring to one of the properties linked to the immigrant gang controversy in northwest Aurora. “This property owner has had issues elsewhere. So I think it was pretty well documented that it was an issue with the landlord and a lack of care in taking care of it.”
Murillo was referring to the Edge at Lowry, which had years of neglect and mismanagement before the property started to attract crime and became the notorious location for the viral video of men forcing their way into an apartment that started a national conversation about Venezuelan gangs in Aurora.
The city was unable to do anything to close the building for months after controversy erupted, even after the owners and property managers abandoned the building amid claims gang members had taken over the building and forced the owners out.
The receiver, who would be appointed by a judge under the proposal, would be authorized to manage the property and carry out critical repairs.
The costs that would then be recovered through liens placed against the property. That’s the process the city is using now amid The Edge complex and two other similar buildings.
“What we’re looking for is compliance,” said John Wesolowski, Deputy Director of Housing and Community Services. “Upon achieving compliance with city codes, the city will petition the district court to release the property from receivership and restore responsibility back to the order.”
City officials said they are aware of an increasing number of commercial and multi-family properties where owners repeatedly ignore citations and refuse to address life-safety issues.
Other properties across the city have been left boarded up, attracting vandalism, break-ins and becoming neighborhood eyesores, city officials said.
Some city lawmakers said they were concerned city officials could abuse the new powers, harassing commercial property owners.
The ordinance would only be used in rare, extreme situations, likely affecting fewer than five properties annually, only after property owners have been given ample opportunity to fix the issues themselves, according to City Attorney Pete Schulte. Before petitioning the court, the city would require a detailed remediation plan from the owner and allow them time to bring the property into compliance.
“We’re trying to do something in the middle between a criminal nuisance and nothing,” Schulte said.
— Sentinel Staff
Colorado Springs boy, 14, accused in fatal Aurora shooting of girl, 15 Aurora police credited tips from the public and collaborative police work resulting in the arrest of a Colorado Springs teenager accused in the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old girl in Aurora June 1.
“The swift arrest of the suspect in this case serves as an excellent example of what can be accomplished when law enforcement and our community work together,” APD Investigations Chief Mark Hildebrand said in a statement. “We would not have made an arrest this quickly without the public’s help and our strong working relationship with the Colorado Springs Police Department.”
Firefighters returning from an unrelated call early Sunday in northwest Aurora came across a 15-year-old girl and a 20-year-old woman critically injured from gunfire while somewhere on the 12600 block of East Hoffman Boulevard, police said.
The girl died from her injuries shortly after being rushed to a hospital. The woman was considered in critical condition. A third person may have suffered a “graze” wound.
All the victims were shot at about 12:30 a.m. while somewhere in the 12600 block of East Hoffman Boulevard, police said.
On Thursday, police said information from the public and their investigation led them to a 14-year-old Colorado Springs boy.
The boy was arrested Wednes-
day and faces charges of first-degree homicide, 10 counts of attempted first-degree homicide and two counts of possession of a handgun by a juvenile.
“The suspect, who is not being identified because he is a minor, was in custody in the El Paso County Jail as of Thursday morning,” police said in a statement.
During the investigation, police learned the boy was wanted on an arrest warrant connected to auto-theft charges.
Colorado Springs and Aurora police worked together on the investigation, Hildebrand said. Colorado Springs arrested the boy Wednesday in connection with their warrant. Aurora police served their warrant later while the boy was being held in a Colorado Springs area jail.
“A search of the suspect’s Colorado Springs home resulted in the recovery of two firearms, 9mm and .380-caliber handguns,” police said in a statement. “The firearms were provided to the Aurora Police Department for ballistics testing in its homicide investigation.”
The boy is expected to be transferred to an Arapahoe County jail. The case against him will be filed in juvenile court by 18th Judicial District prosecutors.
The slain girl will be identified by coroner officials.
Police said anyone with information can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000, police said.
— Sentinel Staff
THE 12TH ANNUAL GLOBAL FEST IS BACK WITH MORE TO OFFER
Global Fest, Aurora’s signature multicultural celebration, returns earlier than usual this year, bringing its annual display of international food, music, crafts and culture.
African clothing, handicrafts from the Marshall Islands, a musical tribute to music legend Selena and Indian, Filipino and Panamanian cuisine; all that and much more, a statement from the city said.
“This is a chance to explore the world right here in our city,” said Ricardo Gambetta, Aurora’s manager of International and Immigrant Affairs, in a statement.
The 12th annual event is free, family-friendly and returns 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 14 at the Aurora Municipal Center Great Lawn, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway.
“Global Fest is Aurora’s signature event for a reason,” Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman said in a statement.
“It celebrates so much of the international food, art and culture that makes the city a special place.”
There will be roughly 20 food trucks and booths, as well as more than 60 vendors, including toy makers and clothing artisans. The popular Parade of Nations will return, along with an international fashion show and two stages of live performances, featuring dance, music and martial arts demonstrations.
“Every year, we seek the community’s feedback to make Global Fest even better than the year before,” Gambetta said in the statement.
This year’s festivities will include bounce structures and inflatable soc-
cer skills challenges for kids. Aurora resident Mayra Alejandra and her band will perform a special tribute to the legacy of Tejano music icon Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. Their concert will follow an all-ages Selena lookalike contest, sponsored by Amigos de Mexico, which will include multiple age categories and prizes for top finishers, according to the statement.
“This unique multicultural festival highlights the diverse flavors, sights and sounds that make Aurora special, celebrating many of the cultures and communities that call Aurora home,” according to a statement from the city.
