Sentinel Colorado 3.2.2023

SMALLER BITES

The end of food subsidies for thousands in Aurora and across the state make a bad inflation problem worse

Convenient locations, including one close to your home

Other Providers are available in our network. Provider may also contract with other plan sponsors. Important! At Humana, it is important you are treated fairly. Humana Inc. and its subsidiaries comply with applicable Federal Civil Rights laws and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, ancestry, marital status or religion. ATTENTION: If you do not speak English, language assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Call 1-855-205-7829 (TTY: 711). Español (Spanish): ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingü.stica. Llame al 1-844-346-2176 (TTY: 711).

Colorado GOP won’t hide its crazy, it gathers to elect it as chairperson

It’s time to wave bye-bye either to reality or the new Republican Party.

“Wave bye-bye” is a euphemism for shoo-ing the scary crazy political types off the stage, out of the room and, with luck, out of town.

As an editor, it’s customary to side with political decisions or directions and the individual politicians who make those calls. I can assure you, however, for a mainstream journalist to warn everyone that an entire political party has become a danger to the wellbeing of the party itself, and the state, just doesn’t happen. Even more rare? Republicans themselves are saying the same unnerving thing.

The word local life-long Republicans all agree on in talking about the folks at the head of the GOP parade is “crazy.”

In fact, “scary crazy” is what one local GOP stalwart said about most of those primed to become the next leader of the Colorado Republican Party.

That job is currently up for grabs, and grabbing at it are state GOP sideshow circus stars like Tina Peters and former state Rep. Kevin Lundberg.

Like GOP Congressperson Lauren Boebert, Peters, the former Mesa County clerk, practically made herself one of the nation’s most flamboyant whacks over the past two years.

Peters went even further than just offering up full-time crazy talk. She actually walked the walk, right into a secure server room back in 2020. There, she helped to hand over secret voting machine codes to another crazy Trump supporter and voting conspiracy theorist.

As a reward, Peters now faces seven felony charges connected to the stunt.

Rather than offering to take the walk of shame off the political stage to await her criminal trial, Peters last year ran for Colorado secretary of state, coming in third in a three-way primary election last year.

She’s continued to make the political TV and extremist radio circuit, insisting that the criminal charges against her are just politically motivated, even though they were lodged by a Republican district attorney.

During a debate in Parker last week among six Republicans vying to become state GOP chairperson, Peters laid out her strategy to avoid prison, assume control of the Republican Party and lead the herd to power in Colorado.

“There’s no way a jury of 12 people is going to put me in prison,” Peters said with a sly smile to the crowd of Republican faithful, according to an Associated Press story. Nice.

Straight from the Trump playbook of Diversionary Chaos and Corruption, criminals are only guilty if the lawyers run out of appeals or interest, Peters argues.

While Peters is, currently, the only candidate for state GOP chairperson facing criminal election charges, her five running mates also have a variety of past statements credited to them implying or outright insisting that the 2020 Presidential Election was stolen from Donald Trump.

Other than Aurora veteran Erik Aadland — who ran unsuccessfully for Aurora’s 6th Congressional District seat last fall against incumbent Democrat Jason Crow — the

candidates represent an extremism that belies the sense and sensibilities of conservatism.

Way back in the day, like five years ago or so, a GOP extremist would have stumped for a flat-tax rate, school vouchers and deregulating taxi services.

Those issues are the daydreams of woke Republicans now.

Welcome to 2023 where most of the Colorado GOP party chief hopefuls want to end mail-ballot elections, because they believe they cheated Trump out of a second term. The Second Amendment, for these people, means “shall not be infringed,” like the infringement in Colorado, unenforced in crazy-GOP strongholds like Colorado Springs, created to keep guns out of the hands of mentally ill people.

Schools boasting copies of the Ten Commandments and holding morning prayers? You betcha.

Schools boasting AP African American History and transgender bathrooms? Oh hell no.

These are people who aren’t offended by Colorado Christian Nationalist Congressperson Lauren Boebert’s repeated push for Talibanning the United States during the “last days” and for other loopy evangelical fascists to “rise up,” like they did at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Boebert’s sister-from-another-mother, Georgia total-piece-of-work and GOP Congressperson Marjorie Taylor Greene, has recently taken her GOP extremism even further. Greene is saying that she’s not calling for civil war — wink, wink, nudge, nudge — but a “national divorce” from “woke” Americans who insist on stuff like forcing police to stop indiscriminately killing Black people.

In a better world, not a perfect one, normal Republicans would just say “none of the above” and insist the GOP hide their crazy and not make it the face of their party.

Rather than shake their heads and turn away, it’s time for your father’s Republicans to return to the scene of the crimes and push for the return of conservatives, not extremists, to govern the party again.

Otherwise, the dwindling number of elected Republicans will dwindle further, and those remaining will sing raving duets with Boebert or Peters.

DAVE PERRY Editor

Candidate for the Colorado Republican Party chair position Tina Peters, left, jokes with fellow candidate Dave Williams during a debate sponsored by the Republican Women of Weld, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, at a pizza restaurant in Hudson, Colo. AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Editorials Sentinel

Allowing APD to hire liars undermines its goal in weeding them out

Apolice department decimated by seemingly endless stories of drunken, lying, physically abusive, racist, discredited cops wants to make it easier to hire people to be cops who have been caught or convicted of some of those behaviors.

What could go wrong?

While the notion on some levels doesn’t ring the alarm bells as one of the worst ideas ever, there’s no getting away from the fact that Aurora police just cannot avoid the appearance of being one of the nation’s law enforcement dumpster fires.

Although it seems that some city and police leaders have forgotten, the Aurora Police Department has been forced into a bevy of reforms, which must be supervised and guaranteed by the Colorado Attorney General.

An investigation by state AG officials determined that Aurora police have shown “patterns and practices” of police abusing members of the public and then working to hide multiple instances of that abuse from the public.

In short, for years, Aurora police have egregiously indulged in a lack of accountability and transparency.

Elijah McClain was killed at the hands of Aurora police and medics, and some of those officers are charged with his murder. The police department obscured an incident involving a cop so drunk in his police car that he passed out and had to be rescued by fellow officers.

A current top commander became intertwined in a domestic violence and divorce incident involving another Aurora police officer. Together, they violated police department regulations and principles. The commander was not only absolved by an interim police chief, but promoted.

This is a police department that arguably requires federal intervention to stop the onslaught of perversion of the need to serve and protect.

These repeated gaffes and crimes not only make the public fearful and suspicious, but all of this impugns the hundreds of Aurora police officers who exhibit integrity and professionalism with every shift they work.

Just last week, police revealed that an officer likely used excessive force while trying to subdue a Black man inside a local hospital — in August of last year. In a video posted Friday by police, an Aurora officer suddenly slams a handcuffed man to the ground causing the man’s head to bleed while leading him out of the hospital.

After releasing the video and announcing an internal investigation into the incident, police officials announced that they were changing APD procedures by being transparent about such startling events.

The announcement only draws unwanted attention back to the department’s problems with credibility and transparency because the police chief leading the effort for accountability was fired after doing just that. Former police chief Vanessa Wilson was scorned by police union officials and their city council supporters for immediately making very public a handful of allegations of abuse or malfeasance.

If that was APD’s policy a year ago, why is it that this flagrant episode of abuse was not reported to the public for nearly six months after it occurred?

The conflicting stories don’t offer confidence in waiving critical conditions of employment at APD.

Proponents say the changes would allow for qualified and quality police candidates to have a chance to get hired who otherwise were excluded for past behaviors that really have no bearing on the ability to serve and protect.

Maybe. It’s hard to argue that legally using marijuana should be a reason for exclusion in Colorado. The same goes for traffic and other misdemeanor infractions committed years before application.

One condition for exclusion police want to overlook, however, should raise red flags for any police department, but especially this one.

The change allows candidates whose backgrounds include “dishonesty and/or integrity issues” to make the grade at APD and don a gun and badge. While the philosophy of assessing the “whole person” for a job is defensible, blanket acceptance of integrity issues is essentially the foundation of the problems at APD, not the solution.

