Sentinel Colorado 8.21.2025

Look what you made us do. Again.

SentinelColoradostaffers won seven top honors last week competing among the state’s best and largest newspapers during the annual Colorado Press Association newspaper awards.

Competing against TheDenverPost,TheColoradoSpringsGazette, The Colorado Sun and other top Colorado media, TheSentineltook away honors for its investigative work, breaking news coverage, enterprise reporting and more.

“Despite having the smallest newsroom among our peers and competitors, TheSentinel steadfastly raises a powerful and illuminating voice that’s critical to maintaining reader trust,” said SentinelEditor Dave Perry. “I’m inspired every day by the talent, dedication and persistence of some of the top journalists in the state, and we’re endlessly thankful for a community that supports our mission.”

This year’s awards included:

• The Sentinelwon Second Place for the press association’s coveted Public Service Project for the staff’s dedicated effort to reporting, analysis, investigation and opinions on the impact of then presidential candidate Donald Trump’s focus on Aurora immigrants and his proposing “Operation Aurora,” which has since become a national campaign of mass deportation. Credited were reporter in residence Susan Greene, staff reporter Cassandra Ballard and editor Dave Perry.

• The Sentinelwon First Place for Best Opinion Writing for house editorials written by Perry.

• The Sentinelswept First and Second Place for Best Breaking News Reporting. First place was awarded to reporter Max Levy for a story about the Aurora City Council fleeing council chambers during a protest by activists linked to the police shooting of Kilyn Lewis. The Sentinelwas also honored for its on-deadline comprehensive news, photo and oped coverage of Donald Trump’s rally in Aurora. Honored were Greene, Ballard, Perry, and photographer Tri Duong.

• The Sentineltook Second Place for Best Investigative Story for “Give and Take” by reporter Max Levy. The story focused on how an astonishing $2.08 million out of $2.86 million raised by Aurora police, with the help of a national firm that helps solicit donations from the public, was kept by that fundraising firm.

• The Sentinelwon First Place for its sustained and comprehensive coverage with stories, editorials and signed columns by Greene, Ballard and Perry all focusing on controversy over three Aurora apartment complexes and unproven allegations of “takeovers” by Venezuelan gangs

• SentinelSports Editor Courtney Oakes won Second Place for his photograph “Flipping Out” depicting an athlete upside down in a jump.

• The Sentinelwon Second Place for Best Website among the state’s largest news media.

• The Sentinelwon Second Place for Best Headline Writing for headlines created by Perry.

We’re able to do this because of you.

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Students, educators say Trump’s threat of mass deportation is as problematic as carrying it out

Shorter days and longer tales. August is always good for harvesting weird news

It’s harvest time, folks. My favorite. Back when gas was 20 cents a gallon, I, like many children of farming families, was regularly shipped “down home” at the end of the summer to provide free labor to my family on their Rocky Ford and Manzanola farms.

The reward for serious sunburn and destroyed hands was a day at the Arkansas Valley Fair — and keeping the best of the best in the fields of melons, tomatoes and apple orchards for myself.

There really is nothing like a sun-ripened Rocky Ford cantaloupe or watermelon. And when you get to cull and pick the top treat among hundreds? That is so August.

Similarly, it’s been a bumper crop this week of sweet and weird news nuggets, just ripe for the picking.

Here’s my recent harvest:

No long how long I do this job, I still love me a hot mic story.

Remember the time President Ronald Reagan kidded into a hot mic that the US was done with Russia’s bullcrap, and how that nation would no longer be a problem because, “I’m pleased to tell you today that I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.”

Ooops. Russians saw no humor in it.

Another plum was when the Rev. Jesse Jackson, on a hot mic, told someone on a Fox News set that he wanted to “cut the nuts off” of then-Senator Barack Obama for “talking down to black people.”

So President Donald Trump had his hot-mic moment this week thinking he was talking unheard to French President Emmanuel Macron about the critical and consequential Ukraine war.

Trump, reflecting his comments after meeting in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, told Macron, “I think he wants to make a deal for me, you understand, as crazy as it sounds,” the Associated Press reported.

Crazy?

No doubt this would sound crazy if it were anyone but Trump. Who else would be so transparent and easily taken in by someone like Putin, other than Trump? And who else would be so banal that he would share his embarrassment with another world leader,

thinking somehow it puts him in a good light?

The disappointing part of a Trump hot mic bite is how it’s all the same stuff he says when he knows the cameras are rolling.

Much juicier this week was the news that an Aurora police car crashed into yet another Aurora police car during a half-hour-long car chase across three cities.

One of the cop cars was apparently stolen and driven away Tuesday morning, prompting other cops to jump in their cars and track down the purloined patrol car.

The ripe part of the story is that the thief was able to get in the police car and drive away, because the cop using it left it running. Apparently, cops sometimes, or often, leave their cars running. The cop had stepped out with the car keys in his pants pocket, police told reporters.

The cop probably figured, like I would, “who in the hell would have the nerve and lack of sensibility to steal a cop car — from a cop?”

We’ll find out. The thief hasn’t been identified yet.

It gets better. Aurora police told reporters that they have a security device that is supposed to stop the car if someone tries to drive away with it without their car keys, but it wasn’t armed or wasn’t working.

During winter, police call this “puffing.” That’s when people leave their cars running unattended in the cold, which are easy targets for thieves.

I guess no one, including cops, has to sweat it in the heat.

It must have been the heat that made someone think the name they came up with for a long-overdue and badly needed affordable housing project in Aurora wasn’t, umm, odd.

The news last week was that Aurora received $3.5 million from the Colorado Proposition 123 Concessionary Debt Fund to support the creation of an 85-unit affordable housing development in the city.

It’s part of a statewide effort to create places just working folks can get into and afford once they move in. The idea is that these projects need to get people in homes that are “close to jobs, schools, and in the communities we love,” Gov. Jared Polis said about the Aurora award.

What do you call an affordable housing project that seeks to give hope and dignity

to new Aurora neighbors in the Expo Park neighborhood?

“The Stables.”

Ummm, like the people who live there will have “stable” lives? Or, they’ll save so much money they can have pet horses for fun? Or, affordable now means you get a dirt floor with straw and four walls made of old wooden pallets? Or, the working class is pretty much just cattle anyway?

It doesn’t matter what entendre you stick this story with, the project needs a new name.

But the sweetest treat this harvest season came from Colorado Public Radio reporter Bente Birkland, who ferreted out the story about the Colorado House GOP Minority Whip Ryan Armagost taking a picture of Democratic Rep. Yara Zokaie at the House lectern during a bill hearing earlier this spring. Zokaie was wearing “a black blazer over a short dress and knee-high leather boots,” Birkland writes. Armagost posted the photo to a private chat among other GOP state lawmakers, and it became a dog-pile of rude and crude comments about Zokaie’s appearance, according to the investigation, complete with snaps of the posts.

The post made its way to the real-world social media-verse and it was downhill from there for more rude and even threatening comments.

If you’re new to these parts, or forgetful, the state Capitol has been the nexus for sexual harassment problems involving lawmakers for years, essentially helping invent the #MeToo movement.

To help expose, address and prevent the sexist and sexual thuggery under the gold dome, state lawmakers created the House Workplace Harassment Committee. That’s “the group tasked with investigating and recommending punishments when lawmakers and others in the Capitol are accused of inappropriate behavior,” Birkland writes in her takeout.

You knew this was coming. Armagost is chairperson of that committee. Was.

He’s since left the Capitol, and Colorado, for a new job and life in Arizona.

That’s a keeper.

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

DAVE PERRY Editor

President Donald Trump, right, and France’s President Emmanuel Macron participate in a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders in the East Room of the White House, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Washington. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Persistent Aurora police-shooting activists say they’ll focus on city election

THE LEADER OF THE PROTESTERS SAYS THE GROUP IS STEPPING BACK FROM PROTESTS TO FOCUS ON THE UPCOMING CITY COUNCIL ELECTION

BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer

Activists who have for more than a year demanded discipline against the Aurora officer who shot and killed Kilyn Lewis in 2024 said they are moving into yet another phase of the marathon protests and “gifting the (council) chambers back” to the city council.

For more than a year, activists have appeared and disrupted nearly every city council meeting and filled the public speaking time for un-related agenda items. Meanwhile, some city lawmakers have fought back with often spiteful Facebook posts, and city council members have imposed strict changes to their public listening sessions and even abandoned meeting in person for the foreseeable future in an effort to push back against the regular city council meeting disruptions.

That effort inspired a First Amendment lawsuit by the leader of the protesters, who now says the group is stepping back to focus on the upcoming city council election.

The “public invited to be heard” listening session that for decades has been scheduled for the beginning of Aurora City Council meetings has drastically changed over the last year, after ongoing disruptions from protest leader MiDianShofner and others have made demands related to the Lewis shooting. Lewis was an unarmed Black man fatally shot by an Aurora SWAT officer during his arrest in May 2024. Lewis was accused of a Denver shooting earlier that month.

The family recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city after area prosecutors declined to file charges against the officer, and an internal and outside investigation determined the shooting was justified.

The public listening sessions, which have been the primary source of consternation among city lawmakers as Lewis protesters have dominated the events, have been shortened, made virtual, canceled, restarted and are no longer broadcast as is the rest of the city council meeting. They have also been taken off the agenda and made separate from the formal meeting in an effort to control the Lewis protesters.

The cancellation prompted Shofner to pursue a First Amendment lawsuit against the City of Aurora, arguing that the city singled her out and aimed to silence her First Amendment rights by cancelling the public comment portion of the council’s bi-weekly meetings.

An attempt to persuade a local district court judge to force the City of Aurora to reinstate the original public listening session rules was denied last week, resulting in a new wave of city council meeting disruptions.

“They suffered a loss in court on Monday,” City Attorney Pete Schulte said.

Shofner said it was still a win for her because the judge ruled against their request for a preliminary injunction against the city before jury trial, but did not dismiss the preliminary injunction completely. A future hearing on whether the city infringed on Shofner’s First Amendment rights is slated for Nov. 18.

For now, Shofner and other members of the Lewis protest group say they’re turning their attention to the November City Council Election.

Last week, when Shofner, Auon’tai Anderson and Hashim Coates spoke during each unrelated agenda topic during public hearings, they pointed out that they were contriving their remarks to spell out the words “vote them out.”

“O, our advocacy has always been about equity in every public forum,” Shofner said. “U, under the guidance of the people we serve, we are shifting our work to the election ahead, building our presence here for now, but not our…”

Mayor Mike Coffman interrupted the stunt and said, “Warning.”

“T, the work we do is always centered around the community,” Shofner said. “Because of that, we are announcing that we will be gifting the Aurora City Chambers back for now, and we are doing this on our terms, not yours…”

The line was cut because she was going off topic.

Anderson and Coates said similar things when they spoke. Shofner later told the Sentinel that they were all cut off before they could finish saying that they were going to move on to “phase three” of Lewis protests by directing efforts to upset sitting council members who are up for election.

At the end of each talking point, earlier in the meeting, they would refer to Councilmembers Danielle Jurinsky, Steve Sundberg and Amsalu Kassaw running as incumbents for this year’s election, saying they should be voted out.

This week, the recording from the public listening session, which was previously only accessible to those who called in and listened live, was released on the Aurora Channel YouTube, making it the first time the session has been broadcast since the strict rules were set in place.

After the meeting, Mayor Mike Coffman posted on his Facebook account about Schofner and her disruptions, not including information she relayed that she would work on the election instead of speaking at meetings.

“Last night was more of the same with the continued harassment and disruptions of our council meeting led by Midian Shofner,” Coffman said in the social media post. “Who owns ‘8PM Consulting for Humanity,’ and makes a living out of shaking down government officials at taxpayers’ expense.”

Schofner said she started the company in 2020. She has more recently been running the company, the Epitome of Black Excellence and Partnership, where she demands justice for the families of young Black men who were killed by police officers.

8PM Consulting states that it is a consulting firm that offers programming to promote social justice, equity and combats racism.

Coffman said that Shofner’s “harassment” is an effort to shake down Aurora’s taxpayers.

The family of Lewis have sued the city of Aurora for unspecified damages in a wrongful death lawsuit, but Shofner is not named in the lawsuit, and her actions in the meeting last week were all about the election.

“However, Shofner has run into a wall, and I’m proud to say that I am that wall,” he said. “No matter how much she and her followers try to harass and intimidate me, she will never match the drill sergeants that terrorized me during my introductions to both the U.S. Army and the Marine Corps.”

As of now, “public invited to be heard” is still on a virtual, call-in basis, lasting from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and allowing speakers only two minutes to speak. The number to listen to or call in is 855-695-3475. Callers press *3 to reach the operator, and the public call-in line opens at 5:30 p.m. on the day of the city council meeting.