Between the Aurora Stage and One World Stage, there will be more than two dozen performances this year, representing cultures from five continents.
In addition to Colorado Access, this year’s Global Fest is sponsored by Donor Alliance, Alpine Bank, LTC, UC Health, Embassy of Nepal and CBS Colorado.
For more information, including an event schedule, map and details about parking and accessible shuttles to the event, visit AuroraGlobalFest.org.
Globalfest 2025 comes with Selena spotlight
Get out your crop tops and glam pants. Aurora will pay tribute to Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla-Pérez as the main attraction at the 2025 Global Fest celebration in June, organizers announced Wednesday.
Widely honored as the “Queen of Tejano Music,” Selena’s life and career left a lasting cultural imprint be-
fore her 1995 death at age 24.
Thirty years later, her music continues to draw new generations of fans around the world.
As part of this year’s festivities, Aurora performer Mayra Alejandra will take the stage on the Great Lawn at Aurora city hall June 14, for a special tribute concert honoring the late music icon. Alejandra, a longtime Selena admirer said the chance to perform in Selena’s memory is both a joy and a responsibility.
“I enjoy it so much —it brings joy to people and that’s why I do it,” Alejandra said in a city statement. “I’m here to serve.”
Now in its 12th year, Aurora Global Fest has grown into the city’s premier celebration of cultural diversity.
Ahead of Alejandra’s main-stage performance, the city will host a Selena look-alike contest in partnership with Amigos de Mexico. The competition will feature multiple age categories, with prizes for top finishers. A panel of judges from Aurora’s Hispanic and Latino community will select the winners. Organizers encourage fans of all ages to participate in what promises to be a festive and heartfelt tribute.
This year’s family-friendly event boasts two stages of live entertainment, plenty of international cuisine from local food trucks, an artisan marketplace, a Parade of Nations, fashion shows, and interactive art and cultural activities for children. Performers from five continents are scheduled throughout the day, including a martial arts demonstration by the U.S. Taekwondo Center, based in Aurora.
Aurora Stage schedule
11-11:05 a.m. National Anthem by CM Hancock
11:05-11:30 a.m. Parade of Nations
11:30 a.m.- Noon Guiding Mountain Dragon & Lion Dance Association
Noon-12:10 p.m. Global Flavors Award Presentation
12:10-12:45 p.m. Desi Caliente
12:50-1:20 p.m. Omenala group with the Great Masquerade
1:30-1:50 p.m. ARCINDA (The Arts & Culture of Indonesia)
2-2:10 p.m. Colorado Youth Mariachi Program
2:15-2:35 p.m. Colorado Ethiopian Community
2:40-3 p.m. Qhaswa Peru
3:05-3:25 p.m. Muchineripi Musical Family
3-4 p.m. Selena Contest
4-4:40 p.m. The Tribute to Selena by Mayra Alejandra & Band
5-5:35 p.m. USTKD Center Demo Team
5:40-6 p.m. KonnectPop
One World Stage Schedule
11:30-11:50 a.m. Christina Yeh Dance Studio
11:55 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Hora Romaneasca
12:05-12:25 p.m. ORIGENES Dance Team
12:20-12:40 p.m. Basma Dance & Fitness
12:45-1:05 p.m. Philippine American Society of Colorado
1:10-1:20 p.m. Eritrean Cultural Dance Show
1:25-1:45 p.m. DM Talent Academy
1:55-2:05 p.m. Delnaz Persian Dance Ensemble
2:10-2:30 p.m. Ballet Folklorico Patria Mexicana
2:35-2:50 p.m. Colorado Marshallese Community
2:55-3:15 p.m. Mexico en la Piel, Colorado
3:20-3:40 p.m. Colorado Nepalese Community
3:45-4:05 p.m. Kalama Polynesian Dancers
4:10-4:30 p.m. Postoley Dance Ensemble, Dances of Ukraine
4:40-5 p.m. Academia de Ballet Folklorico Nezahualcoyotl
5:05-5:25 p.m. Origenes Dance Collective
5:30-6 p.m. LACI Studio Colombia
Shoppers filled the booths of local merchants during the 2023 Global Fest, Aug. 19, on the Great Lawn of the Aurora Municipal Complex.
Sentinel Colorado File Photo
BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer
scene & herd
Moonlight Revue offers roaring ‘20s spectacle in an Aurora ‘speakeasy’
Shine up those spats and dust off the boas.
A new 1920s-themed variety show is lighting up metro nights with aerial acrobatics, sultry cabaret, and a touch of mystery — all set in a hidden speakeasy that embraces the glamour and excess of a bygone era.
“The Moonlight Revue,” created by and for metro Denver artists, invites guests to step into an immersive world of music, movement, and mayhem. Behind velvet curtains and accessible only by whispered invitation, the show blends vintage entertainment with modern production, transporting attendees to what organizers call “a dazzling night of revelry, mayhem, and even murder.”
The experience features live performances from singers, circus artists, and vaudeville entertainers, all within a clandestine venue designed to recreate the illicit excitement of the Prohibition era. Audience members are required to dress in 1920s attire to complete the illusion — think flapper dresses, suspenders, and feathered headpieces.
“This is not just a show. It’s a full-sensory escape into another time,” producers said in a statement.
In keeping with its local roots, all proceeds from ‘The Moonlight Revue’ support metro artists directly. Revenue helps fund hand-crafted set pieces, custom costumes, venue operations, technical production, and performer wages.
IF YOU GO
Where: The People’s Building, 9995 E. Colfax Ave.
