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Grays’ anatomy of a generation not lost in space

Count me among those who, in my youth, shuddered and looked for escape every time some warbling gray-hair would start a verbal stroll down memory lane, trying to drag me along. As a kid, there often seemed nothing worse than bearing witness to the insufferable games of “remember when” — when you had to have ration tickets for sugar, when chocolate bars were a nickel, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

DAVE PERRY Editor

But there was worse. The worst was the long lectures about “kids today” and how America is doomed to repeat its mistakes because the younger generations know nothing.

And here I am, better than six decades into knowing it all, only to cluck my tongue and shake my head like millennia of geezers have before me, perturbed about what kids today don’t know. At my age, kids include anyone and everyone well into their 40s.

And like generations before me, they must listen to my daily laments about their ignorance of some critical cultural icon that would honestly solve some appreciable world malady, if only younger generations were aware.

Like Richard Burton. Out of an entire newsroom of twenty-and-thirty-somethings, no one had heard of Richard Burton. A couple had some idea of who Elizabeth Taylor was, but Burton might as well have sold sofas on late-night TV commercials.

Channeling my boring father and all the boring fathers that ever came before, I pronounced that civilization was clearly coming to an end that such an iconic and critical part of humanity had slipped the public zeitgeist in but a couple of years of his demise. OK, maybe a couple of decades. Alright, it’s been almost 40 years since Burton died, and many say he died years before his body gave out, but this was the universe’s Mark Antony to America’s very own cinematic Cleopatra.

My rant, like so many, was no more impressive to the young staffers in the newsroom than my having recited best practices for making Cream of Wheat.

I cannot let it go. Each week, I observe some new leaf that has fallen from the tree of human knowledge as America tumbles toward intellectual winter.

Observe: No one had even an inkling of what the world’s most famous and influential “three hour tour” led to after “the weather started getting rough…”

Gilligan’s Island, people. These kids don’t know about Gilligan’s Island. I learned about Shakespeare, trans-Pacific telecom cables, volcanoes, drag shows, and giant spiders all from encyclopedic episodes of this American standard.

I’m sorry to report that so much is lost already, America. Now sliding fully and rapidly into my golden years of indulgent senility, I regularly query everyone under 60 about past vice presidents, old soda pop brands and tires before they became tubeless.

Here are some of the more dismal items I am loathe to say have departed the American soul:

• The “Saint Crispin’s Day” speech by King Henry V, according to The Bard. While I don’t see how anyone could escape the mass production of “we few, we lucky few, we band of brothers,” apparently the band won’t be getting back together on this one.

• Besides my librarian, English lit nerd daughter, no one laments the loss of Jane Austen’s most memorable line, penned in the early 1800s, “I’m 27 years old. I’ve no money and no prospects. I’m already a burden to my parents, and I’m frightened.” So sad.

• No one other than my wife recalls the famous King’s Food Host and their fabulous Cheese Frenchee. With this culinary giant of deepfried, egg-battered pleasure gone from our national palate, we are forever less.

• Even people my own age forgot about the immutable law of Graduated Length Method ski education, or GLM. Before we applied actual science to ski technology, we applied pseudoscience, which resulted in suckers like me sporting skis as long as a car before hitting the slopes, some trees and few other skiers.

• Suntan Lotion. We have a generation of adults who no longer understand that capitalism isn’t about the quest for Audis and unaffordable health insurance rates. It’s about making billions on the misery of your fellow Americans. We used to promote cancer in this country, for gawdsake, and we liked it. Nobody even knows that Tareyton smokers would rather fight than switch or that Salem’s were springtime fresh as they soothed your lungs into emphysema and death by chemo. Kids don’t know to trust Big Corpa and a government that to this day permits the sale of cigarettes and all the guns you want.

• “If it says Libby’s, Libby’s, Libby’s …” Newer generations of Americans never had to suffer endless insidious TV and radio jingles. I am determined to not let them get away from it. Younger Americans are weak because they’re able to fast-forward through any and all commercials or simply mute the commercial message for anything they want to watch on demand. I am resolved to make them understand that the best part of waking up is the world’s nastiest coffee in their cups for the rest of their lives.

We are unhinged now as a culture since we no longer responsibly pass down important icons to those who will invariably, although shallowly, carry on after us. Gone is the sniveling threat of Spiro Agnew, Will Robinson and Robot, the brilliant comedy of Ruth Buzzi and Artie Johnson, and the multiple entendre of NOW. We are forsaken without understanding the supreme wisdom only Imogene Coca could impart, that on Sunday nights, “It’s about time, it’s about space…” and on Monday nights, it was time for homework after the TV crooned, “I’m so glad we had this time together...”

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The cast of “Gilligan’s Island,” in a 1978 file photo. From left, Russell Johnson, as the professor; Jim Backus as Thurston Howell III; Natalie Schafer, as Mrs. Howell III; Alan Hale Jr., as the skipper; Bob Denver, as Gilligan; Judith Baldwin replacing original cast member Tina Louise, as Ginger, and Dawn Wells, as Mary Ann, posing during filming of a two-hour reunion show,. AP Photo/Wally Fong

Kilyn Lewis family les wrongful death lawsuit against Aurora Police in fatal shooting

“HIS TEAMMATES, NOTICING ALL HE HAD IN HIS HAND WAS A MOBILE PHONE, WHICH HE DID NOT AIM AT ANY OF THE OFFICERS, SAW NO REASONABLE JUSTIFICATION TO FIRE A SHOT AT MR. LEWIS.” –

BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer

The family of a man fatally shot by Aurora police during his arrest one year ago in an apartment parking lot has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city in Arapahoe County district court.

Kilyn Lewis, 37, was being arrested by an Aurora SWAT unit May 23, 2024 in connection with a Denver shooting when he raised his hands above his head, holding his cell phone in one one hand.

Aurora police SWAT officer Michael Dieck fired one fatal shot at Lewis, who dropped to the ground. During later investigations, Dieck said he mistook the cell phone for a gun in the seconds the incident occurred.

The complaint asks for a jury trial and unspecified damages related to Lewis’ death.

Lawyers for the family said in the complaint that the phone was unmistakeable, and only Dieck — one of five officers with guns trained on Lewis during the arrest — fired prematurely and wrongly.

“His teammates, noticing all he had in his hand was a mobile phone, which he did not aim at any of the officers, saw no reasonable justification to fire a shot at Mr. Lewis,” attorney Brad. R. Irwin said in a statement Wednesday. “After Officer Dieck fired the lone, deadly shot that stole Mr. Lewis’ life from his wife, children, family, and friends, the other officers looked at him with perplexion.”

Aurora officials said the city had not yet been served with the complaint as of Wednesday afternoon and could not yet comment.

“As we have stated numerous times previously, every investigatory body – internally and externally – responsible for reviewing officer-involved shootings in Aurora determined that the officer acted lawfully in this case,” Aurora spokesperson Ryan Luby said in a statement. “Aurora City Attorney Pete Schulte agrees with those determinations and his office will strongly

defend the actions of the officer and the Aurora Police Department.”

Lewis’ arrest was linked to a Denver shooting of a homeless man, prompting charges of attempted murder against Lewis. Dieck shot Lewis as he was raising his hands over his head as SWAT officers were yelling at him, with a mobile phone in his right hand. During an investigation, Dieck said he thought the phone was a firearm.

Within days, friends, family members and activists began protesting during, before and after Aurora city council meetings, sometimes shutting them down and spending hours speaking to or in front of the city council.

City lawmakers have increasingly restricted how the public addresses the city council without specifically targeting the Lewis coalition of about a dozen regular participants, including Auon’tai Anderson, a former Denver Public School board member. Anderson has been associated with a variety of controversial issues across the metro area for several years.

The two sides have competed in a game of cat-and-mouse contest for months, with city lawmakers trying to prevent the group from overtaking meetings, and the Lewis coalition making regular demands for attention and action.

Months after the shooting, the former Arapahoe County district attorney and a grand jury declined to seek criminal charges against Dieck, saying his actions were not outside the law. Weeks after that, Aurora’s new police Chief Todd Chamberlain said an internal investigation revealed Dieck broke no APD policies during the arrest and shooting, and that he would not pursue discipline in the case.

Since then, the Lewis coalition has made regular demands for a host of issues, but until today, family members had not filed a lawsuit against Dieck and the city for wrongful death.

The group is regularly critical of the Aurora Police Department, which was forced

into a consent decree to enact a wide range of police reforms over five years. The decree was imposed almost two years before Lewis’ fatal shooting after the Colorado Attorney General found “patterns and practices” of APD using excessive force, especially against people of color. The most infamous of deaths APD is accused of wrongdoing involved that of Elijah McClain. McClain was arrested in 2019 while walking home from a convenience store unarmed, accosted by Aurora police and then overdosed with ketamine during his subduction.

The Lewis group regularly makes public demands for “justice” for Kilyn and other people of color they say are victims of Aurora Police.

MiDian Holmes, spokesperson for the group, said that justice for Lewis begins with city council being more visibly accountable for pursuing results from the consent decree reforms.

As for conversations from the dais or after meetings, members of city council have previously said that because Lewis’s family members have hired a lawyer and hinted at a lawsuit, city lawmakers are not allowed to call and talk to the family. City council members have regularly pointed out they have no authority to reopen the case or fire Dieck. Beyond that, they say they don’t know what else the group wants from them.

“If you’re tired of hearing about my son’s name, you will continue to hear Kilyn Lewis’ name until we get justice,” Lewis’ mother, LaRonda Jones said in April. “ No justice, no peace.”

Faced with the regular question of “what do they want?” the group’s spokesperson offered a list of demands to the Sentinel earlier this year.