The public can and should expect police officers to be held to a higher standard than water quality engineers. Their veracity and integrity is what the public depends on in fairly policing the community — and fellow officers. Drag racing as a teenager can be absolved with maturity and experience. Lying about critical issues is not just a problem of weak character, it’s anathema to criminal justice.

Even if Aurora was years down the road in successfully reforming its police department and restoring public confidence, allowing for liars and cheaters to become police officers is a genuinely bad idea.

The Aurora Police Department, whose credibility has been decimated by concealing toxic integrity issues, is in no position to offer jobs to applicants who did or do suffer the same problem. The line has to be drawn at veracity and integrity, which APD currently lacks.

YOUR LETTERS

Fair workweek bill hurts Colorado businesses

Editor: The recently-introduced “Fair Workweek Employment Standards,” also known as House Bill 23- 1118, will hurt our state’s businesses and cause additional pain for workers across the state during a period of economic crisis.

The Common Sense Institute examined the bill and found that the regulations would lead to a cost increase of up to $5,800 per shift employee. Keep in mind, Colorado already ranks 36th in the “Cost of Doing Business” by CNBC. With margins as small as they can be in restaurant and retail businesses, onerous regulations make an impact, and House Bill 231118 is full of them. It requires that employees receive “predictability pay” if their schedules change at the last minute, “rest shortfall pay” if they don’t get at least twelve hours between shifts, “retention pay” if a new employee gets offered a shift before they do, and “minimum weekly pay” if their schedule is lighter on a certain week.

I’m sure that accountants and payroll professionals are frothing at the mouth about the prospect of being able to charge more to comply with a law like this, but Coloradans writ large should be perturbed.

Some industries are inherently unpredictable, but House Bill 23-118 gives them no flexibility.

Legislators should reject this bill because it’ll only lead to less hiring, more layoffs, and businesses choosing to expand in other states instead of Colorado.

—Michael Fields, via letters@sentinelcolorado.com

Sentinel should rethink work week stance

Editor: This is in response to the Sentinel’s editorial last week, Colorado ‘Fair Workweek’ bill is a schedule for disaster not better jobs Name one hourly employee who likes the rotating schedule. They will get a 1 or 2 week schedule on Sunday for a workweek starting the next day. They never know when they work next. They cannot make any plans until they know what their schedule is. I have worked this way. My daughter worked this way for many years before having a breakdown followed by

6 months of depression. Now, I realize there were other contributing factors, but this type of scheduling has been a major player in people not wanting to work these types of jobs —not to mention low wages. You can’t raise a family in the low wages, and you certainly cannot get babysitting at the last minute. You need to rethink your stance. Are you on the side of management or employees?

— Kerri Phillips, via letters@sentinelcolorado.com

Attorney General Weiser should return to campaign promises

Editor: Governor Jared Polis’ State of the State speech last month was met with applause from all corners of Colorado’s business and political community. Polis’ address was widely realized as painting a hopeful vision for the future. This sentiment was shared by many in the Centennial State.

Coloradans had reason for optimism when after his swearing in ceremony—with Governor Polis looking on— our state’s Attorney General Phil Weiser listed some of his priorities: fighting the scourge of opioids in our communities and enforcing Colorado’s water rights.

However, since that day when Weiser laid out his objectives in front of Colorado’s political gentry, the AG has yet to put points on the board when it comes to these stated goals. Instead he has focused on esoteric tech lawsuits, which don’t exactly rank high on the priority lists of everyday Colorado families. Meanwhile, there is no shortage of challenges facing the state.

You can learn a lot about a public official’s priorities by the first issue they decide to tackle in a new year. Delivering tangible results requires a great deal of time, resources, and political capital — and there is only so much of each to go around. Prioritization is critical. So, it’s puzzling why during a time of dizzying inflation and troubling crime rates, Weiser has continued to set his sights on… tech companies?

2023 is still young so there is still time for our public officials to turn their attention to the pressing issues at hand. Let’s hope AG Weiser gets back to solving the laudable goals he committed to when he was sworn in earlier this year.

—Mark G. Harvey, via letters@sentinelcolorado.com

‘Tensed up’

AURORA POLICE

OFFICER UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR SLAMMING

HANDCUFFED MAN TO HOSPITAL FLOOR

BY MAX LEVY, Sentinel Staff Writer

An Aurora police officer is under investigation for an August incident in which he suddenly threw a handcuffed man to the ground causing the man to bleed while escorting him out of the Medical Center of Aurora.

The Aurora Police Department released body-worn camera footage of the incident last week, saying the footage had already been “ released … to the media in accordance with state law” but that they were “releasing the video to the public as part of our continued commitment to community transparency.”

The 7-minute long video includes footage from the perspective of the officer who threw the suspect to the ground as well as two other officers who were present.

While a police spokesperson declined to release the name of the officer who used force on the suspect, the name “W. Oxford” was printed on the officer’s name tag, which is visible at multiple points during the video.

A search of the state’s Peace Officer Standards & Training Board certification database shows that William Oxford was the latest Aurora officer to become the subject of a criminal investigation.

At the start of the video, Oxford locks the handcuffs of the man — who was referred to as “Jesus” in the video and who police later

identified as Alessandro Torres-Encinas — as Torres-Encinas is seated on a hospital bed. Oxford and other officers then escort Torres-Encinas through a hallway toward the exit of the hospital.

Oxford argues with Torres-Encinas as the two walk through the building, with Oxford holding onto Torres-Encinas’ arm. As they approach the exit door of the hospital, Torres-Encinas turns to face Oxford. Oxford then tells Torres-Encinas to “stop resisting,” places his right hand behind Torres-Encinas’ neck and throws him to the ground, slamming the side of Torres-Encinas’ face into the floor.

As blood drips from his face, Torres-Encinas begins crying and yelling at Oxford. Another of the officers laughs and says “that’s quite enough.” Oxford tells Torres-Encinas that he threw him on the ground because Torres-Encinas had “tensed up” and “started to pull away.”

Police spokesman Joe Moylan later wrote that Torres-Encinas had been charged with felony menacing using a gun, resisting arrest, obstructing a peace officer and false reporting. He also had two warrants out of Arapahoe County for drug offenses.

In the news release, police indicated Oxford was removed from enforcement duties in February and would remain in that position

until the conclusion of criminal and internal investigations. Police said that, because of how the incident was originally classified and the caseload of investigators, the incident wasn’t investigated until mid-January.

“The Chief of Police authorized an internal investigation into the incident and requested the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to conduct a separate, external criminal investigation,” police wrote.

“The criminal investigation by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation is complete and was forwarded today to the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office for consideration of filing formal charges. The internal investigation is ongoing.”

They further said that, moving forward, officer supervisors would immediately investigate all uses of force incidents, followed by an evaluation at the district level. If necessary, investigations will then be forwarded to the Force Investigations Unit for review. Internal investigations and criminal investigations will also take place simultaneously.

“In the past, when an officer was accused of a crime, the practice has been to wait until the criminal investigation was completed and adjudicated before launching an internal investigation. That is not a good practice,” police Chief Art Acevedo said in a statement.

A suspect in police custody looks up at an Aurora Police officer after being slammed to the floor, resulting in the pooled blood under the suspects head, Aug. 14, 2022, at the Medical Center of Aurora. Screen grab from APD body cam.

Democrats introduce more gun reform bills

One day after a spate of hoax phone calls about school shootings sent students across the state into lockdowns, Colorado Democrats released a slate of bills to strengthen the state’s existing gun violence preventions.

Announced at a Feb. 23 news conference, the four bills are:

Senate Bill 168, which would make it easier for victims of gun violence and their families to sue gun manufacturers and sellers.

Senate Bill 169, which would increase the minimum age to purchase firearms from 18 to 21.

Senate Bill 170, which would strengthen the state’s existing Extreme Risk Protection Order law (colloquially known as the “red flag” law) to expand the list of who can petition for an extreme risk protection order to include licensed medical care providers, licensed mental health-care providers, licensed educators, and district attorneys.