A group of supporters of Kilyn Lewis disrupt the Aurora City Council’s June 24, 2024, meeting and forcing the group to take a recess.

File Photo By Max Levy / Sentinel Colorado

AROUND AURORA

Aurora’s ‘Stables’ project gets $3.5M Prop 123 boost for affordable housing

Aurora received $3.5 million from the Colorado Proposition 123 Concessionary Debt Fund to support the creation of an 85-unit affordable housing development in the city.

“In Colorado, we are focused on building more housing Coloradans can afford where Coloradans want to live,” said Gov. Jared Polis in a statement.

“Funding housing initiatives that expand housing options creates more opportunities for Coloradans to live close to jobs, schools, and in the communities we love.”

Polis announced that Aurora was one of six recipients to receive project funding.

The proposed development is called

The Stables and will serve families and individuals in Aurora’s Expo Park neighborhood who earn 30% – 80% of a localized average income level, which is a marker for poverty. This will fund phase one of a two-phased intergenerational development that will eventually contain 134 units altogether, according to a statement from Polis.

Area median income is the median income by county for each household size. For Arapahoe County in 2025, the 30%-80% AMI for a single-person household is $29,340 to $78,480, and a three-person household is between $37,830 and $100,880, according to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.

Proposition 123 was passed by Colorado voters in 2022 and provides a portion of state income revenue to fund communities like Aurora that commit to creating affordable housing units. In January 2023, Aurora City Council committed to creating 550 units per year for three years, for a total of 1,650 new affordable housing units, by Dec. 31, 2026, according to the city.

“This financing helps ensure that developers have the necessary resources required to continue to address our state’s affordable housing needs,” said Thomas Bryan, executive director and chief executive officer of CHFA, in a statement.

The six recipients of the Proposition 123 Concessionary Debt funds will create as many as 728 rental units across the state.

“The projects announced today will provide much-needed housing for Colorado families, along with amenities that improve quality of life,” said Eve Lieberman, OEDIT executive director, in a statement. “OEDIT is thrilled to help finalize the funding to get these much-needed homes across the finish line so we can build more housing now and strengthen local economies.”

The six recipients announced will also provide surrounding communities with a new library, access to parks and open space, and community programming focused on mental and physical well-being, childcare and financial literacy, according to the statement.

A total of $27,053,646 has been preliminarily approved for the six recipients. Final award details will be determined during the underwriting process for each project. With the recent recipients, approximately $270 million has been awarded to support 10,888 units through the Affordable Housing Financing Fund, according to the statement.

— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer

QuikTrip to replace Sam’s No. 3 in Aurora, adding to area gas station surplus

If it seems like there’s no shortage of gas stations along South Havana Street in southwest Aurora, you’re right.

In the 3.6-mile span between East Alameda and East Dartmouth avenues, 12 gas stations line the distance, nearly one on every block.

City council members this week agreed there should be one more.

“I will say I hear all the time from my constituents in southeast Aurora,” Councilmember Françoise Bergan said during Monday’s city council meeting. “They’re sick of seeing gas stations.”

The abundance of gas stations in the area is one reason Aurora’s Planning and Zoning Commission took an unusual step recently to oppose a site plan and conditional use proposal for a QuikTrip fueling station to replace the old Sam’s No. 3, which stood near the corner of Havana Street and Parker Road for decades.

Although there is nothing currently in city code that would prevent the company from moving in, Planning and Zoning denied it because they “inferred’ the business could poorly impact the area, according to city records.

“The elegance of conditional use criteria is they are open-ended, and they allow us to factor in the surrounding circumstances and make sure that a use doesn’t generate any sort of adverse impact that would affect the surrounding neighborhood,” James Schireman, urban planner for Aurora, said. “They were concerned with the large amount of gas stations in the area, and they inferred that finding upon the conditional use criteria.”

City council members last week overturned the decision by the planning commission. They approved the project to move forward, citing that QuikTrip’s proposed plan met all of the criteria for city code.

Councilmember Curtis Gardner said it would be unfair to change or add new criteria during the approval process, and that property owners have the right to use their land for any use that meets the established standards.

He said that they should look into changing the criteria in the future, if they want to change the issue.

Councilmember Alison Coombs disagreed.

“It’s conditional for a reason. It allows the Planning and Zoning Commission to have an opportunity to weigh in,” Coombs said. “I think we should uphold the Planning and Zoning Commission. I think they were also attempting to address issues that were brought to them by the community and the issues they see.”

Surrounding businesses in the shopping center also spoke at Monday’s city council meeting in approval of the construction, including support from Epic Mountain Gear and Lenny’s Golf and Ski, both next to the site in the massive strip mall center.

“Both have expressed their support for QuikTrip, citing enhanced security presence and superior lighting that will help deter criminal activity, particularly during nighttime hours,” Robert Hatch, the attorney representing the property owners of the space, said. “QuikTrip’s advanced monitoring cameras are exceptional, and they have a pretty centralized security system that will significantly reduce the site’s appeal to criminal elements.”

Hatch went on to add that Quick Trip’s full-size kitchen offers more fresh food options than traditional gas stations, and that the owners are

third-generation Colorado natives who donate to local causes where their businesses are located.

The proposed construction plan will also add trees and vegetation to the large open parking lot that fills the gaps around the closed restaurant building, and they propose to add more pedestrian walkways, making it safer for pedestrians and easier to access the bus stop on the corner of the two busy roads.

While Coombs said that the open lot makes for a good community location for large groups of people to gather when an ample space like that is needed.

The site plans also aim to smooth the traffic flow through the lot, accessing Havana Street and Parker Road.

›› See METRO, 6

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Free Class

Putting Your Garden to Bed | September 7, 4–5 p.m.

Join Master Gardeners Jessie Asimus and Elaine Davis at Cheyenne-Arapaho Park Community Garden to learn how to properly prepare your garden for the end of the season. Register at https://bit.ly/CSU_PGB

Help expand awareness of drug abuse and overdose International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held Aug. 31 that aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends by remembering those who have died or had a permanent injury as a result of a drug overdose. Visit overdoseday.com

Join us for a day of trick-or-treating and family fun.

Both Councilmembers Bergan confirmed that there is little they can do about the Sam’s No. 3 closing after the property owner chose not to sell the long-serving diner. City Council has no control over forcing the property owner to lease the closed building to a new restaurant.

Council approved the site plan for QuikTrip with three council members opposed, including Coombs, Ruben Medina and Crystal Murillo. Councilmember Stephanie Hancock said she was unable to vote and had to leave the room and recuse herself from the conversation to avoid a conflict of interest.

— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer

Sentinel Colorado takes home top news awards in annual state press contest

Sentinel Colorado staffers took home seven top awards Saturday from the Colorado Press Association’s annual convention and newspaper contest, competing with the largest and top newsrooms in the state.

“We’re proud that our readers and peers recognize the Sentinel’s commitment to the fact-based journalism our community depends on,” said Sentinel Editor and Publisher Dave Perry. “The focus of awards for the Sentinel and all those news organizations honored highlights the critical role of quality journalism on every Colorado community and its residents.”

Sentinel staffers were recognized for a wide range of efforts in 2024, many focusing on upheaval in Aurora created by President Donald Trump and local elected officials as they targeted

local immigrants.

This year the Sentinel logged the following honors:

• The Sentinel won Second Place for the press association’s coveted Public Service Project for the staff’s dedicated effort to reporting, analysis, investigation and opinions on the impact of then presidential candidate Donald Trump’s focus on Aurora immigrants and his proposing “Operation Aurora,” which has since become a national campaign of mass deportation. Credited were reporter in residence Susan Greene, staff reporter Cassandra Ballard and editor Dave Perry. First Place this year went to Denver Post reporter Meg Wingerter for her coverage of how alcoholism has become a leading cause of death in Colorado.

• The Sentinel won First Place for Best Opinion Writing for house editorials written by Perry. The editorials covered issues such as Aurora police “trolling” for police recruits at a Trump political rally in Aurora, editorials focusing on disinformation from local elected officials regarding problems surrounding Venezuelan immigrants, and the impact of the congressional action on local communities. Second Place was awarded to the Boulder Daily Camera.

• The Sentinel swept First and Second Place for Best Breaking News Reporting. First place was awarded to reporter Max Levy for a story about the Aurora City Council fleeing council chambers during a protest by activists linked to the police shooting of Kilyn Lewis. The Sentinel was also honored for its on-deadline comprehensive news, photo and oped coverage of Donald Trump’s rally in Aurora. Honored were Greene, Ballard, Perry, and photographer Tri Duong.

• The Sentinel took Second Place for

Best Investigative Story for “Give and Take” by reporter Max Levy. The story focused on how an astonishing $2.08 million out of $2.86 million raised by Aurora police, with the help of a national firm that helps solicit donations from the public, was kept by that fundraising firm. First place in that category went reporter Michael Booth at the Colorado Sun for his investigation into Colorado and Kansas ranchers conspiring to tamper with rain-gauges.

• The Sentinel won First Place for its sustained and comprehensive coverage with stories, editorials and signed columns by Greene, Ballard and Perry all focusing on controversy over three Aurora apartment complexes and unproven allegations of “takeovers” by Venezuelan gangs. Second Place in the category went to the Denver Post for their reporting on the same issue.

• Sentinel Sports Editor Courtney Oakes won Second Place for his photograph “Flipping Out” depicting an athlete upside down in a jump. First Place in the category this year went to Denver Post photographer AAron Ontiveroz for “Fighter.”

• The Sentinel won Second Place for Best Website among the state’s largest news media. First Place went to the Colorado Sun.

• The Sentinel won Second Place for Best Headline Writing for headlines created by Perry. First Place went to Axios Denver.

Nearly every newspaper and news media site in the state enters their best work each year into the contest, this year judged by peer journalists in Wisconsin. The contest is divided among eight news organization “classes.” The Sentinel regularly competes with the largest organizations in the state.

— Sentinel Staff

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SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION

Aurora’s Mosley P-8 coach

Jalen Snow named No. 1 in the Junior NBA for 2025

An Aurora Public Schools basketball coach who has built his middle-school sports program around inclusion has been tabbed as the nation’s top scholastic coach in the Junior NBA.

Jalen Snow, who is a paraprofessional and coach at Edna and John W. Mosley P-8 School, was honored during a surprise announcement Tuesday at the school as the 2025 National Jr. NBA Scholastic Coach of the Year.

Snow is the first coach from Colorado to receive the award. The Denver Nuggets delivered the news in an assembly at the school’s gym.

Snow is known for his work with the school’s Unified Teams, which bring together students with and without disabilities on the same roster. He was honored as state NBA Jr. coach of the year in March, becoming a contender for the national honor.

“I’m a huge Nuggets fan, back through the Carmelo Anthony days,” Snow said after that announcement.

“But I do think this is better than the championship.”

Now he’s won his own national championship.

The surprise capped a months-long process, when the Nuggets came to the school to announce in March that Snow was the top Jr. NBA Scholastic Coach for Colorado.

In June, he was tabbed as one of five finalists for the national award, along with coaches backed by the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz.

The national winner was decided by a public vote, according to APS school officials.

On Tuesday, Snow told reporters he believed he was heading to meet students for a gym class. Instead, the Nuggets’ mascot, Rocky, members of the Nuggets Dance Team, colleagues, students and players were waiting to honor him.

James Fleming, a fellow coach and special education teacher at Mosley P-8, said earlier this year that he nominated Snow earlier after watching him lead a Unified practice the year before.

“Watching Jalen work with those kids that day and receiving that email felt perfect,” Fleming told school officials earlier this year. “I filled it out immediately. We don’t do it for the recognition, but I want Jalen to understand how much we appreciate him and how valuable his work is with our students.”

Snow said the recognition is something he will “forever remember.” He credits the school’s community for supporting him during his seven years on staff.

“I love the game, but what I love even more is the community we’ve built here,” he said in March. “It’s about giving every kid a chance to play, to be part of something.”

He said on Tuesday that the Mosley P-8 community “is like a family. From the parents to the custodians. We’re very close to each other.”

Snow said his dedication and intensity is nothing more than a reflection of that given by the students he works with every day.

“I want to give my thanks to all the students,” he said.

— Sentinel Staff

›› See METRO, 7

Local, federal authorities say they’ve dismantled major crime ring led by Venezuelan gangsters

BY CASSANDRA

An investigation that began with a spike in violent crime just outside of Aurora, evolved into a months-long local and federal investigation into allegations that the notorious Tren de Aragua gang was leading a crime ring deep into firearms trafficking, narcotics dealing and human smuggling.