Much of the demands focus on police reform and restructuring the police department, especially creating truly independent oversight boards or mechanisms. Much of their request is already spelled out in the

consent decree with Aurora police. Other demands have long been under discussion with a variety of civil rights groups.

“They need to, as a council, ensure that they are leveraging their leadership and their platform to make sure that these oversight community members and these oversight boards are, in fact, feasible, instructive, and they have a binding responsibility back to the community,” Holmes said.

What the group was demanding

• Provide answers to open questions from the consent decree progress report, specifically regarding Kylan’s shooting, which was referenced as a tier-three issue.

• Sponsor an immediate review of all officers, identifying those with histories of excessive force to ensure transparency about officers with problematic records. They want these police personnel records and a report made public.

• Establish a permanent, independent civilian review board with full authority to monitor, investigate, and make binding recommendations for officer-involved shootings. Current review panels are considered performative and ineffective.

The NAACP is in the process of working to establish a civilian review board, and Mayor Mike Coffman told the Sentinel he is working closely with Omar Mongomery, NAACP president, to make that happen.

“If impossible leadership is not something that you are courageous enough to do, then step aside,” Holmes said during Monday’s meeting. “It really is truly about making sure that this doesn’t happen to someone else.”

Family members of Kilyn Lewis at a balloon release May 23, 2025 to mark the one-year anniversary of the police-involved shooting that took his life.

PHOTO BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Colorado

AROUND AURORA

Body cam footage released in fatal May 12 officer-involved shooting in Aurora

Aurora police released police bodycam video of what led up to the May 12 officer-involved shooting of Rashaud Johnson at an off-site airport parking lot.

“I feel for the father,” Chamberlain said during a press conference last week. “I feel for the individual. I feel for our officer that he had to be put in that position.”

The family of Johnson, 32, was shown the body-camera footage in advance of Thursday’s press conference, according to Chief Todd Chamberlain. Police posted the Aurora Police Department’s X account.

“I’m very open about all this video,” Chamberlain said. “The entire full-length video is going to be released so that not only the media can have it, but anybody can have it on our portal that basically demonstrates what occurred during this particular event.”

Police were called to the Parking Spot lot, 19901 E 56th Ave., at about 3 p.m. by employees who said a man was going car to car checking door handles and refused to leave.

A police officer went to the lot at about 5:15 p.m.

“The (manager of the lot) calls back again, and he states that the male is now trying to fight them, and he is also trying to fight individuals in The Parking Spot themselves,” Chamberlain said. “This call gets upgraded due to the threat, which is increased over a period of time. And at 5:18 p.m. our officer gets dispatched to the location.”

In the video, the officer approaches Johnson and asks him why he is not wearing shoes and what he is doing there. The man doesn’t respond. Then the officer tells the man he needs to leave.

Chamberlain did not identity the officer nor give details about his tenure in the police department.

The man looks at the officer and begins to run toward him with his hands down, making giggling sounds. The officer continues to push the man off of him, yelling at him to get back.

“I’m going to shoot you, dude,” the officer said before he pulled out a baton and struck Johnson. The officer then tried to back away and grabbed for his taser. He pointed it at Johnson, who began to run at him again. The officer tased Johnson twice before Johnson tackled the officer to the ground.

The body camera footage makes it hard to see if Johnson was hurt or affected by the taser, but Chamberlain said that neither the baton nor the taser affected him, according to the officer involved.

As the men are on the ground shuffling around, the officer tells Johnson to get off him and asks him, “What are you doing, man?”

“You’re not in trouble,” the officer said, to which Johnson responded by asking “what,” and the officer repeated that “you’re not in trouble.”

The officer talks into his radio, saying, “Step it up, step it up,” and then screams, “Hey man, help me.”

Johnson gets hold of something belonging to the officer, which Chamberlain said in the press conference was his magazine for his gun. The officer gets free and points his gun at Johnson, continuously telling Johnson to get on the ground and that he’s going to shoot him.

“Those three or four minutes of being involved in that physical confrontation, I’m sure that that officer must have felt like three or four years,” Chamberlain said during the press conference.

Johnson seems to get distracted for a short while before the officer yells to get

on the ground for a third time, and Johnson starts walking toward him. The officer tells him to stop, get back and that he will shoot him before firing two shots at Johnson.

Additional police and rescuers provided first aid to Johnson, and he was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

“I really wish that I could to you and to the community as a whole, say, ‘Here’s what we know, and here’s why this individual did these actions,’” Chamberlain said. “But that’s the tragedy of these events, because so often you don’t know.”

The coroner has not released autopsy details about possible substances detected..

“Why is somebody who may need mental health issues, may have substance abuse issues, why aren’t there systems in place other than law enforcement to address those issues?” Chamberlain said during the press conference.

“Why has it become so normalized that law enforcement is the de facto response to every situation that there is?”

In 2024, there were 7,438 calls that were similar, Chamberlain said. In 2025, it was 2,574, so almost 10,000 calls year to date, in an 18-month period, he said.

“When I talk about the failure of the system, when I talk about a lot of things that law enforcement is tasked with, that there should definitely be other societal systems that are dealing with this, this is a perfect example of that,” Chamberlain said.

An outside investigation by a Critical Incident Response Team, led by the 17th Judicial District, has not yet determined whether the officer violated any laws during the shooting. An APD internal affairs investigation is also forthcoming.

— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer

Criticism

prompts Homeland Security to strike ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’ list. Aurora was on it

A widely anticipated list of “ sanctuary jurisdictions” no longer appears on the Department of Homeland Security’s website after receiving widespread criticism for including localities that have actively supported the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration policies.

Aurora was on the list for one day last week, while two of the city’s overlapping counties remained on the list until it was taken down.

The department last week published the list of the jurisdictions. It said each one would receive formal notification the government deemed them uncooperative with federal immigration enforcement and whether they’re believed to be in violation of any federal criminal statutes.

The list was published May 29 on the department’s website but on June 1 there was a “Page Not Found” error message in its place.

The list was part of the Trump administration’s efforts to target communities, states and jurisdictions that it says aren’t doing enough to help its immigration enforcement agenda and the promises the president made to deport more than 11 million people living in the U.S. without legal authorization.

The list is being constantly reviewed and can be changed at any time and will be updated regularly, a DHS senior official said.

“Designation of a sanctuary jurisdiction is based on the evaluation of numerous factors, including self-identification as a Sanctuary Jurisdiction, noncompliance with Federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing, and legal protections for illegal aliens,” the official said in a statement.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi

Noem said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that there had been anger from some officials about the list. However, she didn’t address why it was removed.

“Some of the cities have pushed back,” Noem said. “They think because they don’t have one law or another on the books that they don’t qualify, but they do qualify. They are giving sanctuary to criminals.”

The list, which was riddled with misspellings, received pushback from officials in communities spanning from urban to rural and blue to red who said the list doesn’t appear to make sense. Among those critical of the list were Aurora and local counties.

Aurora was on and off the Trump administration list in a day, and a local city lawmaker said on a social media post she intervened to make it happen.

“I understand that Aurora was originally listed as a sanctuary city,” Jurinsky said in a social media post Friday morning. “The Department of Homeland Security has made an update and Aurora has been removed from the list. I appreciate the communication and help I received in making this happen.”

Jurinsky did not respond to requests for comment.

City officials repeated past statements that Aurora lawmakers have passed resolutions affirming that the city refutes the label of being a “sanctuary city.”

“The Aurora City Council affirmed that in a vote in 2017 and then again in February 2024,” city spokesperson Ryan Luby said in a statement Friday. “As we always have, we work with our federal partners and follow federal law and directives as they apply to our community. Nothing has changed.”

When asked Friday why and how Aurora was removed from the list, Homeland Security officials would say only that it is subject to regular revision.

“”Designation of a sanctuary jurisdiction is based on the evaluation of numerous factors, including self-identification as a sanctuary jurisdiction, noncompliance with Federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing, and legal protections for illegal aliens,” a senior spokesperson for Homeland Security said in a statement. “The list is actively reviewed, will be regularly updated, and can be changed at any time.”

The State of Colorado and Denver, as well as two of Aurora’s overlying counties, were on Trump’s list. Most other

›› See METRO, 6

County offices closed

In observance of the State’s Juneteenth holiday, all Arapahoe County offices will be closed Thursday, June 19

17 Mile House Open House

Take a closer look at 17 Mile House’s beginnings and other historic locations along the Cherry Creek with local historians Lee and Jane Whiteley. Saturday, June 14, 2025 9 a.m.–12 p.m. | 8181 S. Parker Rd, Centennial, CO 80016 This is a FREE event, but reservations are required due to limited space. Register now at arapahoeco.gov/17milehouse

Colorado counties are as well across the state.

“Colorado is not a sanctuary state, despite this completely incorrect designation by DHS,” Gov. Jared Polis spokesperson Eric Maruyama said in a statement Thursday evening. “Colorado and its cities and counties prioritize public safety, and local and state law enforcement work closely with federal law enforcement to apprehend dangerous criminals, whether they are from this country or not. We cannot comment further as DHS did not provide information as to how the determination of states, counties, and cities were made.”

Jurinsky has claimed in past public meetings to have ties to the Trump administration. In October, she appeared at an Trump campaign rally at the Gaylord Hotel in Aurora in support of Trump’s push against Venezuelan gang immigrants, which he falsely claimed have overrun the city and much of Colorado.

Trump announced there that a nationwide mass deportation campaign would be called “Operation Aurora.”

For weeks, Trump repeated and promoted false claims that immigrants in Ohio were eating dogs and cats, and that Aurora was overwhelmed by immigrants.

Aurora police have walked a fine line saying that they cooperate with federal immigration officials in detaining immigrants suspected of crimes, but that police do not and would not ask anyone

about immigration status when encountering people in public during the course of their work.