House Bill 1219, which would increase the waiting period to deliver a firearm to three days after the initiation of a background check.

The additions to the red flag law come after a November shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs that killed five. Some of the shooter’s previous behavior raised questions about whether the attack could have been prevented if a red flag order was imposed.

Members of the Aurora delegation played a key role in promoting the bills, including Sen. Tom Sullivan, who was one of the prime sponsors on the bills to strengthen red flag laws and to increase waiting periods. Sullivan’s son, Alex Sullivan, was killed in the 2012 Aurora theatre shooting. Since joining the Colorado legislature he has been a prominent voice for gun safety legislation. In 2019, he was one of the prime sponsors of the bill that cre-

ated Colorado’s red flag law.

Aurora state Rep. Mike Weissman sponsored the bill to strengthen the red flag law in the House, and Centennial Rep. Eliza Hamrick was a prime sponsor of the bill to increase waiting periods.

The bills were met immediately with criticism by Republican legislators, but since the Democrats have an almost veto-proof majority in the legislature this session conservatives are unlikely to be able to defeat them.

In a statement, minority leader Mike Lynch (R-Wellington) described the legislation as “anti-freedom” and “anti-Colorado.”

“We must care about addressing the issue of gun crimes while also recognizing the utmost importance of protecting and honoring the liberties outlined in the constitution,” he said.

In an interview with the Sentinel, Sullivan said that the bills are important additions to the work that’s already been done, but more is needed.

“These bills are the next step in what we’re planning to do here in the state of Colorado and hopefully we have the opportunity to do that next year” as well, he said.

Along with his work at the Capitol, Sullivan also recently started a Small Donor Committee to raise money for candidates focused on gun violence prevention.

Named Sully’s Action Fund in honor of his son, the committee will focus on electing more “gun violence prevention champions” to the state legislature.

“To end the daily pain of gun violence in our communities, we need more people down at the capital who are willing to have a daily conversation about gun violence prevention, the same way we talk about taxes and roads, and not just when it is politically popular in the wake of a mass gun violence tragedy,” Sullivan said in a Feb. 8 email announc-

ing the committee.

He said that the daily public health crisis of gun violence requires a sense of urgency, and that more people are needed at the capitol to focus on the work.

“We need more than nodding heads and smiles, we need somebody to actually bring forth legislation, debate it, and get other pieces of legislation passed,” he said.

— CARINA JULIG, Sentinel Staff Writer

VA clinic named after John Mosley

Following legislation passed in 2021, Aurora’s VA outpatient clinic was dedicated last week to Tuskegee Airman and civil rights activist Lt. Col. John Mosley.

Mosley, who died in 2015 at age 93, was the first Black football player at Colorado State University and joined in the Air Force after graduation as a Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of African Americans military pilots. Mosley served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War and was active in the civil rights movement. His wife, Edna Mosley, was a fellow activist and the first Black Aurora city council member.

Congressman Jason Crow (D-Centennial) introduced legislation for Aurora’s VA clinic to be named in Mosley’s honor, which was signed into law by President Biden in Nov. 2021.

“LTC John Mosley was a trailblazer who broke down barriers wherever he went, from college football to the United States Air Force,” Crow said in a statement when introducing the bill. “His commitment to serving his nation and our community in the face of discrimination is an inspiration and reminder to us all that the promise of this country is in those who are determined to improve our imperfections. We are forever grateful for his service to this country and it is

an honor to introduce legislation to name the new Aurora VA facility after LTC Mosley.”

Friday afternoon, Crow was joined by Mosley’s family members and local elected officials for the dedication ceremony.

— CARINA JULIG, Sentinel Staff Writer

City honors Korean War veterans

The City of Aurora honored 20 Korean War veterans last week with the Ambassador for Peace medal, an honor from the Korean government to veterans who served in the war.

The event took place at the Aurora Municipal Center and was sponsored by Mayor Mike Coffman and Consul General Sangsoo Yoon of the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in San Francisco.

Congressman Jason Crow (D-Centennial) and members of the Korean community were in attendance.

Six of the awards were given posthumously, including Mayor Coffman’s father Harold J. Coffman, who accepted the award on his father’s behalf. City of Aurora administrative liaison Stephanie Swan also accepted a medal on behalf of her late father, Emilio Reyes.

“With an unpayable debt, we recognize all US servicemembers who fought for justice and sacrificed for peace,” Crow said Friday on Twitter.

— CARINA JULIG, Sentinel Staff Writer

Southlands adding stores

The Southlands Shopping Center in southeast Aurora is growing by two notable retailers next month and adding a Nordstrom Rack in the fall.

Athlesisure brand Lululemon will open a 5,577 square foot shop while Daily Thread will occupy a 5,801 square foot space. Both will be on Main Street and open in late March, according to shopping center staff.

“We are excited to add these two new retailers to Southlands this year. Lululemon, whose popularity has almost risen to icon status, will perfectly complement our roster of fitness tenants,” Southlands General Manager Martin Liles said in a statement. “And Daily Thread adds a new option for women’s apparel which bodes well for our predominantly female customer base.”

In the fall, the shopping center is adding a 30,000 square foot Nordstrom Rack. An exact opening date is forthcoming.

Southlands, located at E-470 and Smoky Hill Road, has added six stores and 28,000 square feet of retail space over the past six months. Multiple housing developments are also building out around the shopping center. A new 77,000-squarefoot recreation center and field house has also opened nearby.

— KARA MASON, Sentinel Managing Editor

Arapahoe County adding park

Arapahoe County acquired 4.5 acres in the Four Square Mile neighborhood last month with plans of eventually creating a park for the surrounding community.

The corner of South Parker Road and East Mexico Drive sits vacant right now, but county officials say the community will help shape the design of the park. That process is forthcoming.

For now, the county wants residents to steer clear of the plot of land. It’s not yet clear when cleanup and demolition is slated for the future park.

The development of the park is another effort from the county to improve access to the outdoors, especially in its most urban areas.

Since 2004, the county’s Open Spaces department has funded 130 local park projects. Long’s Pine Grove, also in the Four Square Mile neighborhood at 1523 S. Uinta Way, opened in 2020, providing a new trailhead to the High Line Canal Trail, along with other amenities.

— KARA MASON, Sentinel Managing Editor

Bebe Rexha headlining Adams County Pride

This June’s LGBTQ pride festival in Adams County comes with a big headliner: songwriter and popstar Bebe Rexha.

Rexha has written hits for Rhianna, Eminem, Selena Gomez and others. Earlier this week, she announced her “Best F*N Night of My Life” tour, which kicks off in May. Last week, she released a 70s-inspired dance track called “Heart Wants What It Wants” from her upcoming third studio album.

Two weeks into the tour, she’ll make a pitstop in Brighton for Adams County’s second annual Pride event at Riverdale Regional Park.

“We are thrilled to draw an internationally renowned artist as our headliner in just our second year of Adams County Pride,” Adams County Commissioner Steve O’Dorisio said in a statement. “As a community that values diversity, equity, and inclusivity, we are honored to have such a talented and socially conscious performer join us in celebrating the progress that our county has made toward a more accepting and inclusive culture.”

Rexha spoke candidly about her fluid sexuality in a 2020 interview with Health, after facing backlash for collaborating on a song by Rita Ora that received criticism for fetishizing queer women.

“Until I find ‘the one,’ I can’t just say what I am. I just want to find someone I love and who loves me— and I don’t care if that’s a boy or a girl,” she said.

She’s since emphasized that perspective in other interviews.

“What I believe about sexuality is this: it’s a scale,” she told Gay Times Magazine in 2021. “Have I gone out with girls before? Yes. Have I dated girls? Yes, I have. And famous ones,

›› See METRO, 7

but I’m not naming them. Even though people would be living for it – no!”

Tickets for the Adams County Pride performance go on sale Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. Visit riverdaleregionalpark.org for tickets.