Arapahoe County sheriff officials, federal agents and prosecutors said at a press conference Monday that they infiltrated a ring of Venezuelan gangsters and immigrants, netting the arrest of 30 people, and claimed that Colorado is the main U.S. hub for the gang.

“This is not just an important case for Colorado, this is an important case for the whole country,” said Jeremy Franker, deputy director of the Joint Task Force Vulcan for the Department of Justice.

Federal officials said Aurora and the surrounding Denver and Front Range areas became a magnet for Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang, because so many Venezuelan migrants settled there in recent years. Denver officials say as many as 40,000-50,000 Venezuelan migrants came to the Denver area during the last two years after Texas state officials began busing them here and cities like New York and Chicago.

“Throughout multiple investigations that we’ve had so far, a lot of the information comes out that they followed resources that they were offered resources in the State of Colorado,” said Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge, Steve Keagan. “(Resources) that they weren’t offered elsewhere, but at the same time, once one group came and had a stronghold here, then their friends came.”

The suspects include leaders, members

and associates of the TdA, who face charges of firearms trafficking, narcotics distribution, sex trafficking and even a barbaric murder-for-hire plot, U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly said.

“The charges tell a story of people selling guns and drugs, lots of them,” McNeilly said. “Several of the defendants agreed to kill two people for $15,000 and return their severed heads as proof of the murder for just an extra $5,000 about 10 months ago.”

Federal court documents describe an undercover operation in which federal agents say Luis Aguilera-Pericaguan, a Venezuelan national, acted as a broker for gun and drug sales at the Ivy Crossing apartment complex, 2470 S Quebec St., in Arapahoe County, just east of Aurora.

Investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allege that Aguilera-Pericaguan and an associate, Jose Manuel Guerra-Caballero, also from Venezuela, offered undercover agents virtually unlimited amounts of illegal firearms, cocaine and other drugs as well as young women they claimed could be trafficked across the border from Mexico.

The case, rooted in information passed to ATF by the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office last fall, illustrates how an up-andcoming international gang ring is working to infiltrate the United States.

Over the next year, ATF undercover agents said they conducted more than 40 dangerous undercover operations across Aurora and the Denver metro area, purchasing firearms, narcotics and documenting offers of sex trafficking and contract killings.

“We’ve heard across the country from TdA leaders and other people as part of the investigation that they refer to that as ‘Mini Toco’,” Franker said, referring to the noto-

rious prison in Venezuela that Tren de Aragua began. “That’s the prison in Venezuela that the gang first initiated, and the members are referring to the hub here in Colorado. Well, not anymore.”

It’s unclear if Franker was referring to Ivy Crossing in unaffiliated Arapahoe County or the Edge at Lowry in Aurora as “Mini Tocorón.” Ivy Crossing was referred to as the location for the vast majority of the crime in the court documents the agents referred to, while Aurora Chief of Police Todd Chamberlain said that the Edge of Lowry was also a main hub for the gang. Court documents did not refer to or link to crimes at the Aurora apartments.

Chamberlain said his experience with the potential gang members at the Edge at Lowry apartment complex has been incredibly violent and that their mission was to victimize other immigrants.

“Their mission was to be like a parasite and basically take over control,” Chamberlain said. “We are working in collaboration and partnership to address it, and we will not allow TdA or any other group that comes in on a failed policy to have an impact to this state, to our cities and to this country.”

Ivy Crossing was repeatedly cited as a hub of TdA by federal officials and Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown. Chamberlain suggested that the Edge at Lowry was similarly involved. Residents have described a fear-evoking environment, where drug sales, extortion and violent assaults became routine.

Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky sounded the alarm about a gang infiltration in Aurora last fall, with many other state and local officials claiming the situation was under control.

“The previous leadership knew exactly what this was, but like I said, they were so focused on protecting an image that they completely lied about it and denied the entire situation,” She said. “So they knew. They knew the whole time.”

She said she realized that the emails she was receiving from the police department admitted that there were gang members and that these gang members were proud and they weren’t hiding it. She began posting the emails on her social media to get the word out.

“Previous leadership knew exactly what this was; they were so focused on protecting an image, and they completely lied about it,” she said. “Under the current leadership, it would have never been denied. They would have been proactive. It would have never come to me having to go into these apartment complexes with a gun and start moving people out. It would have never made national news. It would have never gotten national attention. That simply wouldn’t have happened.”

City and police officials have steadfastly insisted that the problems at three controversial apartments existed before Venezuelan immigrants began making their way to the metro area. They have said there were documented incidents of crime and crime related to TdA and other gangs, but they have insisted that unlivable conditions at the apartment complexes were caused by apartment complex owners.

Jurinsky added that the media, police and city leadership hid their heads in the sand and that she thinks there should be accountability for it.

“This isn’t because Aurora is crime-ridden or it’s a horrible place,” Aurora City Attorney Pete Schulte said. “It’s not. It’s be-

BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer

State, federal and local justice and law enforcement officials answer questions for the media Aug. 18, 2025, exhibiting numerous firearms confiscated in an undercover investigation. / Sentinel Colorado

Aurora police chief Todd Chamberlain

U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly

cause these buildings were just not being managed. It allowed the criminal element to come in and take over those buildings.”

Police and federal agents said the problem was much larger than incidents of crime in Aurora.

One of the primary contacts of the undercover agents said they could “own or rent women, and told them “they can do whatever they want with the women,” once they were purchased. They said none of the women were older than 24 years old, and all they would need to provide them was food and shelter while they did additional sex work to pay off their “remaining debts.”

They also said they had available Venezuelan women in China, Peru and every state in the U.S.

In another encounter with the murder for hire, the men joked about murder and said it was a game to them. They compared it to golf and said it was all laughs.

All of the primary contacts and many of the other suspects were willing to provide unlimited firearms and drugs to the undercover agents, with one man unloading the entire 30-round magazine with one pull of the trigger on a machine gun in an attempt to show off and sell the gun.

During the course of the collaborative investigation, agents seized 69 firearms, many privately made “ghost guns” or fitted with illegal machine-gun conversion switches. ATF officials said 27 of those weapons were connected to 67 shootings in Colorado and other states.

The operation also netted multi-kilogram quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and “Tusi” (or “pink cocaine”), a synthetic cocktail that has gained popularity in South America and is now surfacing in the U.S.

“That quantity alone (of fentanyl) could have killed more than 900,000 Americans,” said David Olesky, Drug Enforcement Administration special agent in charge of the Rocky Mountain Division. “With Tren de Aragua, engaged in the trafficking of fentanyl and other deadly drugs, they put themselves into the same category as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Cartel.”

Calls for service at Ivy Crossing have since dropped 75% between January and August 2025 compared to the prior year, thanks to enhanced security, surveillance and a more substantial law enforcement presence, Brown said.

The situation did produce a positive outcome with one of Aurora’s senior assistant city attorneys, who was assigned as a special assistant United States attorney to the district of Colorado two years ago to focus on the cases coming in and out of Aurora and the surrounding areas, to specialize in the gang, Schulte said to the Sentinel.

“I’ve been told she has taken the lead on TdA nationally,” he said. “She was very involved with this investigation that was talked about this morning, and I’m very proud that Aurora has a resource that we can provide to the government.”

Even with this bust, Aurora still has an active threat of TdA gang members, and the police department said they are taking it very seriously while actively working with its federal partners, Gabby Easterwood, spokesperson for the Aurora Police Department, said. She added that there is no way to estimate the number of TdA members in Aurora.

“I have a message specifically for TdA,” McNeilly said. “We will not let you use Colorado as your headquarters in the United States. If you bring your dangerous crimes to Colorado, we will hunt you down, and we will bring you to justice, and we will go anywhere in the world in pursuit of you. We are committed to the total elimination of TdA.”

Those arrested and identified in court documents this week:

All of these cases include an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, according to court documents.

1. Jose Manuel Guerra-Caballero, 3/29/1987, a.k.a “Blanco,” a.k.a. “Cuchillo,” Guerra-Caballero is accused of being both a weapons supplier and drug trafficker, with links to the sex trafficking and violent enforcement side of Tren de Aragua’s operations in Aurora and beyond. He was verified as a possible leader of TdA according to the undercover agents and was arrested in Indiana. His pending charges include conspiracy to illegally traffic firearms, conspiracy to distribute tusi, conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and illegal alien in possession of firearms and ammunition.

2. Jose Gerardo Villamediana-Villanueva, 09/17/1991, is accused of being involved with drug trafficking involving meth and “tusi.” He claimed to undercover agents that he was not an actual TdA member; however, he implied that Guerra-Caballero was. He was arrested in Colorado. Pending charges include conspiracy to distribute 500 grams of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

3. Michelle Peña, 03/30/1997, pending charges include conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession and conspiracy to use a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

4. Kleber Arguello-Villegas, 12/19/1985, pending charges include conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession and conspiracy to use a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

5. Jose David Hernandez-Gonzalez, 07/03/1996, pending charges include conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession and conspiracy to use a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

6. Jonathan Jose Ocopio-Villalobos, 11/20/1980, pending charges include conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession and conspiracy to use a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

7. Victor Alexander Hernandez-Villacreses, 10/02/2000, pending charges include conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession and conspiracy to use a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

8. Alexandra Nazaret Marin-Risco, 10/20/1990, pending charges include illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

9. Jonathan Enrique Medina, 10/13/1998, pending charges include conspiracy to traffic firearms, possession of a machine gun and distribution and conspiracy to distribute tusi.

10. Keidinson Orlando Torrealba-Gonzalez, 12/18/1999, pending charges include attempting to trafficking firearms.

11. Kevin Alexander Ruiz-Perez, 01/16/2000, pending charges include conspiracy and distribution of tusi, and attempt to illegally traffic firearms.

12. Lenguinyer Guevara-Muro, 10/16/1996, pending charges include conspiring to distribute and distributing tusi and conspiracy to traffic and trafficking firearms.

13. Jhon Harrison Villalobos-Salas, 09/10/1990, pending charges include conspiracy and distribution of tusi, and distribution of cocaine.

14. Esleiter Vargas-Morales, 01/20/200, pending charges include conspiracy and trafficking firearms and conspiracy and distributing tusi and cocaine.

15. Yeiber Samuel Alfonzo-Martinez, 11/13/2002, pending charges include attempt to illegally traffic firearms

16. Guarnel Moises Urbina-Betancourt, 09/16/1998, pending charges include conspiracy to illegally traffic firearms and distribution of tusi.

17. Willangel Maieyker Martinez-Sanoja, 05/23/1999, pending charges include conspiracy to illegally traffic firearms, and conspiracy and distribution of tusi and cocaine.

18. Kendry Jose Robertis-Garcia, 05/22/2004,

pending charges include illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

19. Michael Joel Ojeda-Avila, 03/15/20003, pending charges include distribution of tusi, cocaine, and possession of a firearm.

20. Luis Aguilera-Pericaguan, 09/15/1991, pending charges include conspiracy and illegal trafficking of firearms and conspiracy and distribution of tusi, along with possession of a machine gun.

21. Nelo Osmel Comenarez-Morillo, 09/09/1995, pending charges include conspiracy to illegal trafficking in firearms.

22. Santtys Jose Silva-Alvarez, 09/29/1996, pending charges include conspiracy to illegal trafficking in firearms, and illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

23. Rosmer Javier Bello-Garcia, 09/18/1995, pending charges include conspiracy to illegal trafficking in firearms, and illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

24. Jose David Rivas-Mendez, 09/18/2003, pending charges include conspiracy to illegally traffic firearms, murder for hire and conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute tusi and possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle. He also said that murder is like a game for the suspects hired, and that it’s like golf; it’s all laughs.

25. Antony Alexander Diaz-Gonzalez, 03/12/1995, pending charge includes murder for hire and conspiracy.

26. Diomar Armando Mendez-Chavez, 04/30/2002, pending charges include murder for hire and conspiracy, and illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

27. Dannys Alexis Moncada-Arteaga, 9/26/2002, pending charge includes murder for hire and conspiracy.

28. Jose Daniel Bencomo-Gutierrez, 2/3/2002, pending charge includes murder for hire and conspiracy.

29. Luis Fernando Uribe-Torrealba (Arrested In Medellin), 09/15/1995,

30.Luis Henriquez Charaima (Arrested In Medellin), 10/31/1996

Bottom left and right: weapons and drugs purchased from alleged Tren de Aragua members during undercover operations in the metro area. Sentinel Colorado

Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown answers reporter questions Aug. 18, 2025. Sentinel Colorado

Ripe for discussion

HOW TO TELL WHEN YOUR GARDEN VEGGIES ARE RIPE FOR HARVESTING

BY JESSICA DAMIANO, Associated Press

It’s time — or getting to be time — for us gardeners to reap what we’ve sown.