The department on Thursday published a list of the jurisdictions and said each one will receive formal notification that the government has deemed them noncompliant and if they’re believed to be in violation of any federal criminal statutes. The list was published on the department’s website.

Arapahoe County officials said it has received no notification of the list.

“We are unclear as to why Arapahoe County appears on this list, as we comply with federal laws and uphold both the U.S. and Colorado Constitutions,” Arapahoe County spokesperson Jill McGranahan said in a statement. “Until we receive more information or official guidance from DHS, it would be inappropriate for us to speculate or provide further comment.”

— Sentinel staff

COPS AND COURTS

Firefighters come across 2 shooting victims in Aurora; girl, 15, dies

Firefighters returning from an unrelated call early June 1 in northwest Aurora came across a 15-year-old girl and a 20-year-old woman critically injured from gunfire, 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.

Both victims were shot at about 12:30 a.m. while somewhere in the 12600 block of East Hoffman Boulevard, police said.

“Firefighters were returning to the station from another call for service when they encountered the two victims and immediately provided medical care,” Aurora police spokesperson Joe Moylan said in a statement. “The 20-year-old, who sustained serious injuries, was treated and is expected to survive.”

The slain girl will be identified later by coroner officials.

“The circumstances leading up to the shooting remain under investigation, but detectives believe it was an isolated incident,” Moylan said. “Investigators learned early this morning about a third victim, a juvenile, who sustained a graze wound in the shooting.”

As of Sunday, police said there was no suspect information. “However, based on information obtained in the investigation thus far, detectives believe there were several witnesses who captured cellphone video footage of the shooting,” Moylan said.

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

Rep. Crow, Sen. Tester call for reforms during ‘dark money’ discussion in Aurora

So-called “dark money” political contributions are a growing force in local and national elections, crossing all kinds of political lines, Aurora Democratic Rep. Jason Crow and guests said at a roundtable discussion in Aurora May 28.

In 2024, $20 billion was spent during the election cycle, and 75% of the cash was untraceable “dark money” , said Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United.

“Of course, corruption is happening,” Muller said. “Of course, we’re just seeing our government sold off to the highest bidder.”

She said there are now three lobbyists for every member of Congress.

These and other campaign contribution issues were the topics discussed at the event at the Community College of Aurora among Muller, Crow, Aly Belknap, executive director of Colorado Common Cause and Montana Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Tester.

Crow held the panel with End Citizens United to discuss his work in Congress to combat campaign finance corruption and enact meaningful campaign finance reform, including his recent introduction of the End Dark Money Act, which aims to curb the influence of dark money in U.S. elections.

This has caused people to become disillusioned with the political system, which impacts participation and democracy, Belknap said.

“In the 1950s, about 73% of Americans trusted the federal government to do what is right,” Belknap said. “Today, that number is down to 16%. That’s a historic low, and it directly impacts participation in democracy.”

In Montana, Tester said the U.S. Senate race in 2006 drew $27 million in spending, and by 2024, that had shot up to $275 million. He said the vast majority of the money was dark money, which even the candidates didn’t know the source of.

“I guarantee you, corporations don’t give a pile of money unless there’s an agenda behind it,“ Tester said.

Belknap said that the Supreme Court ruling came from the idea that corporations are an association of citizens, but most Americans agree that a multinational corporation with billions of dollars of profit and international influence is not the same as a church or a localized group of citizens that is dedicated to cultural, religious or mission based work.

“That’s why campaign finance reform is so popular,” Belknap said. “The American people agree with this, and so do Coloradans, because every time campaign finance reform or transparency is on the ballot, we vote for it in very high numbers.”

Dark money became a force in Aurora’s last state legislative races.

The Citizens United decision is a 2010 Supreme Court case that ended limits on corporate and union contributions in political campaigns. This allowed these groups to spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns. The ruling also granted corporations and unions the right to engage in political speech, based on the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech. The “dark money” moniker refers to court rulings allowing corporations and others to not disclose campaign contributions, often by creating murky non-profits which shield donor names and how much they contribute.

The Citizens United ruling also equates financial contributions with free speech, treating corporations as if they are individual citizens under the First Amendment.

“Big money has been just flowing in at billions of dollars to influence our elections and drown out the voices of everyday Americans,” Belknap said. “We also know that these wealthy, special interests use pretty sophisticated, actually pretty simple, tactics to keep their political spending secret.”

These “layers of opacity” involve money being passed through shell organizations that create loopholes to legitimize and legalize the process, concealing the true source of those political contributions, Belknap said.

The Supreme Court allowed unlimited corporate spending in elections based on the assumption that such spending would be fully transparent and independent from campaigns, with no direct coordination. However, these assumptions have not held up in practice, she said.

“These assumptions that the court made have not held up,” Belknap said.

Every year, Crow said he reintroduces the End Dark Money Act, which he also introduced in Congress this year, to crack down on untraceable political contributions. This year, he also introduced the Shell Company Abuse Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at limiting foreign interference in U.S. elections.

“Citizens United is this dark money flowing into our politics,” Belknap said. “It undermines the idea of one person, one vote and the idea that government is vying for the people, and that is something that is really internalized by the American people and by Coloradans.”

Three Arapahoe County Democratic legislative races drew unusually large amounts of so-called dark money from independent election committees, according to multiple recent reports.

The Colorado Sun reported that more than $350,000 of dark money from unnamed donors poured into the Senate District 28 Democratic contest between veteran state Rep. Mike Weissman and Pinnacol Assurance attorney Idris Keith. The Sun reported that Colorado dialysis magnate Ken Thiry was behind $1.1 million in last-minute spending for contests across the state benefitting candidates from both parties seen as more moderate than their competitors.

Weissman won the primary, and the general election race, despite the influx of dark money.

There is unlikely one single measure that would prevent the flow of dark money into elections, and any reform will be an uphill battle, roundtable participants said.

“There’s a lot of legislation that we’ve talked about that we need to pass,” Crow said. “The honest truth is, right now, we’re not in the position because people who are dedicated to passing these reform bills don’t have the ability to pass them in the current format of the House, or in the Senate. But that doesn’t mean we quit trying.”

He said that if there were a bill he could magically make pass, it would be to end gerrymandering, where districts are drawn in favor of a particular party by the party in power.

Gerrymandering is one way that the House of Representatives has become so divided, Crow said. Getting rid of gerrymandering would cause elections to be less polarized.

“Nobody is served by deep blue and deep red districts,” Crow said.

Not long ago, there were purple seats where parties had to work together, he said. Now there is no incentive for it.

“There was a plurality that enforced collegiality and forced legislating,” Crow said.

Colorado has become a national model for nonpartisan redistricting, with a

Something new — Miss Colorado Senior Pageant shines a di erent light on aging

“ONE OF THE MOST COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT AGING IS THAT IT’S ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASE, AND THAT IT’S AN IMPERFECTION OF HUMANITY,” NELSON, THE CSU RESEARCHER, SAID. “THAT’S ONE OF THE MOST HARMFUL IDEAS OUT THERE.”

BY PARKER YAMASAKI, The Colorado Sun

AURORA | The women were loosely arranged in two lines, smiling and swaying, twirling matching pink scarves over their heads. Abba’s “Dancing Queen” played softly in the background as they clicked around in shiny high heels, giving each other air hugs and acting out silent conversations.

“Get off the stage!” a curly-haired woman hollered, charging toward them. The music cut.

The women, giddy and unfazed, scuttled to the sides of the room.

They weren’t on a stage.

They were in a children’s dance studio in Aurora, two short weeks away from the real stage, at the Elaine Wolf Theater in Denver, for the 31st annual Miss Colorado Senior Pageant.

The pageant is a qualifier for the national Miss Senior America competition, where contestants who “have reached the age of elegance” — 60 years or older — compete in four events: interviews, evening gowns, talent and “philosophy of life” articulated in a 35-second statement of values and beliefs.

“We all grew up with, ‘here she comes, Miss America,’” said Judy Rowe, the curly-haired stage director and vice president of Miss Colorado Senior.

The typical Miss America is beautiful, hard working, inspirational — also unmarried and childless. Until 2014 contestants had to sign a contract declaring they’d never been pregnant. Miss USA, the spinoff, has even more stringent standards for its contestants’ age, looks and marital status.

The women of Miss Senior America, though, have lived their lives. They’re married, divorced, widowed. They show up with children and grandchildren in tow, shouts of “I love you mom!” ring out from the audience.

The oldest Colorado Senior contestant was 94 years old — the other contestants “took her under their wing, treated her like their grandmother,” pageant administrator Rene Green said. The oldest competitor at the national pageant was 99, Green added. (The pageant does not disclose its contestants’ ages).

Colorado is now the third fastest aging state in the nation, with one-quarter of the population projected to be over the age of 60 by 2050. In 2022 this realization prompted an update to the Older Coloradans Act, originally passed in 1973, as well as the launch of the Lifelong Colorado Initiative, which lays out a multifaceted plan to support aging in the state.

Among those facets is “social participation,”

Miss America, queen of queens, is a title that has been awarded to one woman nearly every year since 1921. Contestants in Miss America compete for scholarship money and funding for a charity of choice — as opposed to the Miss USA. competition, a 1950s spinoff that awards cold, hard cash — and embark on a national publicity tour to promote an issue close to their heart (Miss America 2025 chose cystic fibrosis).

which studies have shown can buffer older adults from cognitive decline, mental health problems and the effects of loneliness.

“In a couple words, social connection is ‘very important,’” said Niccole Nelson, faculty member at the CSU Center for Healthy Aging. “Living alone, lacking social connection and feeling lonely increase one’s odds of mortality by 30%. So that’s quite a powerful predictor of healthy aging.”