— KARA MASON, Sentinel Managing Editor

EDUCATION

Central targeted in hoax

Aurora Central High School was one of the Colorado schools contacted with threats of gun violence that turned out to be false in what appears to have been a coordinated effort.

More than a dozen schools in cities across Colorado, including in Boulder, Englewood, Aspen and Durango, received phone calls threatening gun violence Feb. 22. None of the threats were found to be credible, but they prompted lockdowns and evacuations at some schools.

The call was made to Aurora Central at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, APD spokesperson Sydney Edwards said. Similar to reports in other places, the caller said that they were going to shoot up the school and gunshot noises could be heard in the background.

A school resource officer on campus investigated the threat, and more APD officers arrived to the scene. The school was placed on secure perimeter while the investigation took place.

By 9 a.m., Edwards said police had determined that the threat was unsubstantiated and gave an allclear.

Edwards said that she couldn’t confirm that it was the same caller who had contacted other schools, but that it appeared to be the work of one person or a coordinated effort.

“It’s a bit too coincidental,” she said.

Aurora Central was the only school in Aurora Public Schools or the Cherry Creek School District that was threatened, according to police and district officials.

“I can confirm that there were no swatting calls to our district,” Cherry Creek spokesperson Lauren Snell said in an email. “There is no plan to change procedures at this time, but we will continue to remain vigilant and monitor any possible threats.”

Edwards said the incident speaks to the importance of the security plans the department has in place.

“Communication grew as each swatting call around the state came in and our officers were kept apprised of plans and necessary efforts,” she said in an email. “While these calls were empty threats, they are treated as real possibilities until our department is certain no one is at risk.”

The police department is currently investigating the call along with the law enforcement agencies in the other cities where threats were made, she said.

Lawmakers in Aurora and across

Colorado expressed consternation about the hoax calls.

“Schools should be a safe haven for our kids, not a place of fear,” Congressman Jason Crow (D-Centennial) said on Twitter.

— CARINA JULIG, Sentinel Staff Writer

Teens plead guilty in Hinkley shooting

All three teens charged with attempted murder and other violent crimes in connection with a 2021 shooting at Aurora’s Hinkley High School have pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree murder.

Larry Jefferson, 17, pleaded guilty Jan. 19, according to court records. Dalen Brewer, 18, followed suit later that month. On Feb. 22, Alejandro Hernandez, 18, became the last to enter a guilty plea. Prosecutors chose to drop the charges remaining against the three, including attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault.

While all were minors at the time of the shooting, their names have been released publicly by prosecutors and published by the Sentinel because of the seriousness of the crime.

Charges against a fourth teen were dropped in June 2022. Three students were injured in the shooting, which police have said was gang-related. The shooting occurred days after another shooting near Aurora Central High School, fueling community concerns about youth violence.

Brewer will be sentenced April 3, followed by Jefferson on April 4 and Hernandez on April 17.

— MAX LEVY, Sentinel Staff Writer

Rico Munn to join CSU

After stepping down as Aurora Public Schools superintendent in December, Rico Munn will be joining the leadership team at Colorado State University immediately after his contract with the district ends in July.

Munn will serve as CSU president Amy Parson’s chief of staff, according to a news release from the university announcing new hires. The position, which includes overseeing operations and budgets and managing special projects, has been filled by an interim since June.

“Rico and I have worked together for many years, and I have enormous trust in his judgment and experience,” Parsons said in a statement. “As head of one of the state’s largest and most diverse school districts, he brings a deep understanding of Colorado education at all levels that will be invaluable as we seek to strengthen our commitment to educational access and equity. He also has considerable experience leading large teams of people in a complex organization, and that managerial strength will help us keep all of our University priorities and goals on track.”

Munn has previous ties to CSU, having served on the Board of Governors of the CSU System from 2013 to 2020.

Munn served as superintendent

of APS, Colorado’s fifth-largest school district, from 2013 through 2022. In early December, he announced that he would not be seeking to renew his contract as superintendent once it expired June 30. As part of the transition, he officially stepped down as superintendent at the end of 2022 and is serving in an advisory role this semester. His chief of staff, Mark Seglem, is currently interim superintendent.

Munn was vague about his reasons for leaving, citing a “conflict of vision” with the current school board. He and the board have clashed at times during his tenure, particularly over the past year as

›› See METRO, 23

•

• GreatBurgers

•

• GreatCheesesteaks

• 20

•

• 20 TV’s

• Open St age EveryThursday

• Saturdays:11:30AM-3PM

• Saturdays:11:30AM-3PM

FreeDomesticBeeror

FreeDomesticBeeror

Soda With SandwichOrder

Soda With

Spring Wine and Chalk Art Festival–Tickets on sale now!

The calendar may read winter but our thoughts are turning to spring and the Chalk Lines & Vines festival. Sample wines from 15+ Colorado wineries, watch chalk artists bring their masterpieces to life, and enjoy live music and entertainment. $10 discount for the first 300 tickets sold! 21+ over only, tickets at arapahoecountyeventcenter.com or scan the QR code with your smartphone.

Looking for some relief?

Resources you depend on—from food, clothing and housing assistance to medical and family services— are available now. Find

In The Blue is a project of the Sentinel Colorado Investigative Reporting Lab. The Lab’s mission is to engage with readers, journalists, decision makers and citizens around impactful accountability reporting that serves all communities of Aurora. The series is an extended look at local police reform and related issues.

BY MAX LEVY, Sentinel Staff Writer

Aspiring police and firefighters who would have been shut out by Aurora’s public safety agencies for criminal convictions or evidence of dishonesty in the past are being given another chance at joining the city’s civil service.

In December, the Aurora Civil Service Commission quietly approved a package of changes to entry-level hiring rules for police and firefighters, giving the commission and the city’s public safety agencies the ability to hire candidates whose backgrounds include caveats that would have previously gotten their applications thrown out.

The commission’s role in hiring and maintaining a diverse public safety workforce was scrutinized in the Colorado Attorney General’s Office’s 2021 investigation of the Aurora Police Department. The commission was targeted for reform by the subsequent consent decree agreement along with police and firefighters.

News of the changes, which were voted on in a public meeting but not otherwise announced, was met with skepticism by some criminal justice professors and police reform advocates familiar with high-profile incidents of Aurora officers breaking the law.

Others welcomed the new rules, saying a more holistic, “whole-person” approach to vetting candidates makes public safety careers accessible to a greater number of qualified applicants.

“The whole-person approach does not decrease standards but requires the process to consider all the elements of a person’s background,” police spokesperson Matthew Longshore said in an email. “We aim to remove as many barriers as possible to hire the most qualified and diverse candidates.”

For example, failing to complete part of the job application would have disqualified a candidate in the past, even if the failure was a simple, honest oversight.

Recent drug use is also no longer an automatic disqualifier, including use of marijuana within the last year or use of illegal drugs within the last three years.

The rule changes also mean candidates whose backgrounds include “dishonesty and/or integrity issues” can be hired as police officers or firefighters, as can those whose applications are found to contain “falsification, misleading statements (or) omissions.”

Candidates who have been convicted of or received a deferred judgment for DUI in

the last three years, or as many as two convictions or deferred judgments for DUI in the last seven years, may also apply.

“This doesn’t mean somebody with a DUI will get hired. It just means that they won’t automatically get disqualified because they have it,” said Civil Service Commission Chairperson Desmond McNeal. “We have the freedom to do that now if we conclude that’s appropriate.”

Rules on reckless driving for police candidates were also relaxed, so that candidates who violated the law once in the last three years or no more than twice in the past seven years can be considered.

Other changes include accepting candidates if they have multiple convictions on other misdemeanor charges or petty offenses that occurred in the last five years, as long as those convictions wouldn’t prohibit the person from carrying a firearm and aren’t included in the state’s list of disqualifying crimes.

Felony convictions remain an absolute disqualifier for applicants.

Police and commissioners say the changes are designed to open the job up to more people at a time when Aurora and other police departments are struggling to hire new officers.

“We’re having trouble finding people who want to be professional police officers. And this is happening everywhere,” said Matt Snider, who has served on the Civil Service Commission since 2022.