When: 7 p.m. June 12-13
Check it out — Aurora library books farmer’s markets for the summer
Residents near the Hoffman Heights Library are getting a farmer’s market all summer.
“Libraries are more than just books— they’re hubs for healthy, thriving neighborhoods and this collaboration is a perfect example of how we’re re-imagining library grounds into a space for connection while serving our community,” said Ginger White Brunetti, director of Library and Cultural Services, in a statement.
Aurora Public Library is partnering with the mission-driven organization Rebel Marketplace to bring a monthly farmers market to Hoffman Heights Library through September, according to a statement from the city.
“The farmers market at Hoffman Library was created to be an authentic neighborhood marketplace run and operated by surrounding community businesses, with the library as the hub,” the statement said.
Rebel Marketplace is a local group of urban farmers in Aurora who started growing produce in their backyards and aim to build a “food sovereign neighborhood.” The Johnson family’s story of starting the Rebel Market was reported on last year by the Sentinel.
“The Rebel Marketplace believes that there is enough talent and businesses in a six-mile radius to fully supply and stand up a neighborhood marketplace,” the Rebel Marketplace website said. “By creating a singular, locally run access point for goods and services, we envision a vibrant, cooperative and healthy community.”
Each farmers market will host multiple programming events as well.
“We’re thrilled to launch this unique
partnership with Rebel Marketplace to bring fresh, local food and community connections right to the doorstep of Hoffman Heights Library,” Brunetti said in the statement.
IF YOU GO
Where: Hoffman Heights Library, 1298 Peoria St.
When: Dates vary below. The library will also stay open late on those nights for its programs and additional services. The Hoffman Heights Library will also host storytimes at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., a kids’ play area at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., and a teen game space from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The lineup:
• Learn to make fermented hot sauce with Horrifying Hotsauce, 5 p.m., June 11
• Makes seed bombs, 6 p.m., June 11
• Succulent pot painting with plants and pots provided, 6 p.m., July 9
• Rainbow Scavenger Hunt for children eight and older, with prizes, 6 p.m., July 9
• Block-printed totes, customize your own tote, 6 p.m., Aug. 6
• Intro to pickling, by learning to make pickle brine with ingredients provided, 6 p.m., Sept. 10
City Park Jazz returns 10 free concerts on Sundays through August
City Park Jazz will launch its 39th annual summer concert series June 1, bringing 10 weeks of free Sunday evening performances to the City Park Pavilion through Aug. 3.
The 2025 lineup celebrates the diversity of jazz and features an all-local roster, including returning favorites Chris Daniels and The Kings with Freddy Gowdy, ATOMGA, Dzirae Gold, and Buckner Funken Jazz. The series will also showcase inter-
nationally recognized Zimbabwean percussionist Blessing Bled Chimanga and a tribute to late Denver jazz pianist Neil Bridge featuring The Bridge 12 and his wife, Karen.
This year’s season finale on Aug. 3 will start at 5:30 p.m. and feature a three-hour “Brass Band Extravaganza” with performances by Colorado Youth Bands Brass Band, Rowdy Brass Band, Tivoli Club Brass Band and Guerilla Fanfare. Concerts run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays and attract crowds of up to 12,000 people. The family-friendly events include a curated selection of vendors and food trucks. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs, and refillable containers for filtered water, while adhering to Denver park rules prohibiting glass.
IF YOU GO
Show Dates: June 15, ATOMGA, June 22, Colorado Mambo Orchestra: June 29, Buckner Funken Jazz: July 6, Chris Daniels & The Kings w/Freddy Gowdy; July 13, Better Sensory Perception; July 20, Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra; July 27, Dzirae Gold; Aug. 3: Brass Band Extravaganza Featuring: Colorado Youth Bands Brass Band, Rowdy Brass Band Tivoli Club Brass Band and. Guerilla Fanfare
Time: 6 p.m.
Where: Denver City Park Pavillion: 2001 Steele St, Details:: CityParkJazz.org
Aurora library summer of reading kicks off this month
Aurora Public Library’s Summer of Imagination returns this year with the theme “Color Our World.”
Participants in the summer reading program can register to receive a free book, while supplies last, a statement from the city said.
“Summer reading is one of the most powerful tools we have to prevent the ‘summer slide’—the learning loss many students experience when school is out,” Joanna McNeal, deputy director of Library Services, said in the statement.
Summer reading takes place every year to encourage reading as a life-long habit, increase engagement with the library and encourage school-age children to continue reading over the summer, according to the statement.
“Through our Summer of Imagination program, we aim to keep reading fun, accessible and inspiring for all ages, while supporting lifelong learning and sparking creativity across our diverse community, ” McNeal said in the statement.
After registering, participants pick up an activity log filled with reading challenges and colorful activities, the release said. After completing the log, they can turn it in at any library branch for a chance to win the grand prize.
A grand prize winner will be chosen Aug. 1.
A library card is not needed to register, but it can still be requested. Participation in all Summer of Imagination activities is free.
There will be additional events and activities for all ages that will take place throughout Summer of Imagination, including Poetry Breakfast, Aurora Water and Aquatic Critters and more, according to the statement.
IF YOU GO
A day of fun, color and characters with different programs happening all day. Registration will be open for our Summer of Imagination.
• June 11, 6 p.m., Hoffman Heights Library, 1298 Peoria St.
A farmer’s market will be held at the local library while people register for Summer of Imagination.
Go wild for Front Range air quality.