Rowe competed in the pageant in 2009 and was first runner up. She’s been working for the organization ever since. Most of the women who compete stay involved well beyond the pageant itself, working with the tightknit leadership team or performing with the year round dance troupes.

The daughter of a dancer, Rowe started performing young, moved from dance to theater in her 30s, then took up singing lessons in her 50s. Now in her 80s, Rowe’s performing schedule is fuller than ever.

“Being older, we’re memorizing lines, we’re memorizing dance steps. Nothing can be better. It’s a dream come true,” Rowe said. “I tell people that I never made it to Broadway, but I made it to Broadway and Colfax.”

In Aurora, the women take turns rehearsing their talent for Rowe, who watches through squinting, discerning eyes, her concentration marked by a slight nod of approval, or a silent mouthing of lyrics.

As serious as she is when the music comes on, between sets, Rowe is delightful. She compliments the women generously, tells them they’re fabulous, gushes about how much progress they are making.

But then she cues the next woman, and it’s back to business.

A contestant, Pat Feigin, practices her monologue for Rowe. It’s a comedy about Feigin’s harrowing escape from a nursing home. Partway through the act, someone lets out a small laugh from the side of the room. Feigin acknowledges the laugh with a quick point and a wink.

“You don’t have time for that,” Rowe scolds. The women have exactly two minutes and forty-five seconds to get through their talent act.

“Save that. You can do that when we’re performing for the nursing homes.”

Performing for nursing homes is just one of the myriad activities that the women engage in once they’re part of “the club.” That’s what they all call it: the club. The club of Miss Colorado Seniors, past and present, who travel around the state performing hourlong sets of song,

See PAGEANT, 8

dance and storytelling. They’re hired by nursing homes and fundraising events, and use the money to rent out their theater for the pageant each year.

They also do charity walks together — “the Alzheimer’s walk, that one was kind of fun,” Green said — and present trophies at dog shows and judge the annual Little Miss Valentine pageant in Loveland. They do fashion shows, show up for senior days at the state Capitol, and roll down 17th Street during the National Western Stock Show Parade.

“When you perform on stage together, you become like a graduating class. You build a bond, you’re getting dressed and undressed backstage, you’re working together,” Green said. “Unfortunately there are some bad times that happen. And when you’re by yourself, you need those bonds.”

They also go to funerals together.

“The reason why something like Alcoholics Anonymous works is that when someone walks in and says ‘I’m having a hard time not drinking,’ the person across from them says ‘I know,’” said Rowe, who attended AA meetings with her late husband. “It’s the same thing here. No one can understand what it’s like to lose your spouse until someone has gone through it.”

The state’s latest 10-year plan for aging includes a lot of strategies to help Coloradans access important services like health care, meal delivery, affordable housing and reliable transportation. There are sections that address qualitative initiatives, too, like making sure seniors have access to civic and social opportunities, and reducing ageism across the state.

But the only mention of spousal death, a singular calamity with untold health impacts, is tucked into a section about property tax exemptions.

According to studies, the risk of mortality in recently widowed partners increases significantly in the six months following the death of a spouse. This phenomenon is known as “the widowhood effect,” and though it is widely observed, it is not well understood, though one study called it “one of the best documented examples of the effect of social relations on health.”

The National Council on Aging recommends seeking social support to cope with a death, including reaching out to friends and family, “joining a book club, taking a fitness class, or participating in activities at your local community or senior center.”

“It’s a group of women to have fun with, but it’s also a group of women you can turn to when you’re going through a death, when you’re going through cancer,” Rowe said. “What you’re doing is including yourself in a group of older women who have gone through things that nobody in the other age groups has.”

Another aspect of the state’s Multi-Sector Plan on Aging is to combat ageism, which includes decreasing discrimination in the workplace, and

partnering with the NextFifty Foundation, a private foundation tasked with engaging media and thought leaders to change the way society perceives aging.

“One of the most common misconceptions about aging is that it’s associated with disease, and that it’s an imperfection of humanity,” Nelson, the CSU researcher, said. “That’s one of the most harmful ideas out there.”

She means that literally. Ageism is shown to have far-ranging impacts on seniors, from the psychological — and financial — toll of buying into the multi-billion dollar “anti-aging” industry, to more deeply troubling effects like being less likely to receive appropriate health care.

Some studies have shown that even one’s perception of aging can have a long term impact on health — one study followed hundreds of Ohio residents over a 20 year period and concluded that the median survival of those with positive beliefs about aging was seven and a half years longer than those with negative beliefs.

“Another major misconception is that we have no control over aging,” Nelson said. “Of course, we don’t have complete control, genetics play a role, but we have some control. Social connectiveness is a part of that, the extent to which you’re engaging with your community.”

The equation isn’t as simple as: social = good, solo = bad, Nelson cautioned.

“It’s complicated,” she said. “Not all social interaction is positive,” for one. And, “everybody measures things in different ways, so looking at objective isolation versus feelings of loneliness, those two things tell a different story. They’re both indicators of mortality, but someone can be isolated and not feel lonely. And vice versa.”

After Green’s husband died she poured herself into her job with the market analysis company Standard & Poor’s, better known by its Wall Street moniker, S&P. Then in 2015, after 20 years with the company, she was laid off.

“It was like another death,” Green said. She mourned the loss, then decided “there are only so many reruns you can watch,” and started taking up new hobbies. In 2016 she participated in the Miss Senior pageant, and was hooked. She travels regularly now and has a phone book full of Miss Seniors from all over the country.

She also picked up the violin, took up photography and started “rediscovering” places she’d visited in Colorado years before.

“I remember climbing up Vail Pass, and these young people passed me going up the hill, then came back down within a half hour, meanwhile I’m sitting at the creekside watching butterflies, taking pictures,” she said.

“I was once in my 30s and 40s, running around my corporate life. But being a senior, you have that time to look around and really appreciate the world. It’s like you see different colors.”

Art in the Park kickoff concert series at the Aurora Highlands

A fusion of music, art, and community are slated for June 7 at Hogan Park at Highlands Creek as part of a free concert in the park series.

scene & herd

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

Headliner BYNX will open the evening, as well as Sak Noel. Also slated are Catalyst and SALMANNAQ offering something for every musical taste.

The concert will be held next to“Umi,” the towering sculpture by internationally renowned artist Daniel Popper. Participants are invited explore other pieces in the huge, open-air gallery of large-art installations across the park, including *Broken but Together* by Michael Benisty and *The Only Way Out is Through* by Snyder and Olivia Steele.

“Pack your blankets, lawn chairs, and coolers,” organizers say. “Everyone is welcome to bring their own food and drinks, or get treats from nearby food trucks.”

IF YOU GO

Date: June 7, 5 p.m.

Place: Hogan Park at Highlands Creek, 24495 E 35th Drive in the Aurora Highlands

Tickets: Free

Details: theaurorahighlands.com

KidsFringe offers free, family-friendly shows

June 7–8

The annual KidsFringe mini-festival returns June 7–8 with a weekend of free, family-friendly performances at The Savoy in Denver and The People’s Building in Aurora.

Part of the larger Denver Fringe Festival, KidsFringe features interactive and imaginative shows designed especially for young audiences. This year’s performances include:

• Sickly Victorian Rat Circus*, a circus arts and shadow puppet tale of two rats seeking a new home;

• PreTend Friend Show*, a puppet-led celebration of classic stories, audience etiquette and the power of pretend;

• The Big Bug Adventure*, a colorful, musical journey with Stripes the Caterpillar focusing on teamwork and big feelings;

• The Swashbuckling Adventures of Pirate Zeb*, a wild, squirrel-pirate treasure hunt through the Savoy;

• La Gran Aventura del Gusano Stripes*, a Spanish-language version of Stripes’ big adventure to the “Firefly Dance Party.”

All shows are free and open to the public.

IF YOU GO

Where: Savoy Denver, 2700 Arapahoe St. and at The People’s Building, 9995 E. Colfax Ave

When: June 7 and June 8, show times vary.

Tickets: Tickets are free and available at denverfringe.org/join-us/ kidsfringe

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 internationally 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 threehour “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 8, Tribute to Neil Bridge Featuring The Bridge 12; 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 7, 2 p.m., Mission Viejo Library, 15324 E. Hampden Circle

A Balloon Performance by Kidz Balloonz followed by cupcakes, crafts and more.

• 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.

SCHOOL, STUDENTS BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

Learning to construct a home builds a lifetime of skills

BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer

While most high school students are still figuring out where to start their future, three Innovation Campus students are building more than a plan. They are constructing a house.

“We’re all gonna live in houses, so learning how to put a doorknob on is pretty valuable,” construction instructor Jim Dosky said.

It’s not just academic. These students pull wire through wooden framing they built and install plumbing that will really be used.

This year’s Infrastructure Engineering class at the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus is building a home for a family in Berthoud through a collaboration with Habitat for Humanity. The house, a double-wide home, was the central project for the semester and is expected to be finished next semester.

“They get to be a jack of all trades, so to speak,” Dosky said.

He said that what is unique is the exposure to different jobs, which helps students determine which jobs they are most passionate about.

The way the class is pitched, it can be taken as an elective or as a post-secondary job opportunity, Dosky said.

The Cherry Creek Innovation Campus caters to all Cherry Creek High School students, allowing them to explore various trades or receive college or career preparation, ranging from hospitality to computer sciences and engineering.

Understanding electric flows in wires, mapping a building’s plan geometrically and figuring out how to prevent rain or snow from leaking into a partially finished construction project while working through the winter are just some of the challenges the students in the class had to overcome.

The single-home project began in October, and the house will remain half-finished throughout the summer. Students will complete it next semester and then start a new one.

“It paints the picture of the final product be-

fore they start the frame,” The other construction instructor, Mike Degitis, said. “They’ve got a 3D design that they’re familiar with, and now they’re going to see the blueprints that feed into the final product.”