“This gives us flexibility to allow some-

body in who may have made a mistake in their early life and yet they still want to serve the city. It gives us the flexibility to evaluate the rest of their application on the merits, rather than just disqualify them outright.”

Criminal justice professors and reform advocates supported at least some of the changes, agreeing with commissioners and police officials that past drug use and misdemeanors wouldn’t necessarily reflect on a candidate’s fitness for police work.

“I think we should be attracting people from all walks of life as much as possible,” said Qusair Mohamedbhai, an attorney for the family of Elijah McClain, who died in the hospital after he was violently detained by police in 2019.

“Whenever we use the criminal justice system as an indicator for suitability for employment, it always disproportionately impacts communities of color. And right now, they are a police department that certainly needs greater recruitment and the ability to recruit from communities of color.”

However, Mohamedbhai and other police reform advocates questioned whether the police department and Civil Service Commission were equipped to handle the responsibility of deciding whether a candidate was fit to become a police officer, especially in situations involving questions about a candidate’s integrity.

Aurora’s decision to offer more people the opportunity to join its public safety agencies comes as the number of sworn

police officers has dwindled, including senior officers who the department relies on to mentor rookie cops.

The city saw a net loss of 27 sworn officers in 2022, ending the year with only 690 officers out of 744 officers budgeted, according to information shared with a council committee. The total of 690 included officers in the academy and in training.

The number of officers in training and in the academy declined throughout 2022, from 20 officers in the academy and 35 in training to just four in the academy and 10 in training by the end of the year.

At a council meeting in November, former interim police chief Dan Oates blamed the Civil Service Commission for the shortage of new police officers.

“If the best, most desirable police officer candidate applied to become an Aurora police officer today, we would not hire that candidate for our February academy,” Oates told the council, adding that, “It’s a process problem with how the Civil Service Commission conducts business.”

Oates argued for a more limiting interpretation of the commission’s role in police hiring as it is described by the City Charter that would only allow it to administer entrance exams and validate a candidate’s age, educational background, driver’s license and employment eligibility.

AURORA OFFICIALS SAY LOWER POLICE, FIRE HIRING STANDARDS MAKE FOR BETTER DEPARTMENTS

AURORA DEFENDS LOOSER RULES ON DUIS, DISHONESTY FOR COP, FIREFIGHTER CANDIDATES: ‘THE WHOLEPERSON APPROACH DOES NOT DECREASE STANDARDS.’

Sentinel File Photo

He added that the department was facing “a near-existential challenge with regard to staffing,” which he called the department’s “No. 1 challenge.”

Historically, the commission has been extensively involved in the process of hiring entry-level police officers, directing background investigations, reviewing applications and giving the final nod to new hires.

While Oates blamed the commission for the monthslong wait between when candidates submit applications and when they enter the academy, McNeal told The Sentinel that Aurora’s vetting process is similar to that of other local agencies. McNeal also said potential applicants are turned off by the negative publicity surrounding the department.

“One of the problems with Aurora is we’re one of the agencies that keeps making the news,” McNeal said.

Oates said in November that it takes about four and a half months to hire new officers. Matt Cain, a staff liaison to the commission, said in an email Monday that the process typically takes two to three months.

The court-ordered consent decree reform agreement between Aurora and the Colorado Attorney General’s Office directs the city to hand more of the hiring process over to its human resources staff, Aurora Police Department and Aurora Fire Rescue from the Civil Service Commission.

Jeff Schlanger, founder of the risk management firm tasked with overseeing Aurora’s implementation of its consent decree, told the council in December that the commission would ultimately play a “minority” role in a redesigned hiring process.

He said that up to two commission members will participate in the review of candidates’ applications and backgrounds as well as interviewing and hiring, joined by three representatives from the Aurora Police Department in the case of cops, or three representatives from Aurora Fire Rescue in the case of firefighters.

Schlanger later wrote that a member of the public trained to serve as a “citizen assessor” would also cast a vote, and a representative of the city’s human resources department would be available to break a tie. A citizen assessor serves currently on an evaluation panel for entry-level candidates and some promotions.

Schlanger wrote that citizen assessors are ultimately selected by the Civil Service Commission and are recruited from community groups, including the police department’s Citizen Police Academy alumni association. He said commissioners typically look for people with past experience interviewing, hiring and supervising.

The commission will also be able to rule on appeals from officers who did not make it through the hiring process. The consent decree requires that Aurora’s hir-

ing and discipline processes be amended by mid-May for the city to be in compliance with the agreement.

When asked about the recent changes to hiring rules, Schlanger said his firm recommended the city reconsider its policies on disqualifying for marijuana use, misdemeanors and traffic infractions along with items “that in practice do not indicate a concerning pattern of behavior and do not negatively impact the essential skills and strengths an applicant brings to the department.”

“Of course, there are potential issues that can arise with the whole-person approach,” Schlanger wrote in an email. “This includes the disparate application of the approach by different decision makers. We have built in what we believe to be guardrails against such treatment.”

Those guardrails include incorporating HR oversight over the interview process and considering community input, such as through the citizen assessor position.

Schlanger’s firm presented its recommendations in a November report that described the “whole-person approach” now being pursued by Aurora as deemphasizing automatic disqualifiers in favor of a holistic evaluation of candidates’ backgrounds and strengths.

Some reform advocates say the practice of barring convicted criminals from becoming police officers impacts candidates of color disproportionately.

In 2018, one out of every three sentenced U.S. prisoners was Black despite Black Americans making up just 12% of the total adult population, according to the Pew Research Center. Nearly one in every four prisoners was Hispanic, while Hispanics made up 16% of the adult population.

Andrea Borrego, chairperson of Metropolitan State University Denver’s Criminal Justice and Criminology Department, said more training, an effective system of discipline, psychological evaluations and screening for extremism during background checks are better at cracking down on misconduct for departments trying to make their hiring process more inclusive.

“Just because someone has something on their record doesn’t mean they’re devoid of morals and ethics,” she said. “And also, just because we have certain police officers now who don’t have something on the record doesn’t mean they don’t engage in those criminal behaviors.”

Borrego also said programs aimed at attracting a more diverse pool of candidates are only part of building a culture of inclusivity within a police department.

Included in the consent decree is a commitment by Aurora to diversifying its public safety workforce. In a report released last month, Schlanger’s firm wrote that Aurora had hired it to help with this project as well, and that police had launched a new nationwide recruiting campaign with

messaging focusing on Aurora’s status as a diverse community.

Earlier this month, the city announced that it would strive to recruit more female officers, with a goal of having all academy classes contain 30% women by the year 2030.

Officials pledged to hold informational academies specifically for women, engage in targeted recruitment and offer more support during the recruitment and application processes, among other strategies, to meet their goal.

Aurora’s sworn police force is around 89.1% male and 76.4% white, according to a demographic report prepared in September 2022. Commissioner Barb Cleland later said that 80% of the students slated to take part in the next police academy class are minorities.

Dispute over less-ismore philosophy

The fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers earlier this year rekindled criticisms that looser hiring standards could result in more misconduct, especially at a time when police departments are desperate for new officers.

The Memphis Police Department had lowered its standards prior to the beating, and two of the cops charged with Nichols’ mur-

der had at least one prior arrest, according to the Associated Press.

Fritz Umbach, an associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, cited one study of career-ending misconduct among New York City Police Department officers which concluded that officers with past arrests, traffic violations and employment troubles were more likely than others to be fired for misconduct.

The U.S. Department of Justice-funded study found that the NYPD had become “better behaved” as it diversified its ranks and that better-educated officers were likely to perform better. Professors and reform advocates also attested to a link between college education and officer performance.

Currently, Aurora’s police department only requires candidates to earn a high school diploma or GED certification before becoming a cop. Police spokesman Joe Moylan said police officers and other City of Aurora employees are eligible to receive up to $2,000 per year in tuition assistance as a forgivable loan.