Right: Regis Jesuit senior
Audrey Whitmore finished a four-year prep career with her highest-ever finish as the Class 5A girls state golf tournament. Whitmore finished in a tie for 5th place to earn a spot on the 2025 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Girls Golf Team.
Below top: Vista PEAK Prep
junior Sophia Capua tied for the lowest round of any golfer in the Class 4A state field in the second round to finish in a tie for fourth place and a berth on the All-Aurora team.
Below bottom: Cherokee Trail sophomore Brinnon
Cook finished in a tie for individual medalist honors in the Centennial League during the regular season and her 27thplace result at the 5A state tournament gained her a spot on the All-Aurora team.
PHOTOS BY COURTNEY OAKES/AURORA SENTINEL
The composition of the 2025 AuroraSentinelAll-Aurora Girls Golf Team is quite similiar to that of the previous season. Three of the city’s best on the links last season — Regis Jesuit’s Audrey Whitmore and Natalie Furgason and Vista PEAK Prep’s Sophia Capua — for the foundation of this season’s team, which also includes the Cherokee Trail duo of Brinnon Cook and Haylee Clark.
Tee team
The highest individual place for an Aurora area girls golfer was fourth, which went to Capua in her third career trip to the Class 4A state tournament, which was played this season at The Broadlands G.C.
BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor
After a debut season in 2023 in which she tied ninth, Capua dipped to 26th last season, but made the move back into the medalist group as a junior under new coach Kylie Severin, who returned to the Vista PEAK Prep program where she excelled for three seasons before she went off to play at Colorado State-Pueblo. Severin set the program’s alltime individual standard in 2019 when she tied for second place in a state tournament that was ended after just one round out due to weather.
Capua came up a little short of that (though she did edge Severin’s two-round best of fifth in 2018) with a finish that was helped by a plus-5 77 in the second round. It tied her for the lowest score of any of the 81 players in the field and pushed her up several spots after an opening round 83. In the regular season, Capua finished either first or second in five City League tournaments — including wins at Overland Park and Meadow Hills G.C. (where she shot her low round of the season of 1-under 70) — while she was third at the Region 3 tournament.
Whitmore graduates as the most decorated golfer of the group, as she qualified for the Class 5A state tournament in each of her four seasons and performed her best in her final trip. Over two days of play at challenging Todd Creek Golf Club, Whitmore played level-headed golf through 35 holes, then was overcome with emotion when she sank
a putt on her final hole. She finished with rounds of plus-6 78 and plus-7 79 to come in tied for fifth place in a stacked field.
Whitmore jumped 40 spots over the course of her career, as she was 45th in 2022 as a freshman, surged to 18th as a sophomore and then cracked the top 10 last season as the acknolweged leader for coach Charlie Rutenbeck’s Regis Jesuit team. During the regular season, Whitmore earned All-Continental League first team honors with the sixth-best performance in the league over six tournaments, during which she broke 80 three times and shot a low of 71 at the Heather Cho Memorial tournament at the University of Denver Golf Club at Highlands Ranch. She is headed to Boston University to study biomedical enginneering on a pre-med track.
While Whitmore made the All-Aurora team for a third straight time, teammate Furgason earned her second straight as she made a significant move up the standings in her return to the state tournament. Both of Furgason’s rounds were in the 90s last season and it led to a 57th-place finish, while she shot 89 and 92 this season that put her a tie for 36th place. Furgason’s low score of the season was an 84, which she shot at both the Heather Cho tournament and Continental League tournament at South Suburban G.C.
Cherokee Trail finished in front of Regis Jesuit in the 5A state team standings in 10th place with help from Cook and Clark, who tied for 27th & 30th, respectively, to achieve All-Aurora status. Cook tied for Centennial League individual medalist honors with Cherry Creek’s Tatum Platt after a league season that began with a victory in the tournament at Littleton Golf & Tennis Club. She also tied for first with Clark in the league tournament at Foothills G.C. and the duo also tied for second in the final league tournament to lead coach Justin Jajcyzk’s Cougars to victory. Cook finished in the top 10 of every tournament she played in save for the Central Regional, in which she was 11th.
Clark also was a regular in the top 10 of tournaments all season long. In addition to her ties for first and second with Cook, she led Cherokee Trail in regional performance as she finished 10th individually. Clark — who was one of three local recipients of the Paul McMullen Junior Golf Scholarship given out by the City of Aurora’s Golf Division — is headed to Garden City Junior College in Kansas.
ALL-AURORA GIRLS GOLF
Regis Jesuit again fills lineup on All-Aurora Girls Tennis Team for 2025
BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor
For the second season in a row, Regis Jesuit fills up all the spots on the 2025 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Girls Tennis Team
Coach Jen Armstrong’s Raiders were the Aurora area team to qualify for the Class 5A team state tournament — losing in the quarterfinals — while all seven lines earned the chance to compete in the 5A individual state tournament at Denver Tennis Park.
The highest place achieved at the 5A individual state tournament went to senior Rebecca Gelfer, who finished in third place at No. 3 singles.
Due to an early injury, there was significant movement in the lineup after the first few weeks of the season. Gelfer began the season at the No. 1 spot she’d held the previous two seasons, but after a subsequent round of challenges matches, she ended up at No. 3, with freshman Madeline Dickey at No. 1 and junior Otylia Martino at No. 2.
Gelfer thrived in her new position and finished with just two losses in 17 matches. Both defeats came to the to the players who made it to the state championship match: undefeated Ralston Valley freshman Anna Curran as well as Cherry Creek junior Zoe Hochstadt, who topped Gelfer in the 5A semifinals in an emotional match played between two good friends.