Although Degitis said it was an unintentional consequence, he said it will work out better for the following students this way.

“It’s conceptually challenging to go from 2D to 3D,” Dosky said. “Especially when they’re young. They’ve never once thought where their electricity comes from, or what’s behind the drywall.”

The students began with a bare-bones blueprint for the house layout, and then they were required to interpret and build it.

“A student knows that if this wall is here and these breaks are here, then there’s a window,” Dosky said. “They have to interpret this from the plan. That’s the general, they don’t get anything else.”

The class consisted of nearly 40 students working on the house. Degitis connected with Habitat for Humanity to determine their needs, and he proposed making it a double-wide to keep all the students busy with work.

Both teachers were enthusiastic to announce the success and hard work of their students, while three of those students took charge.

“They are our specialty contractors,” Degitis said. “They’re students who have excelled at their craft.”

Reid Roelfsema, Quinn Crotty and Aiden Wills each found their niche, with Reid as the electrician, Aiden as the plumber and Quinn, who was dubbed an electrician by his instructors, but he said he enjoyed doing it all.

“There’s no test for it,” Dosky said. “It’s just, as we’re doing it, they’re taking on more and more of the role, stepping deeper and deeper into it until we know this is what they really like.”

For Reid, he said the hands-on learning was what he loved most about being in the class. He doesn’t just learn to install drywall, he gets to do it immediately.

“If I get told you got to do this that way, I’ll forget it by the time I do it,” he said. “But if I actually go out and do it, I remember it.”

Reid also said he didn’t like how precise plumbing had to be, so electrical work was what sparked his interest because he could improvise more, while Aiden said mapping out the plumbing was more of his style.

Another aspect that makes the class so enjoyable is the trust and responsibility they are given, all three students said. All students get to decide where they want to work, and then they are instructed and trusted to work with heavy-duty machinery.

“We get to run saws, we get to have all manner of dangerous stuff,” Reid said. “The level of trust is also what makes this.”

Dosky and Degitis said that the students were able to do everything on their own, except for getting on the roof. Dosky said the only reason they didn’t let them do that was because it is time-consuming to get one person harnessed up properly.

The students said they had to make lasting decisions and learn to rework and move forward after a mistake or after a change of plans. Reid said that the house was initially supposed to have a crawl space, but they decided to make a basement instead, which required them to make changes. He also had a dining room light moved, which caused him to redo a day and a half of work.

“It gives you a much greater understanding of how the work is done and why,” Reid said.

Reid said he already has a job as an electrician, thanks to Degitis, and he has been applying some of the techniques he’s learned back at the school. Aiden and Quinn said they are both hoping to get jobs in similar work.

All three students said they have been using their knowledge at home, and their families are loving it. They said they hope they will be around to see the family’s faces when they move into their new home sometime next year.

On the cover and above right, Reid Roelfsema, makes some finishing touches to the electrical work he has been wiring throughout the house, which he helped build for Habitat for Humanity.

Top left: Quinn Crotty, Reid Roelfsema and Aiden Wills, left to right, stand inside the house they spent the last semester building for Habitat for Humanity.

Photos by Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Colorado Staff

DIAMOND DÉJÀ VU

Regis Jesuit again falls to Cherry Creek in 5A state

final, Grandview out

BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor

Two of the final three teams remaining in the Class 5A Baseball Championship Series hailed from Aurora, but neither could bring home the state championship.

In a outcome to the previous season, Regis Jesuit went all the way to the state title game, only to fall again to Cherry Creek, while Grandview — the top seed this time around — got stopped on the penultimate day of the tournament. Here’s how both area teams finished as the final event of the spring prep sports season ended May 30-31:

Regis Jesuit ends up as 5A state runner-up for second straight season behind Cherry Creek after 8-1 defeat

The Regis Jesuit baseball team tried to turn the tables on Cherry Creek in a Class 5A Championship Series rematch, but ultimately ended up with the same result May 31.

On the same field at All-Star Park where they lost twice to the Bruins to see the 5A state championship slip away a year earlier, the sixth-seeded Raiders tried return the favor, though they were unable to do so in a 8-1 loss to No. 2 Cherry Creek.

A day after Regis Jesuit eliminated No. 5 Broomfield and No. 1 Grandview, coach Matt Darr’s team threw virtually every arm it had left — four in all — but was unable to hold off the Bruins, who had a week to prepare and were fully set up with their pitching rotation by virtue of winning all three of their games on the opening weekend.

“Things were overly stacked against us,” Darr said. “I knew that it was going to be a monumental task to beat their 1 and 2 (pitchers), but we kept competing and it was a great run for us. …Hand it to them, they are a fantastic team.”

Regis Jesuit — which remains in search of the program’s fourth all-time state championship and first since 2019 — finished the season 22-9.

The Raiders had averaged around six runs per game in their previous five Championship Series contests and were hitting as well as they had all season in Darr’s estimation, but managed to plate just one against three Cherry Creek pitchers, starting with University of Michigan recruit Wyatt Rudden.

Rudden, who was the winning pitcher against Regis Jesuit in the first championship game in 2024, posted back-to-back strikeouts in the top of the first inning after seniors Christian Lopez and Nick Wiley had reached base to keep Regis Jesuit off the scoreboard. Putting something up with an opening rally would have been pretty significant in Darr’s mind.

“I thought we had to get a little bit of a lead early and start to put some pressure on them, but it was tough when we didn’t,” Darr said. “Then they got a couple in the second and built on it in the third. When it was five, the mountain got a lot bigger and it felt like a lot against Rudden.”

The Raiders trailed by five runs before they got on the board in the third when Lopez — who had three of the team’s five hits — singled, moved to third on junior Chase Massey’s sacrifice bunt and scored on a wild pitch.

They threatened again in the fifth as they loaded the bases with one out, but Rudden struck out pinch-hitter Deion Cesario-Scott and got senior Luke Reasbeck to ground into a force play to end the inning. Regis Jesuit would strand six runners in scoring position in the contest against three different pitchers.

“That’s one of the hardest things, when you get so close to scoring and you end up striking out two times in a row or you get hits that don’t get a run in,” Regis Jesuit senior outfielder Gavin Cronin said. “It kindof degrades the mood, but you have to push through it. We think ‘we’ll do it the next inning’ or something will fall or he’ll make a bad pitch.”

Junior ace pitcher Hudson Alpert exited the first game of the Championship Series back on May 23 with an arm injury and tried to work himself back, but was unable to go on the final day. Regis Jesuit also could not use Reasbeck or standout sophomore Mikey Kroll, who both turned in crucial complete game efforts the previous day against Broomfield and Grandview, respectively.

“He’s a competitor and it definitely hurts basically losing a full game of pitching,” Reasbeck said of Alpert. “It seems like every time he goes out there, he throws the whole game and we win. So losing seven innings of pitching at this point is definitely tough to deal with. Our pitchers still competed.”

Darr agreed that having a healthy Alpert — who threw a complete game against Mountain Vista in the Region 6 championship game to help his team advance and has a 4-1 record with sub-2.00 ERA in five Championship Series contests — would have made a difference, whether he was deployed on the first day or the second.

“Losing Alpert was a big blow,” Darr said. “You throw him in the mix this weekend and I think that gives us enough to where we at least go to a second championship game and what happens then, who knows.”

In the semifinals, Regis Jesuit got a quality effort from Kroll (who allowed just three hits and a single run against Grandview) and Darr turned to another sophomore, Ryan Neumann, for the start in the championship game.

Neumann had logged just 17 innings all season and faced a selective Cherry Creek team that makes pitchers throw a lot of pitches and capitalizes on the mistakes.

True to form, the Bruins put up two runs in the second inning against Neumann — though a double play turned by sophomore shortstop Brady Wright and junior second baseman Chase Massey took some energy out of the rally — then added three more against junior Alexander Denny in the third with four hits and a sacrifice fly.

For full coverage the Championship Series, visit sentinelcolorado.

VU out in semis

Cherry Creek loaded the bases in the fifth against sophomore Cade Filleman and got two more runs, while it added one more in the sixth for good measure.

Regis Jesuit left two runners on in the sixth as well as the seventh, when sophomore Diesel Bernosky tripled and Reasbeck drew a walk before Cronin popped out to shallow right field to end the game.

“Obviously, it’s disappointing, but we fought our hardest,” Reasbeck said. “We did everything we could to get here and I don’t question our team’s fight, but it’s obviously tough to chew on.”

Added Cronin: “We worked so hard since last year and losing to the same people is tough. It’s just a lesson in life, that sometimes it’s not always going to go your way. It will be a matter of how the guys below us come back and we’re hoping the next guys can bring it home. Every year, we keep getting closer to a state title, so we’re hoping eventually it will come.”

While Cherry Creek graduates a group of 12 seniors who were integral to the back-to-back titles, Regis Jesuit suffers losses of its own in players such as Lopez — a four-year varsity player who was part of 20 Championship Series games over his career and is headed to Cal State Bakersfield — Cronin (Air Force), Wiley (Anderson University) and postseason hitting standout Jace Filleman, plus a key arm in Reasbeck (North Greenville University). Still, all the postseason experience could come into play for a team that had plenty of impact juniors and sophomores. The pitching looks promising if Alpert returns to health to go with Kroll and all of the pitchers who pitched in the championship game, while the hitting lineup could have a lot of continuity.

“You saw it with guys who are seniors this year like Reasbeck, Wiley, Lopez, who played a lot of playoff games; you could tell,” Darr said. “You hope that happens with these younger guys and they are better equipped for next year.”