Although it’s fairly evident when some edibles, like tomatoes, are ripe for the picking (uniform red, yellow or orange color), that isn’t the case with every crop.

Popular crops’ telltale signs of deliciousness

Zucchini, for instance, doesn’t change color. Although it might be tempting to grow a 15-inch-long squash, it will likely be tough. For optimal tenderness, pick individual fruits when they’re 6-8 inches (15-20 centimeters) long.

All varieties of green beans should be harvested when they are about as thick as a pencil. Once the plant begins producing, check it every day or two and remove beans that are ready; the more you pick, the more the plant will make.

Green peppers can be harvested at any size but are considered fully mature when they turn red. As a bonus, red peppers are sweeter and contain more nutrients.

There isn’t such a thing as an unripe cucumber — even small ones are crispy and juicy. The hazard here is allowing them to remain on the vine too long, which can result in an off-putting taste and texture. Cucumbers are considered mature when their bumpy skin smooths out.

You’ll know sweet corn is ready as soon as the silk at the top of its ear turns brown. If you still aren’t sure, peel back a small portion of husk and press your nail into a kernel; if it releases a milky fluid, it’s ripe.

Cantaloupe will practically harvest itself when the time is

right: A light tug will release the melon from its stem. If any force is required, it’s not ready.

Honeydew melons are ripe when their bottoms begin to soften, and watermelons when their undersides turn a creamy white color.

When to unearth root crops

Determining when to dig up root crops can pose a bit more of a challenge, as they can’t be visually assessed without disturbing them. But there are some signs to watch for.

You’ll know garlic bulbs are mature when all but five leaves at the top of the plant have turned completely yellow or brown. Onions are ready when their tops flop over and turn brown.

To assess beets, select one plant and push aside the soil at its base to expose the entire top of the root. Harvest when it measures between 1 ½ and 3 inches (3.8 and 5 centimeters) wide, depending on variety. If it’s too small, cover it back up, water and try again in a week. Avoid allowing beets to get too big, however, or they’ll lose sweetness and turn tough.

Standard potatoes are fully mature when their foliage dies back. But if it’s the so-called “new” potatoes you’re after, dig up the thin-skinned babies 2-3 weeks after the plant blooms. Early-maturing potato types will be ready sooner than the standard, so check tags for variety-specific details. (Note: Due to their delicate skin, new potatoes should be consumed immediately, as they do not store well.)

Carrots are ready when they poke up from underground but can be left in the soil, even into winter, until you need them.

TOP: This Sept. 24, 2024, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows tomatoes maturing on the vine on Long Island, N.Y. Tomatoes are considered ripe when they are uniform in color. Jessica Damiano via AP

BOTTOM: This July 3, 2024, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows a zucchini maturing on the vine on Long Island, N.Y. Zucchini are at their most tender when they are 6-8 inches long. Jessica Damiano via AP

IF YOU GO

When: Friday, Aug. 25; doors open 6 p.m., fights start 7 p.m.

Tickets: See venue website for pricing and availability.

Details: www.stampedeclub.net

Venue: The Stampede, 2430 S. Havana St.

scene & herd

Aurora Rhythms: John Depew Trio

The Aurora Rhythms series brings the John Depew Trio to the stage. An accomplished instrumentalist and songwriter, Depew’s original material blends bluegrass, jazz, classical, and traditional folk influences. With a mix of heartfelt storytelling, humor, and grounded wisdom, his high-level musicianship creates a captivating and memorable live experience.

IF YOU GO

When: Aug. 25, 6:30 p..m.

Where: The People’s Building, 9995 E Colfax Ave.

Cost: $10

Tickets: thepeoplesbuilding.com

Phamaly Theatre Company’s Pippin

Step into a world of wonder and self-discovery with one of American theater’s pride and joys: “Pippin.” This musical, from prolific writer Stephen Schwartz, follows the journey of young Pippin as he seeks happiness and fulfillment amidst a troupe of actors who may or may not have his best interests at heart. With unforgettable music, stunning choreography, and themes that resonate across generations, Pippin invites you to explore the joys and challenges of finding your true purpose, your “corner of the sky.” Join Phamaly for a theatrical experience that will inspire, entertain, and leave you believing in the magic of life. The Phamaly Theatre Company exclusively features actors with disabilities. At every performance, you will see actors with all nature of disabilities: physical, cognitive, intellectual, and emotional. PTC gives actors a supportive space to explore and develop their craft, empowers artists within their disability identity, educates the community about access and inclusion, and entertains audiences with high-quality, award-winning theater.

IF YOU GO

When: Aug. 21–24, curtains vary

Where: Kilstrom Theatre at the DCPA in Denver, 1400 Curtis St.

Tickets: $47.20

Details: artscomplex.com

Colorado Combat Club 25 brings pro MMA and Muay Thai action to Aurora

Get ready for a high-octane night of professional fighting as Colorado Combat Club turns out with a stacked card of MMA and Muay Thai bouts at The Stampede in Aurora. Expect nonstop action, knockouts, and skill from fighters ready to leave it all in the cage. Full fight card and ticket details coming soon.

Music in the Park closes summer with That Eighties Band

Step back into the decade of big hair and synth beats as That Eighties Band takes the stage at Painted Prairie Park. This free outdoor concert will have you dancing to hits from The Cure, Madonna, Van Halen, Billy Idol, and more.

Food trucks Los Dos Patrillos, Em’s Ice Cream, and Three Lil’ Lemons will be serving treats from 6 p.m.– 8 p.m. Bring blankets and chairs; leave the park as you found it.

IF YOU GO

When: Aug. 22, 7 p.m.– 9 p.m.

Tickets: Free.

Details: www.eightiesband.net

Place: Painted Prairie Park, 5852 Orleans St.

Art in the Park food and market series at the Aurora Highlands

A fusion of art, shopping, food and community are slated for Sept. 6 at Winged Melody Park as part of a free market in the park series.

Participants are invited to explore other pieces in the huge, open-air gal lery 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. “Every one is welcome to bring their own food and drinks, or get treats from nearby food trucks.” This week’s vendors in clude: The Progressive Pantry, Hooked by Shan, Korf Kreations, Mamas Mon ey My Treats, La Bloom, Corf Coffee Mobile, StephanieH TupperAdvantage, Snowy Leopard Art, Natural Cottage Pantry, Blizzful Beech, Jordan Crafts Co, Mouna’s Boutique.

IF YOU GO

Anne Bonny is a tribute to dark oceanic folklore, queer women’s history, and all the seafaring heroes and sinners who, in equal parts, were damned. CONTENT WARNINGS: Some loud sudden sounds; domestic violence; use of fog machine.

IF YOU GO

Venue: The People’s Building, 9995 E Colfax Ave.

When: Aug. 23, 24, 28-31 and Sept. 4-6 Curtains vary at 2 p.m. or 7 p.m.

Tickets: $18.82-$44.82

Details: www.thepeoplesbuilding.com

Dixie’s Never Wear a Tube Top While Riding a Mechanical Bull…

Dixie Longate is known for her phenomenal success and hilarious antics in her wildly popular show, “Dixie’s Tupperware Party.” In her new hit show, Ms. Longate has reviewers cheering and audiences on their feet with nonstop laughter. Put on your cowboy boots and walk into her favorite honkytonk as Dixie shares lessons learned after a hard night of drinking. What do a jeweled crown, a cardboard cutout of Julie Andrews and a box of moon pies have in common? Spend the night with Dixie and find out as she swaps her Tupperware bowls for a mechanical bull.

IF YOU GO:

When: Aug. 20–Sept. 7

Where: Garner Galleria Theatre,

Tickets: $56.64 - $88.50

Details: artscomplex.com

Tough Love

Love is tough sometimes, and so is letting the tears come out. Timmy Pamintuan: Tough Love is a cabaret experience filled with melancholic melodies and sappy love songs tailored for that late-summer emotional catharsis. The evening invites you to indulge all the feelings. Tissues are on standby.

IF YOU GO

When: Aug. 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Berg-Young Cabaret Stage, Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St. Tickets: $24

Details: www.vintagetheatre.org/

Date: Sept. 6, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m..

Place: Winged Melody Park at Highlands Creek, 24495 E 35th Drive in the Aurora Highlands Tickets: Free Details: theaurorahighlands.com

The Legend of Anne Bonny: A Sapphic Pirate Musical

Anne, an ambitious 18th Century housewife, enters the realm of piracy at the beginning of its very violent end. She runs away on a wanted man’s ship, falls in love with more than her fair share of dubious individuals, and learns that pirates who are captured are forced to betray their kind to live or cling to their legends and die. With a sword at hip and adventure at hand, Anne seems poised to claim everything she has ever wanted, so long as she can avoid a watery grave as well as the hangman’s noose. But Anne’s captain has become the target of a vengeful pirate-turned-hunter. The world whispers around her that those beneath black flags will soon be doomed. And the quiet young man that Anne has desperately (and secretly) fallen for turns out to be no man at all. The Legend of

FLAG’S DAY

After big debut season, girls flag football flourishing in Aurora and around

BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor

The inaugural season of girls flag football as sanctioned by the Colorado High School Activities Association was a big-time success across the board.

Ten Aurora area schools fielded programs in that debut season and even more will be on the field in the 2025 season, as Hinkley is among a double-digit number of programs added throughout the state, which boosts the total number to 74 across the 5A and 4A classifications.

Overland got off to a fast start to the new campaign Aug. 16 with a 32-0 home triumph over Thornton, which gave Olando Mason a victory in his debut as head coach. It was a satisfying victory for those returning players such as Sahniyah Vaughn, who was on the other end of a lopsided defeat last season.

“This one was personal,” Vaughn said. “Last season, they beat us pretty bad so we had to get back this time.”

Vaughn — who said Thornton allowed her to play with them during the summer in a tournaments — made a huge impact on both sides of the field as she did last season on her way to All-Aurora first team and All-Centennial League second team honors on both offense and defense.

A dual threat as a quarterback (who accounted for , Vaughn threw three touchdown passes and found a way to get her hands on the football on defense multiple times with two interceptions, including one that went back to the end zone.

Overland will have to replace the production of Lezlee Napi-

er, who was an All-Aurora first teamer last season and contributed in a variety of areas. In the early going, junior Jalena Flores — formerly of Thomas Jefferson — looks to be key addition. Flores had a pair of interceptions against Thornton, including one she took back to the end zone and another in which had her flag pulled just shy of the goal line, while she caught two scoring passes from Vaughn.

Another key performer on both sides of the ball in the opener for Overland was sophomore Joy Jamison, who provided the offensive highlight of the contest when she broke free from her defender along the sideline and hauled in a perfectly throw deep ball from Vaughn for a touchdown. Jamison also had an interception and nearly more. Mason — a former Arena League player —

“I have a good group of girls who are great athletes and they are really close, so I’m loving it right now,” Mason said.

The only Aurora area program that earned enough votes to make the Colorado High School Activities Association’s preseason top 10 was Regis Jesuit, which debuts at No. 9. The Raiders had massive interest in the sport last season and finished with an 8-9 record and a 5A postseason appearance, which ended with a first round loss to eventual state champion Mountain Vista.

Regis Jesuit has undergone a coaching change in the offseason, as Terry Ellis has taken over for Ben Danecki.

The Raiders certainly have production to replace, especially from leading receiver Catherine Eure, who had 641 yards and nine touchdowns receiving a year ago on her way to first team All-Aurora honors. Senior Delaney Sitzmann took over the quarterback job after a few games last season and threw for

more than 1,300 yards and used a bevy of receivers. Defensively, the Raiders had an unstoppable rusher in Jasmine Lugo, who was the Continental League’s Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman with 37 sacks, which also landed her an All-Aurora first team position

The area’s other state playoff qualifier last season was coach Mark Fisher’s Grandview team, which was one of only two local

around state

programs to finish with a winning record at 9-8. That included a loss to Arvada West — the eventual state runner-up — in the first round of the 5A playoffs.

The Wolves had one of the top two-way threats in the area last season in Brooke Sullivan, who was an All-Aurora first team performer as both a quarterback and defensive back/lienbacker. Vista PEAK Prep finished the inaugural season 4-11, but has

a new outlook this season and a young core that is playing for a new head coach in Marcus Pinillo.

The Bison showed the difference between last season and this season immediately in their season opener against Aurora Central Aug. 19. Shut out in its final two games of last season — and three of its last four — Vista PEAK Prep exploded for a 38-0 victory over Aurora Central, which it lost to by two points last season.