Gelfer rebounded from that defeat to down Fossil Ridge junior Lara Seager 6-0, 6-1 to reach the third-place match, where she rolled past Rocky Mountain sophomore Ainsley Cunnigham 6-3, 6-3. Gelfer — who also posted the only win for the Raiders in their 5A state team quarterfinal match against Valor Christian — is not playing in college, though she said she might try to walk-on in college at the Division I school she will attend.
Dickey missed the opening portion of the season due to injury and made her debut in March at No. 3 before working her way up to the top spot. She won double-digit matches at No. 1 and won in straights sets in her first 5A individual state match before a loss to Valor Christian’s Caroline Daugherty, who went on to win the state title at the position for a second straight season. A lengthy three-set loss to Boulder’s Tessa Botha in the opening round of playbacks ended her quest to get to the third-place match.
Martino played No. 3 singles a year ago and won 15 matches and she upped her total to 20 this season in her new spot. Martino won a three-set match in her state tournament opener and a loss to Rock Canyon’s Sanskriti Sinha yielded an eventual playback chance when Sinha made the final. Martino advanced to the playback semifinals via a win by forfeit, but Fossil Ridge’s Sophia Hartman defeated her in straight sets and went on to claim third place.
Regis Jesuit’s lone state placers in the doubles ranks came from the No. 3 team of senior Brooklyn Craven and sophomore Abigail Puschaver, who were fourth in their one and only state tournament appearance together.
Familiar with each other from last season when they played together on the junior varsity, Craven and Puschaver gladly ended up together once the lineup shuffling concluded. They put together a
Preps
13-match winning streak during the regular season and their only losses as a duo came to the state championship-winning team from Ralston Valley plus two to Valor Christian. Craven will likely play club tennis college, while Puschaver — a multisport athlete who also plays softball — doesn’t know if she’ll play doubles or singles next season.
The No. 4 doubles team of freshman Rachel Osborn and senior Sophia Simoes played together for all but one match during the season and finished 18-5. Osborn and Simoes won a three-set match over Fruita Monument in the opening round, then lost to a duo from Fossil Ridge, which subsequently lost in the semifinals to prevent a playback chance.
The No. 1 doubles team of seniors Cait Carolan and Lily Beebe had a tough first round draw against a team from Valor
Christian and lost in three lengthy sets, then did not get a chance for playback when the Eagles (who went on to place third) lost in the semifinals. The Raiders won 10 matches together.
Senior Molly Goodwin and junior Helen Adams lost a three-set match to opponents from Fort Collins in the first round of the state tournament. The loss to the Lambkins (who fell in the next round) was the only one the duo suffered that did not come to a team that did not place in the top four at the state tournament.
HONORABLE MENTION: The All-Aurora Girls Tennis Team honorable mention list consists of the only other qualifiers from the Aurora area in the Grandview No. 3 doubles team of Ella Vail and Bethany Savacool as well as the Cherokee Trail No. 3 doubles team of Lillian Wilson and Aninkaely Madeje.
June 11 All-State Softball Game, which takes place at Rawlings Field.
SOCCER
Ground broken on new training center in
ALL-STATE GAMES
Smoky Hill’s Jenkins set to represent area at CHSCA All-State Games
A smaller-than-usual contingent of Aurora area prep athletes and coaches is scheduled to compete at the annual Colorado High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) All-State Games June 11-14 at Colorado State Pueblo.
Eight Aurora area boys and girls wrestlers were selected last season, but this year’s competition includes one in recently graduated Dashawn Jenkins of Smoky Hill. A four-time Class 5A state qualifier, Jenkins will compete in the 120-pound match, which will also include Isaac Christman of Sierra. The wrestling competition is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. June 13 at Massari Arena.
Also selected from the area is Grandview softball coach Liz Carter, who is part of the coaching staff for the
Centennial
The new performance center scheduled to be constructed in Centennial — which is part of a partnership that includes the Cherry Creek School District and the new National Women’s Soccer League (NSWL) franchise — had a groundbreaking event June 9.
The 43-acre site — located in Centennial — is scheduled to include a temporary 12,000-seat stadium plus an approximately 20,000-square-foot training facility purpose-built for professional women’s sports.
“We’re just getting started, but breaking ground today on the performance center is a huge step,” Rob Cohen, controlling owner of Denver NWSL, said in a statement.
“We’re building something our athletes can be proud of, and we couldn’t do it without the incredible support of the City of Centennial and Cherry Creek Schools,” he added.
According to a release from the NSWL franchise — which just welcomed former Denver Broncos star quarterback Peyton Manning into the ownership group — collaboration also includes a robust benefits package for CCSD students, including internships, classroom presentations from club staff, and a $100,000 donation to the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation, among others. Cherry Creek School District athletes stand to benefit from the facilities, which are scheduled to include soccer fields, recovery facilities like hot and cold plunge and red-light therapy, a video analysis theater, family lounge and elite strength and conditioning spaces. CCSD Superintendent Chris Smith was part of the groundbreaking.
SWIMMING
Ground broken on
Overland aquatic facility
Overland High School had groundbreaking on its campus for its new aquatics facility, which was made possible by a bond approved by voters. The school’s
—
currently use
ALL-AURORA GIRLS TENNIS
swim teams
Utah Park across the field.