Grandview’s quest for first state baseball title continues after second straight elimination in Class 5A semifinals

The only program in the Class 5A final four without a state championship — Cherry Creek had nine, Broomfield eight and Regis Jesuit three — is still on the hunt to win its first.

Grandview made school history this season with a second straight appearance in the 5A semifinals and also earned the top seed in the postseason, but it did not lead to a state title as it lost to Centennial League rival Cherry Creek on the first weekend of the tournament and was eliminated by No. 6 Regis Jesuit with a 2-1 loss May 30 at All-Star Park.

The Wolves’ smallball effectiveness paid off all season long, but they scored just a single run in each of their two losses.

“I thought our guys played hard, it was kindof like the same story last week when we lost, we couldn’t capitalize on offense,” coach Scott Henry said after the loss to Regis Jesuit, which gave Grandview a final record of 23-6.

The Wolves held an advantageous position given they went 2-1 on the opening weekend and were able to deploy junior ace Ethan Wachsmann against a Regis Jesuit team that had to turn around to play back-to-back contest after winning an elimination game against No. 5 Broomfield.

Wachsmann — who threw a seven-inning no-hitter during the regular season and tossed a complete game against No. 8 Castle View in the Championship Series opener — turned in another strong performance, but had to come out one batter into the sixth inning as he reached the maximum pitch count of 110.

“They did a great job of running Ethan’s pitch count up, which I’m sure was the game plan,” Henry said. “He made a lot of really quality pitches that they fouled off.”

Wachsmann hit Nick Wiley with a pitch before he exited and that would account for the only run he was charged with

FAR LEFT: Regis Jesuit junior Jacob Olson (8) holds up the Class 5A state baseball runner-up trophy alongside sophomore Brady Wright after the Raiders’ 8-1 loss to Cherry Creek May 31 at All-Star Park in

ABOVE CENTER: Regis Jesuit pinch runner Justin Steinbeck, bottom, slides safely across home plate as Grandview’s Kayden Bohmeyer, center, and Josiah Giron (22) keep an eye on other baserunners in a Class 5A semifinal May 30. The Raiders earned a 2-1 victory over the Wolves. ABOVE RIGHT TOP: Grandview’s Chase Chapman (2) shakes hands with Regis Jesuit players and coaches after the Wolves lost to the Raiders in a 5A semifinal May 30. ABOVE RIGHT BOTTOM: Regis Jesuit senior Luke Reasbeck celebrates a big strikeout during his complete game 6-4 win over Broomfield in a 5A elimination game May 30. LEFT: Regis Jesuit senior Jace Filleman, center, is congratulated by Justin Steinbeck, left, and Gavin Cronin after scoring a run during the Raiders’ 6-4 win over Broomfield in a 5A elimination game May 30.

(Photos by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)

when he came around to score against senior reliever Josiah Giron, who issued a walk with the bases loaded to force home what would eventually be the winning run.

On the complete opposite side of the pitch count problem was Regis Jesuit sophomore starter Mikey Kroll, who was remarkably efficient and threw just 84 pitches for the game. He also got good fortune to survive a prime early Grandview chance.

The Wolves got senior Justin Dean to third base and junior AJ Maroni to second with nobody out in the second inning, but a pitch got in on sophomore Matthew Schimberg, whose check swing caromed out to Kroll, who caught it and threw out Dean trying to retreat to third base for a double play. Maroni then stole third, but was stranded.

“That was just a baseball nonsense kind of play and then we had a couple more chances to score, we just couldn’t get that big hit, again,” Henry said. “It was frustrating.”

Grandview’s lone run came in the third when senior Kyler Vaughn singled, moved up on junior Kayden Bohmeyer’s grounder, stole third and raced home on a wild pitch. The Wolves had just one more baserunner in the last four innings, however, which came on Schimberg’s single in the fourth.

Coming off a loss to Cherry Creek on the second-to-last day of the season a year ago, Henry was pleased that what he and his coaching staff “mapped out” about getting back to the same stage and possibly further mostly worked out. A lot of it due to the experience that returned from teams that won the Centennial League title in 2023 and made the 2024 semifinals.

The losses will be significant (especially when it comes to pitching), but Grandview expects to have back the improving Wachsmann — a Wake Forest recruit — along with fellow seniorsto-be Bohmeyer behind the plate and Maroni on the infield.

“We have some young guys I’m excited to see when we get them going and we have Ethan back,” Henry said. “I’ll look into that more in a week or two. It’s a long season.”

Lakewood.

DISTRICT COURT, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO

NOTICE OF HEARING BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-10-401, C.R.S.

AVISO DE AUDIENCIA POR PUBLICACIÓN SEGÚN EL ARTÍCULO 15-10-401

DE LAS LEYES VIGENTES DE COLO-

RADO (C.R.S., por sus siglas en inglés) Case No. Número de causa:2025PR30092

In the Interest of: Katerin Johana Payes Estrada Referente a los intereses de:

TO: ODILFIDO PAYES ZUNIGA

Para: Last Known Address, if any: San Antonio la Pax - El progreso - Guatemala Ultima direccion conocida, si la hay:

A hearing on Guardianship for will be held at the following time and location or at a later date to which the hearing may be continued:

Una audiencia sobre (título del alegato) para (breve descripción de la reparación solicitada) se celebrará en la siguiente fecha y lugar o en una fecha posterior en la que se podrá aplazar la audiencia: Date: July 2, 2025 Time: 11:30 a.m.

Courtroom or Division: 12

Address: https://www.coloradojudicial. gov/m/3-12

The hearing will take approximately 30 minutes. La audiencia tomará aproximadamente 30 minutos.

Attorney or Party Without Attorney (Name and Address): Abogado o parte sin abogado (nombre y dirección):

LISA GUERRA Atty Reg #: 41583 Guerra Law Firm, LLC 3600 s. Yosemite St., Ste. 520 Denver, CO 80237

First Publication: June 5, 2025

Final Publication: June 19, 2025 Sentinel

DISTRICT COURT, ARAPAHOE COUNTY STATE OF COLORADO SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION Case Number: 2024CV32405 Division: 15

Plaintiff: KEITH BARNARD and DOUGLAS PAUL PAUL FOUGNER, Co-Personal Representatives for The Estate of David Alan Fougner, a/k/a David A. Fougner, a/k/a David Fougner, a/k/a Dave Fougner.

v. Defendants: OP SPE PHX1, LLC, a Foreign Limited Liability Company; DAVID CHRIS FOUGNER, an individual; FIRST AMERICAN TITLE GUARANTY COMPANY, a Foreign Corporation; FIRST AMERICAN TITLE COMPANY, a Foreign Corporation; ALL UNKNOWN PERSONS WHO CLAIM ANY INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS ACTION.

TO: David Chris Fougner; and all unknown persons who claim any interest in the subject matter of this action.

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to file with the Clerk of this Court an answer or other response to the Crossclaim. If service of the Summons and Crossclaim was made upon you within the State of Colorado, you are required to file your answer or other response within 21 days after such service upon you. If service of the Summons and Crossclaim was made upon you outside of the State of Colorado, you are required to file your answer or other response within 35 days after such service upon you. Your answer or counterclaim must be accompanied with the applicable filing fee.

If you fail to file your answer or other response to the Crossclaim in writing within the applicable time period, the Court may enter judgment by default against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint without further notice.

The subject matter of this action is as follows:

Lot 11, Block 46 Walnut Hills Filing No. 7, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado. also known by street address as: 7907 East Fremont Avenue, Centennial, Colorado 80112

This case is an action to quiet title under C.R.C.P. 105 as to Plaintiff’s property.

Dated: April 15, 2025 /s/ Nathan G. Osborn, Esq. Signature of Attorney for Plaintiff Montgomery Little & Soran, PC 5445 DTC Parkway, Suite 800 Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111 (303) 773-8100

This Summons is issued pursuant to Rule 4, C.R.C.P., as amended. A copy of the Complaint must be served with this Summons. This form should not be used where service by publication is desired.

WARNING: A valid summons may be issued by a lawyer and it need not contain a court case number, the signature of a court officer, or a court seal. The plaintiff has 14 days from the date this summons was served on you to file the case with the court. You are responsible for contacting the court to find out whether the case has been filed and obtain the case number. If the plaintiff files the case within this time,

you, the case may be dismissed upon motion and you may be entitled to seek attorney’s fees from the plaintiff.

TO THE CLERK: If the summons is issued by the clerk of the court, the signature block for the clerk or deputy should be provided by stamp, or typewriter, in the space to the left of the attorney’s name.

First Publication: May 15, 2025 Final Publication: June 12, 2025 Sentinel

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE EIGHTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA NOTICE OF PETITION TO TERMINATE PARENTAL RIGHTS PENDING STEP-PARENT ADOPTION AND NOTICE OF HEARING CASE NO.: 05-2023-DR-36148

IN RE: The Matter of the Adoption of: CAMDYN CRUISE BRETZ DATE OF BIRTH: 6/19/2013 MINOR CHILD

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a PETITION TO TERMINATE PARENTAL RIGHTS PENDING ADOPTION BY STEP-PARENT HAS BEEN FILED. This Petition was previously CONSTRUCTIVELY SERVED VIA PUBLICATION.

There will be a Hearing on the Petition to Terminate Parental Rights Pending Step-Parent Adoption before Judge Michelle Studstill on the 15TH day of JULY, 2025 at 3:30 p.m. THIS HEARING SHALL BE CONDUCTED REMOTELY THROUGH MICROSOFT TEAMS. PLEASE CONTACT THE JUDGE’S ASSISTANT AT 321633-2000 TO FACILITATE. The Court has reserved 30 minutes for this Hearing.

If you executed a Consent to Adoption or Affidavit of Non-Paternity and a Waiver of Venue, you have the right to request that the Hearing on the Petition to Terminate Parental Rights be transferred to the County in which you reside. You may object by appearing at the Hearing or filing a written objection with the Court.