Senior Goretty Vazquez De Leon — last season’s leading receiver and a captain — got off to an outstanding start and appears to be one of the favorite targets of sophomore quarterback Rilee Bergquist, who Pinillo said has a stronger arm than he does and a fiercly competitive nature to match. Against Aurora Centrakl, Bergquist threw the ball all over the place and found De Leon, juniors Joanna Byrd and Oriah Owens (a 1,000-yard rusher last season) and others regularly.

“These girls are amazing athletes, they listen and they get the details,” Pinillo said. “They lost a lot last year, didn’t score a lot last year, so it was a little demoralizing, so getting that pride and hope back for them is big.”

Vazquez De Leon has enjoyed the increased complexity of the Vista PEAK Prep offense, which still has room to grow despite its strong start.

“I think we’re feeling confident,” she said. “We’ve got more plays and we’re getting more comfortable. Everything is looking good.”

In its inaugural season, Rangeview was the only Aurora area team to crack double figures in the win column, as coach Eric Mosley’s team finished 10-5, but fell just shy of a postseason berth. The Raiders had a young core that included All-Aurora first teamer Mia Stanton and will look to build.

FAR LEFT: The Vista PEAK Prep girls flag football team poses for a photograph after a 38-0 road win at Aurora Central to open the 2025 season. The Bison’s victory avenged a two-point loss to the Trojans last season. ABOVE: Vista PEAK Prep senior Goretty Vazquez De Leon (5) skies over an Aurora Central defender to make an acrobatic touchdown catch during the second half of the Bison’s victory. The score didn’t count, but Vazquez De Leon caught another pass in the end zone a short time later. LEFT: Overland senior Sahniya Vaughn (5) slices through the Thornton defense for a big gain during the Trailblazers’ 32-0 home win over the Trojans on Aug. 16. Vaughn threw three touchdown passes and had two interceptions in the season opener. BELOW CENTER: Overland sophomore Joy Jamison heads towards the end zone to finish off a long touchdown catch in the fourth quarter of the Trailblazers’ season-opening victory. (Photos by Courtney Oakes/ Aurora Sentinel)

Aurora West College Prep Academy will be in the third season with Phil Robinson at the helm. The Spartans — who kick off the new season with a home game against Denver West on Aug. 28 — got off to a 3-3 start last season before dropping their last five games to finish 3-8. Among those returning for Aurora West College Prep Academy are three juniors in Maria Gutierrez, Setou Sy and Nevaeah Flores Duran.

The trio combine for nearly all of the team’s offensive production last season as Sy was the team’s leading rusher (692 yards, 5 touchdowns), Guttierez led in receiving (263 yards, 1 touchdown) and Duran was the leading passer (223 yards, 2 touchdowns).

Robinson said the school’s small enrollment creates a challenge in recruiting large numbers, but he started coaching middle school kids this summer and hopes that will lead to more athletes coming out in the fall.

Eaglecrest finished with a 4-10 mark a season ago with a very young roster that could take a step forward this season under Duke Williams. Smoky Hill is coming off a 3-11 campaign under coach Augustine Agyei and will be without standout Kiyah Enoch, who suffered a major injury during track season in the spring. Sophomore Sailor Roth is a versatile threat for the Buffaloes. Aurora Central also was a three-win team a year ago and lost some key contributors to graduation, but junior rusher Naw Moo Sher racked up a whopping 24 sacks last season and provides consitstent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Gateway did not finish a complete season a year ago, but Nick O’Laughlin has come aboard for the new season, while Rico Henderson will try to get the program at Hinkley going after it was unable to generate enough numbers last season.

FOOTBALL

Two Week Zero games kick o season in Aurora

Three Aurora area teams open the 2025 football season with rare Week Zero contests Aug. 21-22.

No area programs were active in Week Zero in 2024, but Grandview, Regis Jesuit and Vista PEAK Prep will get in their first official action this season.

Regis Jesuit is first to take the field, as the Raiders are slated to play host to defending Class 5A state champion Cherry Creek in a 6:30 p.m. contest Aug. 21 at Lou Kellogg Stadium. It will be the sixth straight season in which coach Danny Filleman’s Raiders and Bruins will meet and Cherry Creek has won every contest (regular season or postseason) over that stretch.

At 6:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at Aurora Public Schools Stadium, Vista PEAK Prep will play host to Grandview in a crosstown rematch from last season, when the programs met for the first time. Coach Tom Doherty’s Wolves won the 2024 contest against the Bison, which will play its first game under new head coach Kyle Reese.

WEEK PAST

The week past in Aurora prep sports

MONDAY, AUG. 18: The Smoky Hill softball team had an eight-run rally in the second inning of its season opener against Rock Canyon, but the visiting Jaguars managed two nine-run frames of their own en route to a 24-11 win over the Buffaloes. Nikiah Light, Trea Robinson, Kiley Snyder and Morgan Wilson were credited with two RBI apiece for Smoky Hill, which got two hits each from Snyder, Wilson, Ellen Paris and Ailey Henry The Cherokee Trail boys golf team continued its hot start to the season with a seven-stroke victory in the second Centennial League tournament of the season, which was played at Fox Hollow G.C. Three Cougars shot under par and made the top six in the individual standings, as Brayden Forte’s 7-under 64 took medalist honors, while Dalton Sisneros was second with a 66 and Anthony Chen placed sixth with a 70. Fifth-place Grandview was paced by the eighth-place finish of Sam Silver, while Gregory White shot 69 and took fifth for sixth-place Eaglecrest and Reece Nuwash’s 73 put him in a tie for ninth for seventh-place Smoky Hill Gateway’s Cole Dossey had a solid back nine and held on for a one-stroke victory atop the individual standings at the first Colorado League minor boys golf tournament played at Springhill G.C. The Olys were third in the team standings.

LEFT: Grandview sophomore Sam Silver chips onto the green from an elevated position on Hole No. 1 at Fox Hollow G.C. during the Centennial League boys golf tournament on Aug. 18. Silver finished eighth in the tournament, which was won handily by Cherokee Trail. BELOW: Smoky Hill sophomore Morgan Wilson (17) puts the horns up sign to the dugout after her run-scoring double during the Buffaloes’ season opener against Rock Canyon Aug. 18. Despite an eight-run rally in the second inning, Smoky Hill fell 24-11. (Photos by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)

For more on these stories, visit sentinelcolorado. com/preps

SATURDAY, AUG. 16: The Regis Jesuit softball team opened the season with a split of two games at Valor Christian High School with a victory over the host Eagles and a loss to Holy Family. The Raiders defeated Valor Christian 9-7 in eight innings in a game that saw Alex Tavlarides go the distance and strike out 11 on the mound, while she joined Kendal Craven with two RBI. Elsa Pedersen went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs, while Tavlarides and Craven joined Alexis Colvin and Caitlin Fairchild with two runs apiece. Regis Jesuit then was held without a hit in a 12-0 loss to Holy Family. …Sahniya Vaughn threw three touchdown passes and had one of the two interception returns for touchdowns to help the Overland girls flag football team defeat Thornton 32-0 in the sea-

son opener. Jalena Flores caught two of Vaughn’s touchdown passes (Joy Jamison had the other) and also had a picksix for the Trailblazers, who scored all of their points in the second half. ...FRIDAY, AUG. 15: The Aurora Central softball team dropped its season opener to Mullen 17-2. Stephanie Gomez and Yoselin Reyes Rosales scored the Trojans’ runs. ...THURSDAY, AUG. 14: Gregory White of the Eaglecrest boys golf team edged Cherokee Trail’s Dalton Sisneros by a stroke to win individual honors at the Centennial League’s opening tournament played at Meadow Hills G.C. White fired a 2-under-par 68 to best Sisneros by a stroke, while Brayden Forte shot 71 to finish 3rd and help Cherokee Trail to a 13-stroke win over Cherry Creek in the team standings. Grandview‘s fifth-place finish got help from Carter Guy Hays‘ 10th place finish, while Reece Nuwash tied for fifth with a 72 for Smoky Hill, which finished nine strokes behind Eaglecrest in seventh place. …The Regis Jesuit boys golf team finished as the runner-up of the Angel Invitational played at City Park G.C., as the Raiders had two top-five individuals in Aiden Casey (fourth with a plus-4 74) and Henry Criste (tied for fifth with 75). A split Cherokee Trail squad came in fifth in the six-team field with help from Anthony Garreffa, whose

79 tied him for 14th. ...WEDNESDAY, AUG. 13: The Cherokee Trail boys golf team had a torrid day at Murphy Creek G.C., as the Cougars finished a whopping 20 strokes under par on their way to a nearly double-digit win at the Kent Denver Sun Devil Invitational. Setting the pace for Cherokee Trail was Brayden Forte, who finished with a 12-under 60 that gave him a five-shot victory, while teammate Dalton Sisneros shot 67 and took third and Isaac Paik‘s 69 tied him four fourth. Third in the team standings, Grandview was led by a 2-under 70 from Carter Guy Hays, who tied for seventh place. Regis Jesuit finished in 12th place with its low round coming from Teddy Millen, who shot 77 to tie for 30th. ...TUESDAY, AUG. 12: In a tightly contested Continental League tournament played at Broken Tee G.C., the Regis Jesuit boys golf team finished in a four-way tie for second place, six strokes off the pace set by Heritage. Will Farber carded a 1-under-par 71 for the Raiders to finish in a tie for second place, while Henry Millen’s 75 got him into the top 10 as part of a four-way tie for ninth.

WEEK AHEAD

The week ahead in Aurora prep sports

THURSDAY, AUG. 21: The opening day for all fall prep sports is loaded locally, beginning with the first football contest of the season when Regis Jesuit plays host

to Cherry Creek at 6:30 p.m. at Lou Kellogg Stadium. ...The girls volleyball season tips off with a local matchup as Regis Jesuit plays at Eaglecrest at 6 p.m., while Cherokee Trail also will be at home with a 6:30 p.m. contest against Ralston Valley.

...Local teams will get a look at each other in boys soccer as Vista PEAK Prep plays host to Eaglecrest at 4 p.m., while Smoky Hill pays a visit to Hinkley at 4:30 p.m. ...Two softball contests on the schedule feature Aurora area matchups at 4 p.m. as Rangeview is home to Overland and Vista PEAK Prep visits Regis Jesuit, while Cherokee Trail opens the Metro State Tournament at 11 a.m. against Erie. ...The Aurora City Championship cross country meet returns to the Aurora Sports Park, with the boys varsity race set to open things at 4 p.m., followed by the girls at 4:30 p.m. and open races after that. ...One of the two girls flag football matchups of the day features Aurora Central at home to Rangeview in a 5 p.m. contest. ...FRIDAY, AUG. 22: The lone Week Zero football game of the week is set for 6:30 p.m. at APS Stadium with Vista PEAK Prep home to Grandview. ...A competitive girls volleyball clash has Grandview on the road at Mountain Vista for a 6 p.m. first serve.

...The Cherokee Trail softball team continues play at the Metro State Tournament with a clash against 4A No. 1 Lutheran at 3 p.m. ...The Cheyenne Mountain Stampede cross country meet takes place on the state meet course at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs with Grandview, Lotus School For Excellence and Regis Jesuit entered. The boys race is scheduled for 4:40 p.m. with the girls at 5:20 p.m. ...The Eaglecrest boys tennis team plays host to the annual Tom Moore Invitational tournament, which begins at 8 a.m. and features Cherokee Trail, Grandview and Rangeview as part of the field. The tournament spans two days. ...The Eaglecrest girls flag football team welcomes Regis Jesuit to Legacy Stadium at 5:30 p.m. ... SATURDAY, AUG. 23: The Hinkley and Regis Jesuit girls cross country teams take part in the Washington Park Invitational with a 9 a.m. girls race and 9:30 a.m. boys race. ...The Regis Jesuit girls flag football team plays at Cherry Creek at 10 a.m. ...MONDAY, AUG. 25: The Regis Jesuit field hockey team makes its debut with a 7 p.m. contest at Lou Kellogg Stadium against Dakota Ridge. TUESDAY, AUG. 26: The boys soccer pitch features two area matchups as Aurora Central plays at Vista PEAK Prep and Rangeview at Gateway, each with 4 p.m. kickoffs. ...WEDNESDAY, AUG. 27: The Regis Jesuit boys tennis team — preseason ranked No. 2 in 5A —is headed for a clash with Kent Denver, which is preseason No. 1 in 4A, in a 3:30 p.m. road dual match. ...The Overland gymnastics team plays host to Heritage, Palmer Ridge and Rock Canyon at 5:20 to open the season.