Courtney Oakes, Sports Editor
Last on the preps mat : Recently graduated Smoky Hill senior Dashawn Jenkins — a fourtime Class 5A boys wrestling state tournament qualifier — has been selected to compete in the Colorado High School Coaches Association All-State Games wrestling match scheduled for June 13 at Massari Arena on the campus of Colorado State University-Pueblo. (Photo by Courtney Oakes/Sentinel Colorado)
ABOVE LEFT: Regis Jesuit senior Rebecca Gelfer poses with the third-place medal she received after a straight sets victory over Rocky Mountain’s Ainsley Cunningham in the Class 5A girls tennis individual state tournament third-place match May 10 at the Denver Tennis Park. Gelfer finished 15-2 in the No. 3 singles spot and fills that position on the 2025 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Girls Tennis Team. ABOVE RIGHT: Senior Brooklyn Craven, left, and sophomore Abigail Puschaver pose together after they played in the third-place match at No. 3 doubles May 10. The duo finished fourth at the position to earn All-Aurora honors, all of which went to singles and doubles teams from Regis Jesuit.
(Photos by Courtney Oakes/Sentinel Colorado)
The long history of Juneteenth has long winded through Aurora and Denver
BY CASSANDRA BALLARD AND THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
For more than one-anda-half centuries, the Juneteenth holiday has been a consequential mainstay to many Black communities, including here in Aurora and metro Denver.
Large and joyous celebrations have been held in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood for decades. Denver still has one of the nation’s largest events, which spans several days.
While Aurora’s festivities have always demurred to Denver’s big parades, music festivals and other public events, Aurora has for decades stopped to reflect on what is considered a solemn yet joyous occasion.
Juneteenth is a federal, state and Aurora holiday. Most government services and offices are closed.
Leading other Colorado municipalities, Aurora declared the day a paid city holiday in 2023.
It marks the day in 1865 enslaved people in Galveston, Texas found out they had been freed — months after the end of the Civil War, and two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
Since it was designated a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth has become more universally recognized beyond Black America. Many people get the day off work or school, and there are a plethora of street festivals, fairs, concerts and other events.
In Aurora, the main attraction is June 21 at the Town Center of Aurora Mall.
From 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., the free event outside the food court on the east side of the mall will offer live music, speakers, games for kids and families, local vendor booths and more. Details of the event weren’t available at press time.
Colorado and Denver’s Juneteenth history
Dexter Nelson, the Associate Curator of Black History and Cultural Heritage at History Colorado, previously told the Sentinel that the organization has evidence of Juneteenth being celebrated in Five Points as early as 1953. A local business owner named Otha Rice, who operated Rice’s Tap Room and Oven in the neighborhood, spearheaded the city’s first Juneteenth celebration.
Black Coloradans who came to the state from the South during the Great Migration are believed to have brought the holiday with them, Nelson said. Colorado wasn’t as big a migration hub as midwestern cities such as Chicago and Detroit, but Nelson said for some Black families, Colorado was seen as a land of opportunity.
“It was definitely desirable,” he said.
In Aurora, Barbara Shannon-Banister, founder of Aurora’s NAACP and former manager of the city’s Community Relations Department, was instrumental in creating Aurora’s yearly MLK Day celebrations. Shannon-Banister said previously that Aurora is the only city in the nation to have a weeklong observance of the civil rights hero, which is now in its 39th year.
But despite coming from a family of civil rights activists, it took Shannon-Banister many years to learn about Juneteenth. She grew up in New Orleans, but even living in the state next to Texas, she never heard anything about Juneteenth growing up. It wasn’t mentioned in any of the textbooks used in her segregated school, which were hand-me-downs from white students with the names of previous owners erased.
“In the segregated South, you didn’t speak up about those things,”
she said.
‘Juneteenth is in the hearts of all
Americans’
African
It wasn’t until moving to Casper, Wyoming that she first learned of the holiday through some neighbors, who would always have a barbeque on that day. When she later moved to Aurora, her next-door neighbor was from Texas and celebrated the holiday as well.
She’s glad that knowledge of the holiday and its significance is becoming more widespread, along with other aspects of Black history, “because we as a community are requiring that those things happen.”
In 2000, Shannon-Banister kicked off her first year organizing Juneteenth with a musical choral. This year, she hoped to invite all the diverse communities into the city buildings to help people discover what their city has to offer in each department.
“My first idea was to open the city building and invite people to come on certain days and see the departments,” Shannon-Banister said. “There are people who don’t even know we have a city building because we have such a diverse population.”
The city was unable to accommodate that vision. The city opted to have a celebration at the Town Center Mall, which Shannon-Bannister said she disagreed with. She wanted to do something different and bring people to the city.
Many Aurora residents and leaders have had a hand in regional Juneteenth recognition.
Former state Sen. Janet Buckner was one of the bill sponsors who helped make Juneteenth a state holiday in 2022.
“When the bill was passed, it was bipartisan, and it’s just a way to mark the end of slavery, which means so much to people of color, and especially African Americans,” Buckner said.
Buckner said she received “hate
mail” after the Juneteenth bill was introduced from those who questioned the importance of the holiday, which she said many Black people call “America’s second Independence Day.”
“It’s definitely a day of reflection on how far we have come as African Americans since slavery, and how we need to keep that history alive with our families and friends,” she said.
Juneteenth has been celebrated as a holiday for decades before it was officially recognized as such, and Buckner said it took legislators many years to pass the legislation.
“Juneteenth is in the hearts of all African Americans,” Buckner said. “So even if this holiday is ever considered banned, I think people will still find a way to celebrate that day.”
How did Juneteenth start?
The celebrations began with enslaved people in Galveston, Texas.