The study examined the backgrounds of all 1,543 officers who were fired or forced to resign or retire from NYPD as a result of misconduct between 1975 and 1996, pulling from confidential personnel files and comparing the former officers with a random sample of their police academy

peers who served “honorably.”

“We know there is a statistically-observable tendency toward misconduct as you lower standards,” Umbach said. “There are certainly disqualifiers that can be on the books that make little sense. … Particularly when we have so many jurisdictions that have legalized marijuana, is that a meaningful reason to disqualify someone? Probably not. But a DUI? Absolutely.”

APD’s reconsideration of the DUI rules for applicants comes after a 2019 incident in which officer Nate Meier passed out drunk behind the wheel of his police vehicle but escaped DUI charges after police failed to formally investigate. Meier has since climbed the ranks of the department, earning a promotion last month to the rank of agent.

“In view of that circumstance, I mean, it sounds almost comical for this (rule) to change,” Snider said. “But that was somebody who was on the job versus somebody who is trying to have an entry level application considered.”

Snider endorsed the changes to the department’s hiring rules, which he said would give the commission the ability to overlook isolated and uncharacteristic examples of criminal behavior.

He and McNeal said the rule changes were designed and presented jointly by APD and Sch-

›› See IN THE BLUE, 23

The Magazine

Books aboard

A BOOKMOBILE IS AURORA PUBLIC LIBRARY’S NEWEST TOOL IN REACHING RESIDENTS

BY CARINA JULIG, Sentinel Staff Writer

Aurora residents who can’t make it to a library branch can now have the library come to them with the Aurora Public Library’s new bookmobile.

The city purchased the bookmobile last year and did a few events, but had its official grand opening last week with a tour of a number of Aurora locations, including Stanley Marketplace and the Aurora Municipal Center.

The bookmobile is a fully-functional library. Patrons can use it to check out and return books, pick up items on hold, sign up for a library card and use the internet. The 120-square foot vehicle is more than just a truck full of books — it has a Wi-Fi connection and a sound system, as well as a 10-foot awning that can be extended to make a shady outdoor space.

Library officials say they hope the bookmobile will help increase access to the library for people who have difficulty making it to one of APL’s brick and mortar locations.

“The new Bookmobile helps Aurora Public Library meet people where they are by bringing library services to them, especially to those who can’t access a physical library location,” Library and Cultural Services director Midori Clark said in a statement.

The bookmobile will be used to visit lo-

cal schools, some of which don’t have their own libraries, assisted living facilities and places in the city that are further away from the branches, city spokesperson Abraham Morales said. He said that some schools have already reached out to express interest in a visit.

“It’s bringing the library to where people are, that’s the key,” he said.

This isn’t the first APL bookmobile. According to the library’s website, the city purchased its first bookmobile in 1959 for $13,198.80. Adjusted for inflation, that’s over $135,000 in today’s money. The bookmobile was able to store almost 3,000 items and helped provide library services to people in unincorporated Arapahoe County.

The new bookmobile cost about $150,000, $80,000 of which came from money earmarked for the purchase by avid library patron Joan M. Schobert. Schobert died in 2019 and left the money to APL with the specification that it be used for a bookmobile. The remainder came from the city’s general budget fund.

The bookmobile is one of a number of new developments at APL this year in what Clark said was an effort to invite people back to the library post-pandemic. The library system went fine-free at the beginning of the year and opened up a new branch in Chambers Plaza, bringing the

number of branches back to seven for the first time since 2009. It also expanded hours at several of its branches, including Central and Tallyn’s Reach.

A calendar of where the bookmobile will be will be available on the library’s website at auroralibrary.org. Community members can also request the bookmobile to come to a specific location by filling

line form.

an

out

on-

Itzia Villalobos, left, and her sister Athalia peruse the selection of library books, Feb. 24, on the new Aurora Public Library Bookmobile. The mobile library will have regular stops but is also available to reserve for special events.

Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado

The new Aurora Public Library Bookmobile sits parked outside of Soccer City, Feb. 24, as it made the rounds throughout the city last week advertising the mobile library’s return. The vehicle will have a monthly schedule, but can also be reserved for special events.

Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/ Sentinel Colorado

scene & herd

Home Buying 101 at Crooked Stave

March 8 at 6:00 p.m. 1441 West 46th Ave. Denver, CO, 80211. Visit https://bit.ly/3ZqbX45 for more information.

The housing market still seems to be a bit turbulent at the moment and the interest rates are not making the decision of buying a home any easier. When rates were hovering around 3% the choice was a bit simpler. Now, not so much.

This class will give you a general idea of the arena as a whole. Is now a good time to buy, or should you wait? Here you will get a good bit of information that is set to help with the long-term financial decision to invest in property through homeownership.

Colfax Monthly Pinball Tournament at 1UP Arcade Bar on Colfax

March 19 at 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 717 E. Colfax Ave. Denver, CO, 80203. Visit https://bit.ly/3ZoZMob for more information.

Can you play a mean pinball? Who? You. If you have the chops when playing the silver ball, you might want to consider entering into the monthly 1UP Arcade Bar Pinball Tournament. If you’re rusty, you’ve got a few weeks to become part of the machine. If you’re a novice but still interested, see previous sentence — you got some time to bone up on your chops.

The cost of admission is $10, plus the cost of gameplay. The bar also holds raffles throughout the event, decreasing your chance of leaving empty handed.

Model Rocketry Build and Launch at Gateway High School

March 11, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 1300 Sable Blvd. Aurora, CO 80011. Visit https://bit.ly/3kvntMX for more information.

We’ve found an out-of-thisworld event hosted by the National Association of Rocketry and Civil Air Patrol. There are two sessions available, one beginning at 9:00 a.m. and another beginning at noon.

There are a bevy of activities during the day, where registrants will be learning how to build Gnome rockets, water rockets, tool around with flight simulators and watch a search and rescue drone demo.

Registration is required and can be done at https://bit.ly/3kvntMX. There are plenty of slots available as this old hack types this on his picture typewriter.

Morning at the Museum at the Aurora History Museum

Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. 15051 Alameda Pkwy. Aurora, CO, 80012. Auroramuseum.org.

machines.

You’ll get the opportunity to look inside a variety of aircraft at the museum with plenty of information to learn about these air vessels along the way, including their history, how they operate and a look at the controls and instruments that get these birds off the ground.

Prices vary and max out at $18. Plus you aren’t just restricted to the airplanes with their cockpits open. Feel free to tour the entire museum while you are there.

Modern Swing Mondays at Stampede

Every Monday at 6:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6:00 p.m. 2430 S Havana St, Aurora, CO 80014. Visit www.stampedeclub.net/tm-event/ modern-swing-mondays/ for more information.

Plus, it’s at Crooked Stave! So you’re guaranteed a great beer while you attend this free workshop. Registration is required and can be found at http://bit.ly/3KIG4jd.

This weekly event at the Aurora History Museum is a great time for kiddos aged 3 to 6. Each week the program will offer plenty of fun things to do, like crafts, story time, and hands-on activities. The program is free and can take place either inside or outside of the museum, depending on the weather. Children must be supervised by an adult.

Jurassic Quest at the Colorado Convention Center

March 10 - March 12, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Fri. and Sat. and 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sun. Colorado Convention Center 700 14th St. Denver, CO 80202. Visit www.jurassicquest.com for more information.

Cockpit Demo Day at Wings over the Rockies Air & Space Museum

Fancy yourself a dancer, eh? Yes? No? Either way, Modern Swing Mondays at Stampede is a great opportunity to cut a rug, or even just learn the skills necessary for aforementioned rug cutting should you not yet possess the required skill set. You read that right, you can pop in to Stampede every Monday, grab a swing lesson at 6:30 p.m. and then showcase your newly-learned moves the same night during Open Dance which begins at 7:30 p.m.. This seems like a truly perfect date night as well, so definitely keep it in mind when trying to woo your significant other(s). Admission is $10.

Fitzsimons to Anschutz Exhibit

Now through March 13. 15051 E. Alameda Parkway. Free admission. Learn more about this and other exhibits at AuroraMuseum.org.