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ADAMS COUNTY, COLORADO NOTICE OF HEARING BY PUBLICATION TO INTERESTED PERSONS AND OWNERS BY DESCENT OR SUCCESSION PURSUANT TO § 15-12-1303, C.R.S. Case No.2025PR030565

In the Matter of the Determination of Heirs or Devisees or Both and of Interests in Property of:

(1) Leonard L. Manasil

(2) Del B. Manasil aka Delma Manasil , Deceased.

To all interested persons and owners by descent or succession (List all names of interested persons and owners by descent or succession):

Gail M. Allison

Catherine Manasil-Phillips

Suzanne L. Marshall Blackwell Energy, LLC

A petition has been filed alleging that the above decedent(s) died leaving the following property (including legal description if real property): Property 1

Description of Property Oil, gas and other minerals

Location of Property Township 3 South, Range 66 West, 6th P.M. Section 3: E/2

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

Date: October 3, 2025

Time: 8:00 a.m.

Courtroom or Division: 1

Address: Probate Court Adams County, Colorado 1100 Judicial Center Dr. Brighton, CO 80601

Note: You must answer the petition on or before the hearing date and time specified above.

Within the time required for answering the petition, all objections to the petition must be in writing, filed with the court and served on the petitioner and any required filing fee must be paid.

The hearing shall be limited to the petition, the objections timely filed and the parties answering the petition in a timely manner. If the petition is not answered and no objections are filed, the court may enter a decree without a hearing.

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BATTERY BAND-SAW

Terms of the sale will be cash, certified check, Visa, American Express, or Mastercard at the conclusion of the sale. The successful bidder will be required to remove all items after the close of the sale. All sales are final WITH NO WARRANTY. Any and all bids can be rejected at the discretion of the City of Aurora.

/s/ Kadee Rodriguez, City Clerk

First Publication: August 14, 2025 Final Publication: August 28, 2025 Sentinel

ADAMS COUNTY DISTRICT COURT, COLORADO

SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION Case #: 2025CV31043

ACF VI Homes, LLC v. Mary Crosby, Henry Crosby, and Persons Unknown, et al THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFEN-

DANT: You are hereby summoned and required to appear and defend, against the claims of the Complaint, filed with the court in this action. The Answer can be filed, by filing with the clerk of this court, an Answer or other response, within 35 days, after the service of this Summons, upon you. Service of this summons shall be complete, on the last day of publication, 09/11/2025. A copy of the Complaint may be obtained, from the clerk of the court.

If you fail to file an Answer or other response to the Complaint, in writing, within 35 days after the date of the last publication, judgment by default may be entered against you, for the relief demanded in the Complaint, without further notice. This is an action for title of a Manufactured home in the County of Adams, State of Colorado, known as 1973 MH, VIN/Serial Number: 17326011780

Attorney for Plaintiff:

First

ARAPAHOE COUNTY

NOTICE OF HEARINGS COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION

PURSUANT TO COLORADO REVISED STATUTES § 39-8-104, Notice is hereby given that the Board of County Commissioners of Arapahoe County, Colorado and/or its designated referees, will sit as the County Board of Equalization (“CBOE”)

to review the assessment roll of all taxable property located in Arapahoe County, as prepared by the County Assessor, and to hear appeals from determinations of the Assessor. Said hearings will be held via video and/or telephone conferencing commencing on or after September 15, 2025 and concluded by the close of business on November 1, 2025. All decisions of the County Board of Equalization will be rendered by November 1, 2025.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO

Joan Lopez, Clerk to the Board By: /s/ Karen Thompsen, Deputy Clerk

Publication: August 21, 2025

Sentinel

BEFORE THE ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

IN THE MATTER OF THE PROMULGATION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF FIELD RULES TO GOVERN OPERATIONS FOR THE NIOBRARA FORMATION, DJ HORIZONTAL NIOBRARA FIELD, ADAMS COUNTY, COLORADO

CAUSE NO. 535

DOCKET NO. 241100285

TYPE: OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT PLAN

SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

TO THE following interested parties:

Arthur R. Hoglund

Estate of Bernice Schuler McKelvey, de-

ceased Charlotte Logsdon

Estate of Elaine A. Rydiger, deceased

Estate of Marvin D. Schuler, deceased

Estate of Minnie M. Manchester Averill, deceased

Estate of John W. Grund, deceased

Estate of L. M. Nelson, deceased

Estate of Lawrence R. Rydiger, deceased

Estate of Margaret Hoglund, deceased

Estate of Walter J. Grund, deceased

Attorneys for Petitioner: Dusty Aldrich Law, LLC

Dusty J. Aldrich, #44572 605 Coral St. Broomfield, CO 80020 Phone: 419-957-0671 Email: aldrichd88@gmail.com

First Publication: August 14, 2025

Final Publication: August 28, 2025 Sentinel

ADAMS COUNTY, DISTRICT COURT COLORADO SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION

ACF VI Homes, LLC v. The Estate of Lina Taylor, and Persons Unknown, et al. Case #: 2025CV031041. Attorney for Plaintiff: Bove Law Offices 1873 S Bellaire St, Ste 1010, Denver, CO 80222. Phone: (303) 756-0500.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANT: You are hereby summoned and required to appear and defend, against the claims of the Complaint, filed with the court in this action. The Answer can be filed, by filing with the clerk of this court, an Answer or other response, within 35 days, after the service of this Summons, upon you. Service of this summons shall be complete, on the last day of publication, 09/18/2025. A copy of the Complaint may be obtained, from the clerk of the court.

If you fail to file an Answer or other response to the Complaint, in writing, within 35 days after the date of the last publication, judgment by default may be entered against you, for the relief demanded in the Complaint, without further notice. This is an action for title of a Manufactured home in the County of Adams, State of Colorado, known as 1973 MH, VIN/Serial Number: GC230604.

First Publication: August 14, 2025

Final Publication: September 11, 2025 Sentinel

Please refer to our “eFiling Users Guidance Book” at https://cogcc.state.co.us/ documents/reg/Hearings/External_Efiling_ System_Users_Guidebook_20201109.pdf for more information. Under Commission Rule 508, if no petition is filed, the Application may be approved administratively without a formal hearing.

If you file a petition, you must be able to participate in a prehearing conference during the week of August 25, 2025, if a prehearing conference is requested by the Applicant or by any person who has filed a petition.

If you fail to file a timely petition, the Commission may enter an order affecting your interests in the Application Lands without further notice. This matter may be continued to a future Commission hearing date, but that does not change your petition deadline.

A copy of the Application may be obtained from the Commission’s eFiling system or Applicant’s attorney.

ENERGY AND CARBON MANAGEMENT COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

By Elias J. Thomas, Hearings Manager

Dated: July 15, 2025.

Energy and Carbon Management Commission 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 801 Denver, Colorado 80203

Website: https://ecmc.colorado.gov/ Phone: (303) 894-2100 Fax: (303) 894-2109

Attorneys for Applicant: Jamie L. Jost Kelsey H. Wasylenky Jost Energy Law, P.C. 3511 Ringsby Court, Unit 103 Denver, CO 80216 720-446-5620 jjost@jostenergylaw.com kwasylenky@jostenergylaw.com

First Publication: July 24, 2025

Final Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel

DISTRICT COURT, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO NOTICE OF HEARING BY PUBLICATION Case Number: 2025PR358

To Interested Persons and Unknown Father In the Matter of Guardianship of: Amir Amari Duarte, Minor Child

To the Respondent(s): Unknown Father

You are hereby summoned and may appear and respond to the Application filed with the Commission in this docket. Pursuant to Sections 34-60-101 – 130, C.R.S., Bison IV Operating, LLC (Operator No. 10670) (“Bison” or “Applicant”), filed an Application for an order to approve an approximate 5,749.64-acre Oil and Gas Development Plan for the development and production of 18 total horizontal wells, to be developed from one new Oil and Gas Location on the below-described lands (“Application Lands”) (the “Friendly Skies OGDP”):

Township 3 South, Range 65 West, 6th

P.M.

Section 4: SW1/4

Section 5: S1/2

Section 6: S1/2

Section 7: All

Section 8: All

Section 9: All

Section 10: All

Township 3 South, Range 66 West, 6th

P.M.

Section 1: S1/2

Section 2: S1/2

Section 3: SE1/4

Section 10: E1/2

Section 11: All

Section 12: All

Surface Location:

747 Pad: approximately 18.24-acres in the W½NW¼ of Section 8, Township 3 South, Range 65 West, 6th P.M., City of Aurora, Adams County, Colorado.

Nearby Public Crossroads: C.R. 64 & Jackson Gap St.

The Commission scheduled this matter for hearing on:

Dates: September 24, 2025

Time: 9:00 a.m.

Place: Virtual Hearing with Remote Access via Zoom

To participate virtually navigate to https:// ecmc.state.co.us/#/home and locate the Zoom meeting link on the left side of the webpage.

Energy and Carbon Management Commission The Chancery Building 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 801 Denver, Colorado 80203

To oppose the Application, you must file a written petition with the Commission pursuant to Commission Rule 507. You must file your protest on or before August 25, 2025. Please see Commission Rule 507 at https://ecmc.colorado.gov/ , under “Regulation,” then select “Rules.” Please note that, under Commission Rule 510.l, the deadline for petitions may only be continued for good cause, even if the hearing is continued beyond the date that is stated above. Pursuant to Commission Rule 507, if you do not file a proper petition, the Hearing Officer will not know that you wish to formally participate in this matter and the date and time of the hearing may change without additional notice to you. Parties wishing to file a petition must register online at https://oitco.hylandcloud.com/ DNRCOGExternalAccess/Account/Login. aspx and select “Request Access to Site.”

LEGAL NOTICE - C106, C111, D102, F104, L127

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SELF STORAGE AUCTION OF TENANT’S PERSONAL PROPERTY

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to the person herein after named and to all whom it may concern. The contents of the following units are subject to our lien for non-payment of rent and other charges.

You are denied access to your unit. You can redeem such goods on or before 3pm on 9/5/2025. The goods you have stored after this time will be sold at auction to the highest bidder. The auction will run several days before and up to the date of the auction and will be held ONLINE at www. storageauctionsolutions.com. The facility/ auctioneer reserves the right to cancel a sale at any time for any reason.

Angela Rachel Caulfield, Units C106, C111, D102, F104, L127 - furniture, misc household goods

Auctioneer: Storage Auction Solutions; www.storageauctionsolutions.com

Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel

LEGAL NOTICE - K112/119 ROCKY MOUNTAIN SELF STORAGE AUCTION OF TENANT’S PERSONAL PROPERTY

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to the person herein after named and to all whom it may concern. The contents of the following units are subject to our lien for non-payment of rent and other charges.

You are denied access to your unit. You can redeem such goods on or before 3pm on 8/29/2025. The goods you have stored after this time will be sold at auction to the highest bidder. The auction will run several days before and up to the date of the auction and will be held ONLINE at www. storageauctionsolutions.com. The facility/ auctioneer reserves the right to cancel a sale at any time for any reason.

Luis Puente, Unit K112/119 - speakers, misc automotive and household goods

Auctioneer: Storage Auction Solutions; www.storageauctionsolutions.com

Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE REVOCATION OF POWER OF ATTORNEY

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

A Petition for Appointment of Guardian for the minor child has been filed in the court. A hearing on the Petition will be held at the following date, time, and location:

Date of Hearing: September 10, 2025

Time of Hearing: 3:00 PM

Location: Arapahoe County District Court, 7325 S. Potomac Street, Centennial, CO 80112

The purpose of this hearing is to determine whether a guardian should be appointed for the above-named minor.

If you wish to object to the appointment or wish to participate in this hearing, you must appear at the hearing or file a response with the court prior to the hearing date.

First Publication: August 7, 2025

Final Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel

DISTRICT COURT, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO NOTICE OF HEARING Case No. 2025JA16

In the Matter of the Petition of: Samuel Palatasa Fifita

For the Adoption of a Child: Tonga Heima’imoa Valentine Vailahi

To: John Doe

Pursuant to §19-5-208, C.R.S., you are hereby notified that the above-named Petitioner(s) has/have filed in this Court a verified Petition seeking to adopt a child.

If applicable, an Affidavit of Abandonment has been filed alleging that you have abandoned the child for a period of one year or more and/or have failed without cause to provide reasonable support for the child for one year or more.

You are further notified that an Adoption hearing is set on September 25, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. in the court location identified above.

You are further notified that if you fail to appear for said hearing, the Court may terminate your parental rights and grant the adoption as sought by the Petitioner(s).

First Publication: August 21, 2025

Final Publication: September 18, 2025 Sentinel

Notice is hereby given that the undersigned Sandra Merchetti (DOB March 18, 1988), (SS# 521-75-5299, whose address is 13771 E. Lehigh Ave., Apt A, Aurora, Colorado 80014, does hereby REVOKE, CANCEL AND EXTINGUISH any and all Powers of Attorney heretofore executed by me, including but not limited to that certain Power of Attorney granted to Timothy Brand (sometimes called Tim) on or about June 2021. est.