UNDER SECTION 63.809, FLORIDA STATUTES, FAILURE TO FILE A WRITTEN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE WITH THE COURT OR TO APPEAR AT THIS HEARING CONSTITUTES GROUNDS UPON WHICH THE COURT SHALL END ANY PARENTAL RIGHTS YOU MAY HAVE REGARDING ANY MINOR CHILD SUBJECT TO THIS PROCEEDING.

BY: /s/ Shawn Reid Counsel for Petitioners 1507 Riverview Drive Melbourne, Florida 32901 Telephone: (321) 369-7705 Florida Bar No. 0185752 reidshawn943@gmail.com

First Publication: June 5, 2025 Final Publication: June 26, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE OF INTENT TO APPLY FOR TITLE

Notice is hereby given that Thompson Automotive Inc., located at 5110 S. Lowell Blvd., Littleton, CO 80123, is applying for title for the following vehicle:

Year/Make/Model: 2002 Toyota 4Runner

Color: Purple

VIN: JT3HN86R820389471

The vehicle is currently located in Littleton, Colorado. The owner of record is Robert Redford.

Any person(s) having a claim to the above vehicle must contact Robert Thompson at (303) 794-6500.

Failure to do so shall be deemed a waiver of any such claims, and Thompson Automotive Inc. will proceed with the application for title pursuant to Colorado law.

Publication: June 5, 2025 Sentinel SLC METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NOS. 1, 2, 3 AND 4 NOTICE CONCERNING 2025 BUDGET AMENDMENTS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to all interested parties that the need may arise to amend the 2025 Budgets of SLC Metropolitan District Nos. 1, 2, 3 and/or 4 (hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Districts”). Copies of the proposed Amended 2025 Budgets, if necessary, are on file at the offices of the Districts’ Accountant, CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, 2001 16th Street, Suite 1700, Denver, Colorado 80202, where the same are available for public inspection; and that adoption of Resolutions Amending the 2025 Budgets will be considered at a public hearing of the Boards of Directors of the Districts to be held on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at 3:30 p.m. at the offices of McGeady Becher Cortese Williams P.C., 450 E. 17th Avenue, Suite 400, Denver, Colorado 80203 and via video / teleconference (Zoom).

You can attend the meeting virtually using the following information:

1. To attend via Videoconference use the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/ j/88132811631?pwd=47f0KRBbpF1A8vbAieBaJKLu2bMGhR.1

2. To attend via telephone, dial 1-719-3594580 and enter the following additional information: Meeting ID: 881 3281 1631 Passcode: 236482

Any interested elector of the Districts may, at any time prior to the final adoption of the 2025 Amended Budget(s), inspect the 2025 Amended Budget(s) and file or register any objections thereto.

SLC METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NOS. 1-4

s/MaryAnn M. McGeady McGEADY BECHER CORTESE WILLIAMS P.C.

Attorneys for the District

Publication: June 5, 2025 Sentinel

SUMMONS (CITATION JUDICIAL)

CASE NUMBER: (Numero del Caso): 24SMCV05894

NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: (AVISO AL DEMANDADO): AVERY PARK AND SQUARE LLC, an Oklahoma limited liability company, VIEN NGUYEN, an individual, AARON CLOPTON, an individual TOBIAS IMADOMWANYI, an individual and DOES 1 through 100 YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: (LO ESTA DEMANDANDO EL DE- MANDANTE): CITYWIDE LLC, a Delaware limited liability company

NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below.

You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court.

There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self- Help Center (www. courtinfo.ca.gov/ selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association.

NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case.

¡AVISO!Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30 días, la corte puede decidir en su contra sin escuchar su versión. Lea la infor- mación a continuación.

Tiene 30 DÍAS DE CALENDARIO después de que le entreguen esta citación y papeles legales para pre- sentar una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefónica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta.

Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y más información en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www. sucorte.ca.gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su con- dado o en la corte que le quede más cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretario de la corte que le dé un formulario de exención de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podrá quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin más advertencia.

Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remisión a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro. Pu- ede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Services, (www. lawhelpcalifornia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www. sucorte.ca.gov) o poniéndose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales. AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las cuotas y los costos exentos por im- poner un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperación de $10,000 ó más de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesión de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil. Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso.

The name and address of the court is: (El Nombre y direccion de la corte es): Superior Court of California County of Los Angeles Santa Monica Courthouse 1725 Main St. Santa Monica, CA 90401

The name, address, and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is: (El nombre, la direccion y el numero de telefono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es):

Steffanie Stelnick, Esq. (SBN. 290248) The Law Offices of Steffanie Stelnick 28001 Smyth Dr., Ste. 101, Valencia, CA 91355 Date: (Fecha) 12/03/2024

Clerk, by (Secretario) A. Salcedo David W. Slayton, Executive Officer/ Clerk of Court, Deputy (Adjunto)

First Publication: May 29, 2025 Final Publication: June 26, 2025 Sentinel

VEHICLES FOR SALE

2023 NISSAN ROGUE

VIN-934720

2016 GMC TERRAIN VIN—150046

20203 NISSAN VERSA VIN—860113

Extreme Towing

303-344-1400

Publication: June 5, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE OF CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR91

Estate of Millie Cardona, Deceased.

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

Personal Representative 2156 S. Waco Ct. Aurora, CO 80013

First Publication: May 22, 2025

Final Publication: June 5, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2024PR614

Estate of William “Bill Anthony Szalach, Deceased.

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before August 28, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Kristina Stiltner

Personal Representative 119 Chaparral Bend Dr. Montgomery, TX 77316

First Publication: May 22, 2025

Final Publication: June 5, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR165

Estate of Lisa Louise Guttery, Deceased.

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before September 22, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Lindsay Guttery

Personal Representative 16854 Trail View Cir. Parker, CO 80134

First Publication: May 22, 2025

Final Publication: June 5, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR229

Estate of David William Child, Deceased.

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before October 8, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Robert J. Child

Personal Representative 10141 Vrain Ct. Westminster, CO 80031-2543

First Publication: May 29, 2025

Final Publication: June 13, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30214

Estate of George Renaud, Deceased. All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado on or before October 6, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Cheryl Lynn Renaud-Denbow, Personal Representative 5311 Highway 73 Evergreen, CO 80439

First Publication: June 5, 2025

Final Publication: June 19, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30226

Estate of Connie Greeno Harris aka Connie G. Harris aka Connie Harris aka Connie Ellen Greeno aka Connie E. Greeno, 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 October 6, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Attorney for Personal Representative Heather J. Manolakas Peck Feigenbaum, PC 132 Midland Ave., Unit 4 Basalt, CO 81621

First Publication: June 5, 2025

Final Publication: June 19, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30331

Estate of Ronald Lee Scott aka Ronald Scott, 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 October 7, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Anna L. Burr, Esq. 2851 S. Parker Road, Ste. 230 Aurora, CO 80014

First Publication: June 5, 2025

Final Publication: June 19, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30455

Estate of Barbara Lee Flieger AKA Barbara L. Flieger AKA Barbara Flieger, Deceased. All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the Arapahoe County District Court on or before September 29, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Gary Gordon Flieger,

Personal Representative c/o CHAYET & DANZO, LLC

650 S. Cherry St., #710

Denver, CO 80246

(303) 355-8500

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. 2025PR30515

Estate of Don A. Brown aka Don Anthony Brown aka Don Brown, Deceased.

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before September 29, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Michael A. Brown

Personal Representative 1374 Fairfax St. Denver, CO 80220

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. 2025PR30074

Estate of Martin Kyle Barry, Deceased. All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before October 6, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Ralph A. Cantafio, Atty. Reg. #16280 CANTAFIO LAW P.C. 1927 Market St., Unit 1A Denver, Colorado 8020 Phone: 970- 819-2371

First Publication: June 5, 2025

Final Publication: June 19, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

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, Colorado, on or before September 30, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Attorney for Personal Representative, Sophia Herrera, Weston Cole, 8480 E. Orchard Rd., Ste. 5000 Greenwood Village, CO 80111

First Publication: May 29, 2025

Final Publication: June 12, 2025 Sentinel NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY

Polis’ heavy hand with the veto pen ended 3 good laws

There was no shortage of profound and consequential measures power-pushed through the 180-day, now-ended legislative session that warranted a slow, careful look.

Three of those bills, however, should be law now and instead were vetoed by Gov. Jared Polis, we think wrongly.

The first, and most surprising, was Polis’ veto of House Bill 1088 created to prevent socalled “surprise billing” for ambulance services, one of the latest symptoms of America’s chronic and debilitating health-care ailment.

The problem is easy to understand. Just a few years ago, some U.S. health insurance customers would too-frequently receive “surprise” hospital bills after discharge, and often in addition to hefty co-pays as insurance companies worked to find ways to maximize patient out-of-pocket costs and maximize insurance company profits. The “surprise” would come from fees insurance companies would not cover nor reveal until the services were delivered, sometimes weeks after treatment.

The problem was so egregious and so easy to understand that even a dysfunctional and polarized congress grasped the unfairness and danger of the issue and passed a bi-partisan measure, essentially outlawing the “surprise billing” practice.

Ambulance billing got through a loophole in that law, which, astonishingly, every Republican and Democrat in the Colorado House and Senate agreed to close this year with HB 1088.

In his veto message, Polis said the bill had some technical problems that in his opinion would prevent the measure from being implemented, but his chief complaint was that state officials estimated that forcing ambulance and insurance companies to pay bills without sucker-punching consumers could cost those with insurance between 73 cents to $2 per month in higher premiums next year.