Let’s brush up on a little Aurora history. Before we had the massive Anschutz medical campus on East Colfax, Aurora had the Fitzsimons medical complex. For more than 100 years, important medical work has been happening in A-Town and there have even been a few famous patients (President Dwight D. Eisenhower stayed at Fitzsimons for a spell). The Aurora History Museum is offering a complete look at the evolution of Fitzsimons into Anschutz this winter. “Fitzsimons shaped modern Aurora. Today, the Anschutz Medical Campus employs over 15,000 people from the surrounding areas and is a major economic asset in Aurora’s economy,” museum staff say of their latest endeavor. “The new exhibition chronicles the people, places, and structures of the historic Fitzsimons medical complex.” Admission to the exhibit is free, and staff have a few events lined up throughout the next few months. Visit www.auroramuseum.org to learn more.

March 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 7711 E Academy Blvd, Denver, CO 80230. Visit wingsmuseum.org/ events/cockpit-demo-day-1 for more information.

Very rarely, if ever, will you arrive to an event at Wings and be disappointed. There’s no risk here either. Our favorite local air and space museum is hosting the public for an up close and intimate preview of the cockpits of some pretty incredible

This world-famous event is trekking into Denver in early March and if you fancy a bit of paleontology, you’re going to want to check this out. These life-sized dinosaurs are painted and animated to be “realer-than-real,” per Jurassic Quest, and looking at the photos of past events, this hack is inclined to believe them. Plenty of options await, like riding a dinosaur, creating dinosaur themed crafts and even dig for fossils. Make sure you keep your head on a swivel while excavating, because the younger dino’s like to run free and hang out with all the explorers attending the event.

Let Us Know All Your scene & herd

FOOD FOR NAUGHT

BY SENTINEL COLORADO AND AP STAFF WRITERS

Aurora food bank officials say they’re worried that shrinking food subsidy benefits set to expire across the country as well as Colorado will put even more stress on people struggling to pay for groceries.

Nearly 30 million Americans who got extra government help with grocery bills during the pandemic will soon see that aid grow smaller. An analysis shows for the average recipient, the change will mean about $90 less per month in food stamps.

In Colorado and 31 states and other jurisdictions, the COVID-19 emergency allotments will end with February payments.

While the nation appears to have emerged from the most serious phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, Karla Maraccini, director of the Food & Energy Assistance Division of the Colorado Department of Human Services, said enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or “food stamps,” remains up 23% over pre-pandemic levels.

Maraccini said the state projects the rollback of benefits worth $55 million will impact around 286,000 households across Colorado. County spokespeople said that figure includes roughly 58,300 homes in Arapahoe and Adams counties.

Siobhan Latimer, director of the Friends of St. Andrew food pantry in Aurora, said that she’s concerned about how the expiration of the expanded benefits will affect people who are already being squeezed by the high cost of groceries.

“There’s no question that this is a real struggle for people,” she said.

The food pantry is currently seeing about 1,000 people a week, Latimer said. Along with serving hot meals five days a week, it also serves as a mailing address for dozens of people who are homeless or lack a permanent address and delivers food baskets for people to take home.

She said recently St. Andrew has been hearing from a lot of people who

appear to be struggling with food insecurity for the first time, and have a lot of basic questions about how to get connected to services. Volunteers do their best to connect them with local resources, she said.

“There are certain days the phone has been ringing off the hook,” she said.

Other states have already stopped giving out extra food stamps. The extra help started at the beginning of the pandemic. Government officials and advocates are using texts, flyers and social media posts to make sure recipients know the program is ending.

Officials in 32 states and other jurisdictions have been using texts, voicemails, snail mail, flyers and social media posts — all in multiple languages — to let recipients know that their extra food stamps end after February’s payments.

“One of the scenarios you don’t want to see is the first time they’re aware of it is in the checkout line at the grocery store,” said Ellen Vollinger, an official with the Food Research & Action Center, a nonprofit organization.

For the average recipient, the change will mean about $90 less per month, though for many, it could be much more, an analysis shows. Benefits will return to usual levels, which are based largely on a household’s income, size and certain expenses, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

A public notice in Michigan urged the 1.3 million recipients in that state to “seek needed resources” to make up for the cuts.

“We want to make sure our clients are prepared for this change, as we realize inflation is affecting all of us,” said Lewis Roubal with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Maraccini and county representatives described a variety of strategies being deployed to notify SNAP recipients, including sending letters, emails and text messages, and posting

to social media to make sure no one is caught unaware by the reduction in benefits.

Jacqueline Benitez, 21, who works as a preschool teacher in Bellflower, California, expects a significant cut, perhaps half, of the $250 in food benefits she has received since 2020 through CalFresh, the state’s SNAP program.

“It’s such a lifesaver,” said Benitez, who was previously homeless, but now lives in a subsidized one-bedroom apartment. “Food is such a huge expense. It’s a little nerve-wracking to think about not having that.”

Benitez said she’s already thinking twice about paying $5 for fresh fruit.

“What happens if it goes bad?” she said.

The emergency program was enacted by Congress at the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and expanded a year later. Originally, the extra benefits were intended to continue as long as the COVID-19 public health emergency was in force. It’s now set to expire in May.

But 18 states have already rolled back payments for more than 10 million people and Congress decided to end the program early, trading the extra benefits for a new permanent program that provides extra money to low-income families to replace school meals during the summer.

Experts credit the emergency funds with making sure most Americans had enough food to eat, despite the pandemic. About 10% of U.S. households had trouble obtaining sufficient food in 2020 and 2021, roughly unchanged from pre-COVID levels.

SNAP benefits can rise and fall with inflation and other factors. Maximum benefits went up by 12% in October to reflect an annual cost-of-living adjustment boosted by higher prices for foods and other goods. But payments went down for those who also receive Social Security because of the 8.7% cost-of-living increase in that program on Jan 1.

In most such cases, purchasing power should hold steady, said Stacy

“The emergency allotments were always intended to be temporary and they did tremendous good during a very difficult time in our country,” Dean said. “The process of unwinding from them will certainly be difficult for families who are counting on those benefits.”

The rollback is coming during a time when inflation, though improving, remains elevated and food prices are still high.

For most of its 36-year history, Latimer said she placed an order with Food Bank of the Rockies, which supplies much of St. Andrew’s food, twice a month. Since the pandemic started, she’s been placing an order every week.

The food pantry has also recently increased its number of Spanish speaking volunteers due to an increase in people from Central America who speak little to no English, Latimer said. Volunteers could communicate enough to serve them food but weren’t able to have in-depth conversations with them, so now the pantry has at least one person who is fluent in Spanish every day that it’s open.

Longtime Queen of Peace member Valerie Goshorn recently started volunteering at St. Andrew after working with the homeless in various capacities for over 25 years. She speaks Spanish, and said she’s spoken to a number of migrants from Venezuela, Columbia and other South American countries who are new to the area and looking for work.

“They’re just very humble and grateful,” she said.

Goshorn said she has wanted to volunteer at St. Andrew for a long time, but until recently it hadn’t worked out with her schedule.

“I love it,” she said. “It’s just a beautiful place to serve.”

Inflation has been a challenge for food banks along with the people they serve. Purchasing enough food to keep up with the demand has not been easy,

Dean, USDA deputy undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services.

Local food banks dread the loss of food subsidies for thousands of families as need already surpasses demand

Latimer said, especially now that everything costs more. She praised the City of Aurora and the Food Bank of the Rockies for the amount of support they provide.

Aditi Desai, chief marketing officer at Food Bank of the Rockies, said that the bank has been spending three times as much per month purchasing food as it was before the pandemic began. The bank is anticipating increasing its output by 20% to keep up with the demand in food aid caused by the ending of the expanded benefit.

“We’re bracing for this change because with inflation the way it is, families were really relying on this emergency benefit,” she said.

“With this additional benefit ending we’re going to see quite a bit more need in our community.”

Along with the rising price of food, the increase in heating bills has also been difficult. Some people are now “having to make the decision, do I pay my bills or do I eat?” Latimer said.