Effective as of the date set forth below, said Power of Attorney(s) are of no force and effect and any person or entity presented with a copy of such Powers of Attorney is hereby directed to not honor same.

This Revocation of Power of Attorney has been served on said Timothy Brand. Executed and Effective this 1st day of July 2025.

/s/ Sandra Marchetti /s/ Rebecca Michelle Witness

Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE OF FINAL PAYMENT

NOTICE is hereby given that Sky Ranch Community Authority Board of Arapahoe County, Colorado, will make final payment at 2001 16th St Suite 1700 Denver, CO 80202, on or after July 11, 2025, to the following:

Bemas Construction, Inc. 80 Inverness Drive East Englewood, CO 80112

For all work done by said Contractor in construction or work on Sky Ranch Neighborhood A&D Grading and performed for the Sky Ranch Community Authority Board in the County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado.

Any person, co-partnership, association of persons, company or corporation that has furnished labor, materials, team hire, sustenance, provisions, provender, or other supplies used or consumed by such contractors, their subcontractors or suppliers, in or about the performance of the work contracted to be done or that supplies rental machinery, tools or equipment to the extent used in the prosecution of the work, and whose claim therefore has not been paid by the contractors or their subcontractors, at any time up to and including the time for final settlement for the work contracted to be done, is required to file a verified statement of the amount due and unpaid, and an account of such claim to: The Connextion Group, LLC 4785 Tejon Street, Suite 101 Denver, CO 80211, on or before the date and time herein above shown for final payment.

Failure on the part of any claimant to file such verified statement of claim prior to such final settlement will release the Sky Ranch Community Authority Board, its directors, officers, agents, consultants, and employees, of and from any and all liability for such claim. BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS SKY RANCH COMMUNITY

and particularly to the electors of the Prairie Point Metropolitan District Nos. 1, 2, and 3 of Arapahoe County, Colorado. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Section 32-1-808, C.R.S., that a

currently exists on

of the boards of directors of the Prairie Point Metropolitan District Nos. 1, 2, and 3 (“Districts”). Any qualified, eligible elector of the Districts interested in filling such vacancies and serving on any of the boards of directors should file a Letter of Interest with the boards of directors of the Districts on or before the close of business on September 1, 2025, at the District Management office. Forms of Letters of Interest are available and can be obtained from Prairie Point Metropolitan District Nos. 1, 2, and 3, c/o Catherine Will at McGeady Becher Cortese Williams P.C., 450 E. 17th Avenue, Suite 400, Denver, Colorado 80203, (303) 592-4380.

PRAIRIE POINT METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NOS. 1, 2, AND 3 By:/s/ MaryAnn M. McGeady Attorney for the District

Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel

VEHICLES FOR SALE 1997 Subaru outback green 652416 2016 Chevy Cruz red 214981 Garlitos Towing 720-404-4583

Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30473

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.

Case No. 2025PR30721

Susan Lee Thomas aka Susan aka Susan Thomas, Deceased.

having claims against the above-named estate are required to presthe Personal Representative or District Court of Arapahoe County, on or before December 21, claims may be forever barred.

Suzanne L. Suter

Personal Representative 10730 Mount Antero Way Parker, CO 80138

Publication: August 21, 2025

Publication: September 4, 2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30721

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.

Case No. 2025PR30731

Estate of Alison A. Stephens aka Alison Ann Stephens aka Alison Stephens, 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 December 7, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Attorneys for the Estate of Roxanne Cheryl Harper 921 Walnut Street, Suite 200 Boulder, CO 80302

303-442-6514

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

Estate of Susan Lee Thomas aka Susan L. Thomas aka Susan Thomas, 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 December 21, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Suzanne L. Suter

Wendy Stephens

Personal Representative 10730 Mount Antero Way Parker, CO 80138

Personal Representative 20257 E. College Place Aurora, CO 80013

First Publication: August 21, 2025

Final Publication: September 4, 2025 Sentinel

Attorney for Personal Representative

Bette Heller, Esq.

First Publication: August 21, 2025

Atty. Reg. #: 10521

Final Publication: September 4, 2025 Sentinel

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.

Case No. 2025PR349

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30731

Estate of Alison A. Stephens aka Alison Ann Stephens aka Alison Stephens, 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 December 7, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Wendy Stephens

Personal Representative 20257 E. College Place Aurora, CO 80013

Attorney for Personal Representative

Bette Heller, Esq.

Atty. Reg. #: 10521

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

19671 E. Euclid Dr., Centennial, CO 80016

Phone: 303-690-7092

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

Sharon A. Scholle, Deceased. having claims against the above-named estate are required to presthe Personal Representative or District Court of Arapahoe County, on or before September 15, claims may be forever barred. Lana J. Corbin

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR349

First Publication: August 7, 2025

Final Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.

Case No. 2025PR30532

Estate of Grant Thomas Hilti aka Grant T. Hilti aka Grant Hilti, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.

Estate of Sharon A. Scholle, 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 15, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Lana J. Corbin

Personal Representative 16721 E. Prentice Cir. Centennial, CO 80015

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 December 21, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Publication: August 7, 2025 Publication: August 21, 2025

Kelly Lee Beaver Personal Representative

Case No. 2025PR30737

Estate of AUDREY MUCZYNSKI-FRASER AKA AUDREY MUCZYNSKI AKA

Personal Representative 16721 E. Prentice Cir. Centennial, CO 80015

AUDREY A. FRASER AKA AUDREY M FRASER AKA AUDREY MUCZYNSKI AKA

AUDREY FRASER, Deceased.

c/o HUTCHINSON BLACK AND COOK, LLC

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2024PR31095 James Neal Wise, Deceased. having claims against the estate are required to pres-

Attorneys for the Estate of Grant Thomas Hilti 921 Walnut Street, Suite 200 Boulder, CO 80302

303-442-6514

First Publication: August 7, 2025 Final Publication: August 21, 2025

Sentinel

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 December 14, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2024PR31095

Estate of James Neal Wise, Deceased.

James P. Scott

First Publication: August 21, 2025

Final Publication: September 4, 2025 Sentinel

the Personal Representative or District Court of Arapahoe County, or before August 21, 2025, or may be forever barred.

Personal Representative 8193 S. Trenton Way Centennial, CO 80112

Attorneys for Personal Representative

Charles E. Rounds

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

Jessica Bower

Atty Reg #: 37786

Abigail L. Schwarz

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.

Personal Representative 5686 S. Malta St. Centennial, CO 80015

Atty Reg #: 59295

Case No. 2025PR30717

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 21, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Jessica Bower

Kirch Rounds & Bowman, P.C.

Estate of Patrick Jessie Smith aka Patrick J. Smith aka Patrick Smith, Deceased.

Personal Representative Kinney 45881 Office Interlocken Crescent, Ste. 350 CO 80021 303-386-4328

Marketplace Tower II 3025 S. Parker Rd., Ste. 820 Aurora, CO 80014

All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Denver County, Colorado, on or before December 5, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Ruby Smith

Publication: August 7, 2025 Publication: August 21, 2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

Phone: 303-671-7726

Personal Representative 5686 S. Malta St. Centennial, CO 80015

Attorney for Personal Representative Benjamin Kinney

Atty Reg #: 45881

First Publication: August 14, 2025

Final Publication: August 28, 2025 Sentinel

Kinney Law Office 390 Interlocken Crescent, Ste. 350 Broomfield, CO 80021

Phone: 303-386-4328

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

Personal Representative 19123 Gettysburg Valley Dr. Katy, TX 77449

First Publication: August 7, 2025

Final Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30784

Estate of Kirsten T. Cashion, Deceased.

Attorney for Personal Representative

David A. Imbler

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.

Case No. 2025PR261

Atty Reg #: 52038 Spaeth & Doyle, LLP

501 S. Cherry St., Ste. 700 Glendale, CO 80246

Allison P. Klein, Deceased.

Phone: 843-452-8946

having claims against the estate are required to pres-

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

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 December 8, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

First Publication: August 7, 2025

the Personal Representative or District Court of Arapahoe County, on or before December 11, claims may be forever barred.

Final Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel

Christopher P. Klein

Personal Representative 1774 S. Pagosa Way Aurora, CO 80017

Publication: August 21, 2025 Publication: September 4, 2025

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR261

Estate of Allison P. Klein, Deceased.

Matthew L. Moodhe

Personal Representative One Overlook Point, Ste. 590 Lincolnshire, IL 60069

First Publication: August 7, 2025

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 December 11, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Christopher P. Klein

Final Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel

Personal Representative 1774 S. Pagosa Way Aurora, CO 80017

First Publication: August 21, 2025

Final Publication: September 4, 2025 Sentinel

DISTRICT COURT, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, STATE OF COLORADO CONSOLIDATED NOTICE OF PUBLICATION

ACTIONS FILED IN THIS COURT UNDER THE “UNIFORM DISSOLUTION JURISDICTION” ACTS, due diligence has been used to obtain personal service no avail; therefore, publication has been ordered: TYPE OF ACTION

from

19671 E. Euclid Dr., Centennial, CO 80016

Phone: 303-690-7092

First Publication: August 7, 2025

Final Publication: August 21, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30737

Estate of AUDREY MUCZYNSKI-FRASER AKA AUDREY MUCZYNSKI AKA

AUDREY A. FRASER AKA AUDREY M

FRASER AKA AUDREY MUCZYNSKI AKA

AUDREY FRASER, 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 December 14, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

James P. Scott

Personal Representative 8193 S. Trenton Way Centennial, CO 80112

Attorneys for Personal Representative

Charles E. Rounds

Atty Reg #: 37786

Abigail L. Schwarz

Atty Reg #: 59295

Kirch Rounds & Bowman, P.C.

Marketplace Tower II 3025 S. Parker Rd., Ste. 820 Aurora, CO 80014

Phone: 303-671-7726

First Publication: August 14, 2025

Final Publication: August 28, 2025

Sentinel

NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION

PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.

Case No. 2025PR30784

Estate of Kirsten T. Cashion, 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 December 8, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.

Matthew L. Moodhe

Personal Representative One Overlook Point, Ste. 590 Lincolnshire, IL 60069

First Publication: August 7, 2025

Final Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT IN THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS FILED IN THIS COURT UNDER THE “UNIFORM DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE” AND “UNIFORM CHILD CUSTODY JURISDICTION” ACTS, due diligence has been used to obtain personal service within the State of Colorado and further efforts would be to no avail; therefore, publication has been ordered: CASE NUMBER NAME TYPE OF ACTION

2025DR000573 Laura Villa De Holguin & Andres Holguin v Jazmin Rivas Guillen & Hector Maldonado Custody

v Jazmin Rivas Guillen & Hector Maldonado Custody

Clerk of the above Court between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.; failure to days of the publication date may result in a default judgment against the

A copy of the Petition and Summons may be obtained from the Clerk of the above Court between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.; failure to respond to this service by publication within thirty-five (35) days of the publication date may result in a default judgment against the non-appearing party.

SHANA KLOEK

CLERK OF THE COURT

7325 S. POTOMAC ST. CENTENNIAL, CO 80112

Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel

from 6

Aurora Public Schools seeks community input on defining success

Aurora Public Schools wants the community to help them define what success looks like across the school district.

“We want to engage, to share our vision and values,” Anne Keke, the president of the Board of Education for Aurora Public Schools, said during a city council meeting this week. “We would like the community to weigh in again, as far as what they would like to see the board work on or monitor for our students and staff next.”

Every five years, APS has been working to find ways to reach out to the community to learn from the community and identify where to set goals and guardrails for the next five years. The school board officials are asking

Colorado,” Carter said. “Our graduation rate is exploding.”

Carter said the school district has more recently started tracking students’ early success rates starting in the ninth grade and beyond, and honoring students in their junior and even sophomore years who are on track to graduate on time.

In the presentation, Keke said the school board is monitoring early literacy, which involves examining the percentage of 3rd-grade students in APS-operated schools who are demonstrating grade-level literacy skills based on state assessments.

They are also monitoring the percentage of students graduating in four years, as well as monitoring the percentage of sixth-grade and ninthgrade Hispanic/Latinx and Black students who are on track with their grade level through state assessments and PSATs in the ninth grade.

The school board has also established values for the district through creating expectations for the superintendent, including not being allowed to implement or adopt any program that does not prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“In a sense that the superintendent has to make sure that everyone feels seen and heard, both students and staff and also our families,” Keke said.