“I am committed to working with proponents and sponsors to protect Coloradans from surprise bills, but I encourage all parties to work towards a more reasonable reimbursement rate that mitigates premium impacts and nets a better deal for Colorado families,” Polis said in his veto message.

The Sentinel, too, would like to have seen a measure that doesn’t cost consumers anything to afford them protection from this unscrupulous billing practice. But hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Colorado residents are at risk of being hit with personal budget-busting “surprise” billing disasters while the state waits at least another year for a fix. Even $2 per person, given that insurance premiums are already hundreds of dollars a month, would have been worth the gamble to remove the fee next year rather than hold out on a solution for a very long time.

Polis’ veto of House Bill 1147 was not a surprise, but nonetheless a deep disappointment from a governor who has prided himself on seeking equality for all Colorado residents.

The bill sought to address a growing problem in cities like Aurora and Pueblo, which have boosted jail sentences for crimes like shoplifting and trespassing far beyond reasonable state justice norms. Aurora city lawmakers have pushed for “get tough on crime” sentences for misdemeanors like shoplifting that have resulted in mandatory jail time for scofflaws who are convicted of walking out on a $15 or larger restaurant bill. An Aurora conviction nets a mandatory three-day jail sentence and allows for even longer.

Critics argue that the disparity in sentencing, sometimes just across the street along city boundaries, has created a 14th Constitutional Amendment problem. The Constitution prohibits harsher sentences for some citizens and not others, dubbed as “equal justice.”

Polis’ biggest criticism of the measure was that it could move in on local control, forcing a state maximum sentencing on local jurisdictions.

Yes. That’s exactly what’s called for here.

In his veto message, the governor also pointed to a pending case in the Colorado Supreme Court trying to answer that question. The Denver Post published an investigative story on the issue last fall, revealing how Pueblo, especially, had created a “get tough” sentencing philosophy that runs afoul of the 14th Amendment, and how a Westminster woman faces a jail sentence 36 times longer than the state maximum for a store theft under $300.

Setting aside the fact that none of these “get tough” cities have provided any substantiated evidence that such sentencing actually prevents crime, decades of research clearly shows that people of color, minorities and the poor are unfairly and unequally served up harsher sentences by these outlier communities than their white and wealthier counterparts.

While it’s likely that the state’s high court will see that and strike down some of these sentences, mirroring the equal protection clause now was called for in the Legislature.

The harshest veto, however, came from upending House Bill 1004. That measure sought to prohibit the use of price-fixing software by rental property owners, especially those with large holdings of rental units in the market.

An extensive 2022 ProPublica investigation into the use of Real Page, an algorithm-driven software for apartment-complex owners, revealed that in markets like metro Denver, large and small industry holders have been able to boost rents even beyond hikes attributed to a growing community.

“Never before have we seen these numbers,” Jay Parsons, a vice president of RealPage, told conventiongoers who wandered by his booth in 2022, Pro Publica reported.

The investigation revealed that competing apartment owners used the software allowing managers of thousands of apartment units in a community to check prices almost instantly. The software then suggests a boosted rent, and commercial real estate owners saw profits they’ve not seen before.

Those profits are paid for by struggling renters, a group of people Polis regularly says he supports and works to bring cost-of-living relief to.

In this case, too, Attorney General Phil Weiser has sued Real Page in hopes of persuading courts of his argument, and that of many others, that the scheme is nothing more than price-fixing parading as convenience.

Clearly, if apartment owners run afoul of the law by calling and working hard to scope out area rents in efforts to know how high they can set their own, making an easy app for that is just as illegal.

State lawmakers need to push these measures through again next year, early, so they can override potential vetoes next time and get the jobs done.

JON CALDARA, GUEST COLUMNIST

The case for opening Colorado primaries

This column is targeted to one reader: the iconoclast businessman and politico Kent Thiry.

Many believe Colorado’s best days are behind her, and understandably so as Colorado turns into a dictatorial progressive experiment of exponentially escalating regulation, spiraling property taxes and fees, and forced social engineering.

We don’t feel safe on our own city streets. Young people can’t buy their own homes. Affordable and reliable energy is no more. Small businesses are dwindling under the new minimum wages and the epidemic costs of regulatory compliance. Road funding is stolen for unused transit, making our roadways third-world, strangling commutes and commerce. And the woke agenda is codified not only in school curriculum but now with “misgendering” speech control laws.

Our state balances on a knife’s edge, tipping toward economic collapse, a la California, New York and Illinois. No wonder more and more of our productive class is pulling up stakes and moving to Florida or Texas where their talents will be encouraged to thrive.

But I think Colorado can be saved. The first step is changing election law.

The case for open primaries

You’d think Colorado’s decline is plainly obvious and, therefore, average Coloradans would stop voting for socialist-leaning Democrats and start voting for Republicans. You’d be wrong.

Colorado’s rural districts will remain Republican, as urban districts remain progressive Democrat. The fight for Colorado’s future is, as it always has been, in the swing suburban districts. I’m talking Adams, Arapahoe, Jefferson, and now Douglas and El Paso counties.

For the next several election cycles, these swing district voters will still largely be repulsed by Republican candidates. Chock-full of single moms, these suburban voters equate “Republican” with “Trump.” And they hate President Donald Trump, sometimes becoming unhinged. Their hatred of his personality turns to hatred of his political party. To them, “Republican” is anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-cannabis and anti-environment. They are pro-gay, pro-abortion, pro-weed and, until the blackouts hit, believe climate change is Colorado-, not China-caused.

Next year’s election, President Trump’s midterm, should be a bloodbath for Colorado Republicans. Any candidate running with an “R” behind his name in swing districts might as well have a swastika there instead.

But here’s the interesting part: These swing voters, though pro-gay, pro-abortion, pro-weed and pro-environmentalist, are not pro-crime, pro-tax,

pro-regulation or pro-woke. They still won’t vote Republican, but they know, and often admit, Colorado’s leftist one-party tyrannical state is going too far.

These swing voters feel uncomfortable with both parties. That’s why now an unheard of 50% of all Colorado registered voters are independent, unaffiliated with any party. It’s why Colorado’s second-largest city has an unaffiliated mayor. They crave something that’s not R or D. Colorado could well become the nation’s first independent or unaffiliated state.

They hate the moralism of the Republicans and the fiscal carelessness and wokeness of the left. I label them as “Freedom Unaffiliateds,” which shortens to “FU.” And these people want to say FU to both parties.

But, unless Thiry changes how primaries are done, these Freedom Unaffiliateds will keep begrudgingly voting socialist Democrat over moralist Republican.

Thiry designed and funded the popular 2016 citizen’s initiative letting unaffiliated voters vote in either Republican or Democratic primaries. But he bit off more than Colorado voters were willing to chew with his initiative last year. It would have created a jungle primary system and then rankedchoice voting for the top four candidates in the general election.

Coloradans are suspicious of ranked-choice voting. But jungle primaries, where candidates from all parties, or no party, battle it out in a primary with the top two advancing to the November ballot is ripe for the whole state. Denver’s mayoral election is done this way.

In progressive urban areas it would likely mean two Democrats would be on the general ballot, one farther left than the other. In rural areas, two Republicans.

But it’s the swing districts where this changes everything. Unaffiliated, fiscally conservative, yet morally centrist candidates could finally make it to the fall ballot. And in a two-way race, they could win.

Sane, anti-crime, pro-business independents could caucus with Republicans to make Colorado viable again, and caucus with Democrats to protect social issues.

These could be (cover your ears, Republicans) the electable candidates who could win in swing districts.

But only if Thiry retools his initiative and opens our primaries.

Kent, Colorado is a state worth saving.

Jon Caldara is president of the Independence Institute,afreemarketthinktankinDenver.

Puzzles

constitutional amendment removing politics from map-drawing through independent commissions and Supreme Court oversight, Crow said.

There are other times in American history when citizens fought back against the political system, Muller said.

“Let’s go back to the Gilded Age, where we saw an economic and income inequality that’s rivaled only by today,” Muller said. “We saw permanent power being held in just a few hands.”

That movement led to the direct election of senators and the Tillman Act, which banned corporate contributions in federal elections for nearly a century, she said.

In the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, the United States implemented extensive reforms, including the establishment of the Federal Election Commission, as well as contribution and disclosure limits, Muller said.

“Let’s renew them,” Muller said. “I believe that what we have seen is that the people will keep fighting this fight.”

Colorado’s strict disclosure laws and the ability to file campaign finance complaints have proven effective in deterring dark money groups like the Koch brothers, who contribute far less to Colorado elections “because they didn’t want to be exposed for all of the money they were spending,” Muller said.

“We might not be able to just overturn Citizens United legislatively,” Muller said. “We can pass disclosure and transparency, and we know that that works. We know it because we’ve seen it in state after state.”

The Federal Election Commission,

established 50 years ago, is now largely dysfunctional due to partisan stalemates and a lack of a quorum, Muller said.

“We could reform the Federal Elections Commission and make it work,” Muller said. “Have a watchdog on the beat again.”

She also recommended passing online disclosures to identify who is funding political misinformation online, as well as ethics and transparency reforms for the Supreme Court, so that they can’t receive millions from individuals with cases before the court.

Finally, Congress needs to find ways to regulate social media and other algorithmic media sources that can spread political disinformation, Crow said.

“This is one of the most pressing issues facing our democracy,” Belknap said. “The use of the Internet and algorithmic media to push and funnel people into information holds that solidify pre-existing beliefs.”

Some of these algorithms are pushing younger generations into extremist views because they are less equipped to detect misinformation, Crow said.

“I’m a parent of young children, and it is damn tough raising kids in America today because of all these influences,” Crow said.

Crow and Tester said that people can call their congressional representatives and demand accountability. Tester said to call family members and ask them to contact their congressional representatives to tell them how important the subject is.

— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel

Staff Writer