Although President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in 1863, it could not be enforced in many places in the South until the Civil War ended in 1865. Even then, some white people who had profited from their unpaid labor were reluctant to share the news.
Laura Smalley, freed from a plantation near Bellville, Texas, remembered in a 1941 interview that the man she referred to as “old master” came home from fighting in the Civil War and didn’t tell the people he enslaved what had happened.
“Old master didn’t tell, you know, they was free,” Smalley said. “I think now they say they worked them, six months after that. Six months. And turn them loose on the 19th of June. That’s why, you know, we celebrate that day.”
News that the war had ended
and they were free finally reached Galveston when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in the Gulf Coast city on June 19, 1865, more than two months after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia.
Granger delivered General Order No. 3, which said: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.”
Slavery was permanently abolished six months later, when Georgia ratified the 13th Amendment. And the next year, the now-free people of Galveston started celebrating Juneteenth, an observance that has continued and spread around the world. Events include concerts, parades and readings of the Emancipation Proclamation.
What does ‘Juneteenth’ mean?
It’s a blend of the words June and nineteenth. The holiday has also been called Juneteenth Independence Day, Freedom Day, second Independence Day and Emancipation Day. It began with church picnics and speeches, and spread as Black Texans moved elsewhere.
Most U.S. states now hold celebrations honoring Juneteenth as a holiday or a day of recognition, like Flag Day. Juneteenth is a paid holiday for state employees in Texas, New York, Virginia, Washington, and now Nevada as well. Hundreds of companies give workers the day off.
Juneteenth shines on
Cultural groups and dignitaries from Aurora gather in the atrium of Aurora city hall sporting customary or historical dress from where around the globe they or their ancestors hail from. All the groups offer their support in observing Juneteenth in Aurora and beyond, recognized annually on June 19th as a federal holiday, a state holiday and since 2023, a city holiday.
the faces of Aurora
Grand Design is proud to sponsor Sentinelcoverage of Juneteenth 2025. Grand Design is a non-profit group and dedicated to preserving and keeping alive, primarily, the performing arts of African Americans, yet inclusive of other cultural performing arts. We seek to raise the awareness of the public and an appreciation by the public through performances, concerts, presentations, visual art exhibits and cultural awareness training for the for the benefit of the residents in Aurora and the metro area.
Sentinel Juneteenth coverage sponsored by
Opal Lee, a former teacher and activist, is largely credited for rallying others behind a campaign to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.
The 96-year-old had vivid memories of celebrating Juneteenth in East Texas as a child with music, food and games. In 2016, the “little old lady in tennis shoes” walked through her home city of Fort Worth, Texas and then in other cities before arriving in Washington, D.C. Soon, celebrities and politicians were lending their support.
Lee was one of the people standing next to Biden when he signed Juneteenth into law.
How have Juneteenth celebrations evolved over the years?
The national reckoning over race ignited by the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police helped set the stage for Juneteenth to become the first new federal holiday since 1983, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and had 60 co-sponsors, a show of bipartisan support as lawmakers struggled to overcome divisions that are still simmering three years later.
Now there is a movement to use the holiday as an opportunity for activism and education, with community service projects aimed at
Should someone celebrate or observe Juneteenth?
People who never gave the June 19 holiday more than a passing thought may be asking themselves, is there a “right” way to celebrate Juneteenth?
For beginners and those brushing up on history, here are some answers:
Is Juneteenth a solemn day of remembrance or more of a party?
It just depends on what you want. Juneteenth festivities are rooted in cookouts and barbecues. In the beginnings of the holiday celebrated as Black Americans’ true Independence Day, the outdoors allowed for large, raucous reunions among formerly enslaved families, many of whom had been separated. The gatherings were especially revolutionary because they were free of restrictive measures, known as “Black Codes,” enforced in Confederate states, controlling whether liberated slaves could vote, buy property, gather for worship and other aspects of daily life.
Others may choose to treat Juneteenth as a day of rest and remembrance. That can mean doing community service, attending an education panel or taking time off.
The important thing is to make people feel they have options on how to observe the occasion, said Dr. David Anderson, a Black pastor and CEO of Gracism Global, a consulting firm helping leaders navigate conversations bridging divides across race and culture.
“Just like the Martin Luther King holiday, we say it’s a day of service and a lot of people will do things. There are a lot of other people who are just ‘I appreciate Dr. King, I’ll watch what’s on the television, and I’m gonna rest,’” Anderson said. “I don’t want to make people feel guilty about that. What I want to do is give everyday people a choice.”
What if you’ve never celebrated Juneteenth?
ty of organizations and universities host panels to remind people of Juneteenth’s history.
The National Park Service is making entry into all sites free on the holiday. Several parks will be hosting Juneteenth commemorations this week.
There is no U.S. Mail service on Juneteenth. The stock markets are closed, as well as most banks.
Are there special foods served on Juneteenth?
Aside from barbecue, the color red has been a through line for Juneteenth food for generations. Red symbolizes the bloodshed and sacrifice of enslaved ancestors. A Juneteenth menu might incorporate items like barbecued ribs or other red meat, watermelon and red velvet cake. Drinks like fruit punch and red Kool-Aid may make an appearance at the table.
Does how you celebrate Juneteenth matter if you aren’t Black?
Dr. Karida Brown, a sociology professor at Emory University whose research focuses on race, said there’s no reason to feel awkward about wanting to recognize Juneteenth just because you have no personal ties or you’re not Black. In fact, embrace it.