The second value requires the superintendent to value the needs of the individual students over the urgency of academic achievement, including the need for art, music, physical education, social-emotional learning and mental health, Keke said.

“The superintendent has to make sure that there is a balance between academic and also the students’ well-being; social, emotional, mental and physical education as well,” Keke said.

In the third value, the superintendent may not propose major decisions to the board without engaging students, parents, the community and staff.

In the fourth value, the superintendent may neither cause nor allow district circumstances for current or prospective students, their parents/ guardians, or community members that are unsafe, undignified, disrespectful, or unnecessarily intrusive or restrictive, according to the presentation.

you’re brought back as a superintendent.”

Although the meeting was focused on promoting the survey, city council members Steve Sundberg and Stephanie Hancock asked to see specific metrics and numbers to show the district’s success, and the school board officials said they would be happy to provide them in the future. The meeting ran out of time before the city council could ask many more questions.

— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer

COPS AND COURTS

Police seek public’s help in identifying Subaru driver in fatal Aurora crash

Police are asking for the public’s help identifying the driver of a Subaru Forester who investigators say struck and killed a motorcyclist in a hit-andrun crash earlier this month in northwest Aurora.

Officers were called to the intersection of Dayton Street and East 12th Avenue at about 6:15 p.m. Aug. 9 after reports of a crash involving a car and a motorcycle, Aurora police said in a statement Monday.

“An Aurora911 caller told dispatchers one of the involved vehicles sped away from the scene,” Moylan said. The motorcycle rider, later identified by the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office as 65-year-old Harvey Davis of Aurora, was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. He died from his injuries three days later.

Investigators determined Davis was northbound on Dayton when a 2003 Subaru Forester traveling east on East 12th Avenue ran a stop sign and collided with him. The car was later found abandoned nearby and confiscated.

Police said they have no suspect so far and are asking the public for help in identifying the person who was driving the car at the time of the collision.

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

/S/Kevin Beckman

the community to tell them what they want to see from their students going forward.

Last year, Aurora voters approved a groundbreaking billion-dollar bond measure, which continued a mill rate that was ending, resulting in no additional taxation for taxpayers.

“We passed a generational bond, and part of that generational bond was our willingness and our commitment to speaking with all members of the community,” Michael Carter, vice president of the school board, said. “Aurora is the most diverse city in the state of Colorado. Some communities are harder to get to, and so part of that survey is to get that perspective.”

Carter and Keke presented to the Aurora City Council on Monday during the study session to ask them to help spread their survey.

“The best way to get accountability is to ask our population exactly what they want us to do, and then do it,” Car-

ter said.

/S/Kevin Beckman

In the presentation, the school board officials said that the school district is home to more than 38,000 students and more than 4,700 employees. Their students speak more than 160 languages, with 42% being multilingual learners. 74.6% of those students are on free or reduced lunch plans.

The Aurora Public School District has 59 schools and four programs, which include five child development centers, 20 elementary schools, nine preschool through eighth-grade/ kindergarten through eighth-grade schools, five middle schools, one sixth through twelfth-grade academy, five high schools, four magnet schools, two magnet high schools, one vocational/ technical college, nine charter schools, one online program and one home school support program.

“I can tell you at this point, we are one of the few cities or school districts that are actually growing in the State of

“Making sure that the superintendent ensures that our parents, our students, feel safe, dignified, respected and welcome in our buildings, and that we monitor that as well by way of survey once a year,” Keke said.

In the fifth value, the superintendent will not allow the retention rate of Black and Hispanic/Latino educators to drop significantly below the retention rate of all educators in the schools.

“We want to make sure that our staff reflects the population of students that we educate, and so we make sure that the superintendent does not allow the retention rate of black and brown educators to be significantly low,” Keke said.

These values, which are limitations for the superintendent, are one way the school board will decide the future of the superintendent.

“Those results and limitations are how we determine whether or not we go forward with this superintendent in this contract,” Carter said. “On the simplest basis of these are the metrics. This is how we’re going to determine whether or not you’re doing your job, and if you cannot complete those metrics, then that’s going to impact whether or not

Driver cited in deadly Aurora crash involving woman using walker on Havana Street

Aurora police say a motorist has been cited for careless driving in connection with a July 29 crash that killed a 72-year-old woman using a walker.

Police said Aug. 14 that Yosmar Chavez Rodriguez, 28, was issued a summons for careless driving resulting in death.

Officers were called to South Havana Street and East Jewell Avenue July 29 after a report of an auto-pedestrian collision.

Investigators said the unidentified woman was pushing a walker across Jewell when she fell while trying to cross through a hole in the pavement in front of a GMC pickup stopped at the red light.

“The truck then turned right onto Havana and ran over her,” police said in a statement.

Investigators said the woman was not in a crosswalk at the time. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died from injuries sustained in the crash.

The driver stayed at the scene.

—Sentinel Staff

Aurora’s success in endangered by subverting city equity commission

Under the ruse of saving city budget dollars and promoting efficiency, Aurora lawmakers last week recklessly agreed to silence one of the city’s most important voices.

By voting 6-4 to dissolve the decades-old Aurora Human Relations Commission, council members claimed they were saving staff time and taxpayer money. In reality, they eliminated one of Aurora’s most trusted forums for dialogue, education, and community-building at a time when the city is under fire for its police department abusing people of color and glaring racism is gushing in from the Trump administration under the absurd guise of ending equity to create equity.

While it is true that Aurora faces a $6 million budget shortfall, the HRC’s annual cost of $9,000 and two hours of staff time per month is a pittance compared to the loss of trust, inclusion, and civic connection that comes with its dissolution.

For decades, the commission has been a lifeline for communities too often left out of the civic process, including people of color, immigrants, veterans, children and the LGBTQ+ community.

Hundreds of thousands of Aurora residents have found support and benefited through the commission’s work.

It was this commission that led Aurora through a long, long list of racial controversies, including children of color being ostracized at a skating rink, Black teens wearing hoodies being harassed by police because they were Black teens wearing hoodies, Black shoppers being harassed at local malls, and Muslims and Arab-Americans harassed even long after the Sept. 11 attacks. More recently, the HRC and others helped manage a wave of anti-Asian American harassment created by then-President Donald Trump and others referring to the COVID-19 pandemic as the “China Flu.”

To characterize such a commission as “redundant” is to misunderstand its purpose entirely.

Unlike other boards focused on parks, golf courses, or business development, the HRC serves as a moral compass for a city as diverse as Aurora.

The Aurora HRC has been the city’s mediator during some of Aurora’s most fraught moments.

This commission is not redundant. It is relevant, just as much now as ever.

The shortsighted decision to dismantle the HRC risks signaling to Aurora’s communities that diversity, equity, and inclusion are expendable luxuries rather than foundational principles. In one of Colorado’s most multicultural cities, where more than 160 languages are spoken in local schools, where immigrant families and refugees have long sought opportunity and safety, the absence of a civic, independent body dedicated to bridging divides creates not just a gap, but a void.

This critical commission isn’t just a complaints department. The HRC has long been a place where the voices of people too often overlooked, ignored or disrespected are amplified for everyone in the city to hear. The commission serves as a barometer for the endless storms of racism, racial profiling and inequity that are always on the horizon.

This decision is not about saving money. This is part of a larger and growing effort to undermine the successes created by education provided through diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The DEI programs in the city and the community are not just about celebrating differences, they are about building resilience. Cities that invest in inclusion reap dividends in public safety, education, economic development, and civic participation.

Cutting DEI programs as a political movement to create “true” fairness and save money creates a false economy. On paper, such programs may seem expensive or controversial, but they are actually investments in better governance, stronger institutions and united communities.

Opponents argue that DEI somehow promotes division or undermines merit. Research consistently shows that inclusion strengthens meritocracy by expanding the talent pool and enriching discussion. Justice and performance are not mutually exclusive. They are mutually reinforcing.

And when residents feel heard, they are more likely to trust institutions, obey laws, and contribute to the common good. When people feel ignored or dismissed, frustration festers into division.

Aurora, with its long history of racial tension and its recent struggles to restore faith in the police department and city institutions, cannot afford to make issues surrounding diversity an afterthought.

This decision is not final. Aurora residents still have the brief opportunity to speak and to insist that the Human Relations Commission be retained.

Community voices can rise above political malfeasance.

End corporate welfare with state cuts

While for a family that kind of money can be life-changing, at the state level it’s a drop in the swimming pool. Earlier this year the legislature approved a budget of $43.9 billion, which, if you do the math, amounts to around $7,300 for every person in the state, or over $29,000 for a family of four. Seems like a lot! And remember, that state spending is on top of federal, county, and city spending.

But, due largely to “Big Beautiful” changes in federal taxation and spending and Colorado Democrats pushing state spending to the limits, now Governor Jared Polis has called for a special session to cut another $800 million or so from the state budget. That’s nearly a 2% cut. (Incidentally, my household recently had to make much larger percentage cuts.)

Although waving around a chainsaw like Argentina’s Javier Milei or Elon Musk makes for good theater, usually government budgets are best approached carefully with a scalpel. But there’s one area where the legislature should bring out the chainsaw: corporate welfare. True, corporate welfare consumes a relatively small part of the state budget, which is overwhelmed by education and Medicaid spending. Still, it’s the most obvious place to start.

As Independence Institute’s Dave Kopel pointed out in a recent law review article and related summary, the state constitution flatly bans corporate welfare—and the legislature and the courts flagrantly violate those provisions.

The Colorado Constitution states, “Neither the state, nor any county, city, town, township, or school district shall make any donation or grant to, or in aid of, or become a subscriber to, or shareholder in any corporation or company or a joint owner with any person, company, or corporation. . . .”

Yet, as Kopel writes, “The Colorado Supreme Court, however, has usurped for itself the power of constitutional amendment. Today, the Court does not enforce the text of the anti-corporate welfare sections of the Colorado Constitution. . . . Instead, according to the court, all corporate welfare is permissible whenever the legislature rationally believes that the welfare might have some beneficial effects.”

The term “rationally” here does not mean what it means in real life. In real life, the term “rational” means that you think logically and in accordance with the evidence. But we’re dealing with lawyers, who are notoriously capable of turning plain language into gibberish. In the legal context, “rational” refers to something like “any conceivable pretext, however ridiculous.” In reality, there is no rational basis for threatening to lock people in a cage if they do not subsidize politically favored businesses.

Turning to the state budget, the “long bill” is so huge that it is not presented on the legislature’s web site as a single document, like other bills. Instead, Senate Bill 25206 includes, among other things, 23 “operating agency budgets,” 4 “capital construction” items, and 11 “add-ons.” Here I want to focus on the section for the governor’s office.

In this portion of the bill we find total expenditures of

$545 million, including $53 million from the general fund. We can talk about other ways to trim this portion of the budget; for example, does the governor really need 44 full-time employees to manage his office, and do we really need to spend over a half-million dollars on the lieutenant governor’s office?

Here, though, I want to focus on the section on “economic development programs,” which consume over $60 million dollars. Some of this seems okay; for example, “Colorado Welcome Centers” spend $766,000, including $250,000 from the general fund. But most of this is corporate welfare and so should be cut.

Administration alone consumes $2.6 million, including $1.8 million from the general fund. The “Colorado Office of Film, Television, and Media” spends $1.3 million, including $743,000 from the general fund. This is the sort of bullshit government office that should not exist. It is morally wrong, as well as a violation of the Colorado Constitution, to tax hardworking Coloradans to subsidize such nonsense.

“Colorado Promotion—Other Program Costs” runs up $18.7 million, including $3.8 million from the general fund. “Destination Development Program,” whatever in the hell that is, runs up another million, including a half-million from the general fund. And the “Economic Development Commission—General Economic Incentives and Marketing,” spends $6.2 million, nearly all of which is from the general fund. This program is, again, not only illegal according to a plain reading of the Colorado Constitution, but immoral.

Look, I understand that the recipients of the funds, and the bureaucrats dispersing them, can make a case that they’re doing something beneficial with the funds. But this ignores two points. First, collecting funds for such purposes at the point of a gun—and, yes, ultimately state government literally is threatening to send out armed agents to collect the money—is wrong. Second, as Bastian pointed out back in 1850, we have to look at the unseen costs of the spending, what today we’d call the opportunity costs, not just the political purposes to which the funds are put.

Insofar as these funds promote tourism, I say let the tourism industry buy their own ads, just like every other type of business does. If you want to spend your own money to promote Colorado tourism, be my guest! Just don’t threaten to lock other Coloradans in a cage for declining to do so.

Eliminating corporate welfare is both a constitutional and moral imperative. We will soon see whether Colorado legislators take their oaths of office and basic moral principles seriously.

ARI ARMSTRONG, GUEST COLUMNIST