“I would reframe that and challenge my non-Black folks who want to lean into Juneteenth and celebrate,” Brown said. “It absolutely is your history. It absolutely is a part of your experience. … Isn’t this all of our history? The good, the bad, the ugly, the story of emancipation and freedom for your Black brothers and sisters under the Constitution of the law.”
If you want to bring some authenticity to your recognition of Juneteenth, educate yourself. Attending a street festival or patronizing a Black-owned business is a good start but it also would be good to “make your mind better,” Anderson said.
and liberty and all of that, that did not include my descendants,” Brown said. “Black people in America were still enslaved. So that that holiday always comes with a bittersweet tinge to it.”
Is there a proper Juneteenth greeting? It’s typical to wish people a “Happy Juneteenth” or “Happy Teenth,” according to Alan Freeman, a comedian organizing a Juneteenth comedy festival in Galveston, Texas for the second straight year.
“You know how at Christmas people will say ‘Merry Christmas’ to each other and not even know each other?” Freeman said. “You can get a ‘Merry Christmas’ from everybody. This is the same way.”
Denver Juneteenth Music Festival and parade on June 15
For decades, the center of festivities and inspiration for celebrating Juneteenth in the metro area has been in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood.
This year the event will include the traditional parade from Manual High School at 11 a.m. through the neighborhood to East 26th Avenue on Welton Street at the Five Points. The music festival starts after that on Welton Street with more than 100 food, craft and artisan vendors and music across the afternoon and into the evening.
This year’s headliner on the Main Stage is rap star Juvenile. The event is free, and VIP music tickets are available with other details at www.juneteenthmusicfestival.com/
2025 Juneteenth Music Festival and lineup
Main Stage at 2700 Welton St.
12:30 PM: DJ SugaBear & La Molly
1:40 PM: Trinity Scales
2:45 PM: Beasts of No Nation
3:30 PM : DJ Jam’N-i & Mailman
addressing racial disparities and educational panels on topics such as health care inequities and the need for parks and green spaces.
Like most holidays, Juneteenth has also seen its fair share of commercialism. Retailers, museums and other venues have capitalized on it by selling Juneteenth-themed T-shirts, party ware and ice cream. Some of the marketing has misfired, provoking a social media backlash.
Supporters of the holiday have also worked to make sure Juneteenth celebrators don’t forget why the day exists.
“In 1776 the country was freed from the British, but the people were not all free,” Dee Evans, national director of communications of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, said in 2019. “June 19, 1865, was actually when the people and the entire country was actually free.”
There’s also sentiment to use the day to remember the sacrifices that were made for freedom in the United States — especially in these racially and politically charged days.
Said Para LaNell Agboga, museum site coordinator at the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center in Austin, Texas: “Our freedoms are fragile, and it doesn’t take much for things to go backward.
Anderson never did anything on Juneteenth in his youth. He didn’t learn about it until his 30s.
“I think many folks haven’t known about it — who are even my color as an African American male. Even if you heard about it and knew about it, you didn’t celebrate it,” Anderson said. “It was like just a part of history. It wasn’t a celebration of history.”
For many African Americans, the farther away from Texas that they grew up in increased the likelihood they didn’t have big Juneteenth celebrations regularly. In the South, the day can vary based on when word of Emancipation reached each state.
What kind of public Juneteenth events are going on around the country?
Search online and you will find a smorgasbord of gatherings in major cities and suburbs all varying in scope and tone. Some are more carnival-esque festivals with food trucks, arts and crafts and parades. Within those festivals, you’ll likely find access to professionals in health care, finance and community resources. There also are concerts and fashion shows to highlight Black excellence and creativity. For those who want to look back, plen-
“That goes longer than a celebration,” Anderson said. “I think Black people need to do it too because it’s new for us as well, in America. But for non-Black people, if they could read on this topic and read on Black history beyond Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, that would show me that you’re really serious about growing in this area.”
If you’re struggling with how to “ethically” mark the day, Brown also suggested expanding your knowledge of why the holiday matters so much. That can be through reading, attending an event or going to an African American history museum if there’s one nearby.
“Have that full human experience of seeing yourself in and through the eyes of others, even if that’s not your own lived experience,” she said. “That is a radical human act that is awesome and should be encouraged and celebrated.”
What are other names used to refer to Juneteenth?
Over the decades, Juneteenth has also been called Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, Black Fourth of July and second Independence Day among others.
“Because 1776, Fourth of July, where we’re celebrating freedom
4 PM : Tony Exum Jr, Goodloe & Marlo
4:55 PM: Danae Simone
5:40 PM: The Drop’s Battle for the Block Winner
6:20 PM: DJ Bella Scratch & SugaBear
7 PM: Juvenile
Plaza Stage at 2736 Welton St.
1 PM: TBD
2:15 PM: Battle for the Block Contestant
2:30 PM: DJ Jam’N-i 3:15 PM: Battle for the Block Contestant
4:00 PM: DJ Bella Scratch
4:45 PM: Battle for the Block Contestant
5:30 PM: TBD
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PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30338
Estate of Dolores E. Mueller, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado, on or before September 29, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Gregory J. Mueller, P.C.
Personal Representative 902 Colorado Ave. Grand Junction, CO 81501
First Publication: May 29, 2025
Final Publication: June 12, 2025 Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30428
Estate of Catherine Mae Herrera aka Catherine M. Herrera aka Catherine Herrera, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County,
Mail resume: ParadigmONE, Inc. @ 14109 E. Exposition Ave, Aurora, CO 80012. Help Wanted
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