With all these challenges, she worries that the decrease in SNAP benefits will kick people who were previously getting by into uncertain territory.

Officials at SECORCares, a nonprofit that works primarily in Arapahoe, Douglas and Elbert counties, have similar concerns.

“It really feels like this couldn’t come at a more inconvenient time,” said director of philanthropy Brie Dilley.

Through its various programs and partnerships, SECORCares feeds about 3,000 people a week, Dilley said. They are anticipating that to increase as people lose their expanded SNAP benefits and are bracing for a “big influx” of both new and returning clientele.

“Guests are saying they’ve been notified about what their new amount of money is going to be and it’s scaring a lot of them,” she said. Senior citizens appear to be getting hit particularly hard by the reduction, she said.

Like Food Bank of the Rock-

ies, the organization is also being squeezed by the fact that inflation is driving up the cost of food and reducing the amount of charitable giving that some people are able to make. Director Mark Heistad said they are looking at different ways they can make ends meet, but that it will be challenging to stay on top of the need.

The current state of food insecurity can be hard to measure, Desai said. Through its 800-plus partners and its own pantries, she said that Food Bank of the Rockies serves about 12% of the population in its coverage area in Colorado and Wyoming. In 2021, the nonprofit Hunger Free Colorado conducted a survey that found that 44% of Colorado households with children struggle to have regular access to nutritious food.

Shelley Boyd, 45, of Beaver, Pennsylvania, expects to make more trips to her local food pantry starting next month. She and her fiancé and teenage son started getting food stamps last year after both adults lost their jobs and unemployment benefits ran out. The family receives about $630 per month. They expect to lose about $95, if not more.

“That’s where our food pantry comes in,” Boyd said. “We visit them and do what you gotta do.”

At the same time, food pantries nationwide remain under “immense strain,” said Vince Hall, an official with Feeding America, a network of more than 200 food banks. Demand for help remains far above pre-pandemic levels, even as food banks face continued supply chain disruptions, higher food and transportation costs and lower food donations.

Andrew Cheyne, managing director of public policy for GRACE, a California-based anti-poverty organization, urged recipients to reach out now to county offices to update their eligibility and ensure they’re getting the maximum benefit possible. Changes in costs for shelter, child care, elder care and other expenses can affect food stamp benefits.

Recipients can also check other benefits, such as the federal Women, Infants and Children program and seek out refundable tax credits.

Cheyne and other advocates said the emergency benefits should have been extended indefinitely instead of cut prematurely.

“It’s just an unimaginable hunger cliff that folks were going to go over at some point,” he said.

In Colorado, the governor’s office and General Assembly endorsed an amendment to the state’s human services budget that added $14 million to fund local food banks and food pantries.

Arapahoe County spokesperson Anders Nelson encouraged county residents to use the county’s ArapaSource tool to locate food pantries and other local resources. He also said the county had doubled food pantry supplies at both of its offices to assist with emergency food needs.

Adams County has already published a list of food banks and food pantries, and spokesprson Nikki Kimbleton said the county has partnered with local nonprofit Benefits in Action to help families apply for and renew their food assistance benefits.

She said county commissioners also approved the $1.5 million in federal COVID-19 aid funds to support food resources in Adams County over the next two years, and Adams County Community Support Services is asking commissioners for 22 additional staffers to assist residents in need.

The state also maintains a tollfree support line, 800-816-4451, for residents to call and get answers about their benefits.

However, Maraccini questioned whether any state or local legislative action would be enough to protect families that rely on SNAP.

“This is a $55 million per month decrease of federal dollars,” she said. “So it’s just huge. It’s too big of an amount for any state to try to patch together resources to fully replace that.”

Jim Horning, left, and George Maes put together a basket of food for a family, which will provide three days worth of meals, Feb. 27 at Friends of St. Andrew. Horning and Maes have been volunteering at Friends for 21 and 19 years, respectively.

Photos by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado

Soup is portioned and is part of the lunch offering, Feb. 27 at Friends of St. Andrew. Friends serves as a food bank and soup kitchen, and serves anyone in need of a meal or groceries.

Photos by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado

Preps

There aren’t many spots on the basketball floor where TaRea Fulcher doesn’t feel like he can make a shot and he got to the perfect one Feb. 25.

The Regis Jesuit senior guard took the inbounds pass, sped up the floor in a tie game with the final seconds of regulation running off the clock and let fly a 3-pointer that nestled into the net and unleashed pandemonium.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Fulcher’s buzzer-beater gave him seven of his game-high 22 points inside the final minute as he helped rally the seventh-seeded Raiders to a 6562 victory over visiting Highlands Ranch in a Class 6A Sweet 16 thriller.

Fulcher was part of the team that lost to Grandview in the Great 8 in 2020 — just before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the Final Four — and also the 2021 team that lost in the Great 8 which was played at home sites.

He gave himself a chance to go out in a big way as a senior, as he scored seven points in the final minute of regulation against Highlands Ranch as the Raiders rallied from a deficit of 10 points in the fourth quarter against the Falcons.

“My freshman year I was part of a team that made it to the Coliseum and I didn’t play any minutes, so it’s been my goal to get there again and have the chance to do something special,” Fulcher said. “I’m looking forward to being a factor and impacting the game in a positive way.”

Great 8 awaits

BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor

“They hit a good shot and I looked up at the clock and I saw that we had about six or seven seconds and I knew I could get to the spot I wanted to get to,” said Fulcher, who launched his shot while at full speed. “Once I got there, I just let it go. We had nothing to lose really, so it was just push hard, try to get a good look and we did.”

The shot was even more significant in that it pushed Regis Jesuit back into the Great 8 round of the postseason after it was stopped by in the Sweet 16 a year ago. Coach Ken Shaw’s seventh-seeded Raiders will be in action at 8:30 p.m. March 4 at the Denver Coliseum during an eight-game slate of quarterfinals that will also include another Aurora representative in fifth-seeded Smoky Hill. Winners in the Great 8 move on to the March 10 semifinals and the state championships will be decided March 11.

Fulcher and the Raiders — who downed No. 26 Pine Creek 64-48 in the first round — know their Great 8 opponent well as it is Continental League rival Rock Canyon, the No. 2 overall seed.

The Jaguars beat Regis Jesuit on its home floor on a buzzer beater.

“We lost to Rock Canyon at the buzzer, so we owe them one,” said senior Joe Dorais, who scored 12 points to join Fulcher and junior Damarius Taylor (14) in double figures in the win over Highlands Ranch.

Despite a lot of winning, Smoky Hill has also been absent from playing at the Denver Coliseum for awhile, as the program last appeared there in 2019 when it lost in the Great 8.

Coach Anthony Hardin’s Buffaloes have cruised through the first two rounds of the postseason with victories over No. 28 Rocky Mountain (80-57) and No. 12 Fruita Monument (77-59) in consecutive home games that have included very little drama.

“We had a Coliseum-type team for the last three or four seasons, but we’re finally back,” said Hardin, whose team is 20-5.

To continue on and earn the program’s first trip to the Final Four since 2006 (when Shaw was the head coach, coincidentally), the Buffaloes will have to get past a Denver East team led by Rudy Carey, who earlier this season became the winningest boys basketball coach in Colorado prep history.

The Angels — who have a Player of the Year candidate in D’Aundre Samuels — have won 23 consecutive games and in the Sweet 16 defeated and Eaglecrest team that gave Smoky Hill two of its three losses to Colorado teams.

The Buffaloes also have a major contender for top player in the state honors in senior Rickey Mitchell, who is second in 6A in scoring average at 24.2 points per game. He hasn’t had to do much heavy lifting in the postseason so far with several other players scoring in double figures.

The Smoky Hill-Denver East matchup is considered the marquee contest among the four 6A quarterfinals, but the Colorado High School Activities Association has the game scheduled for 10:15 a.m. as it set game slots to correspond with seeding. It is a decision that has been unpopular with many of the qualifying schools.

ABOVE:

Smoky Hill senior Rickey Mitchell, center, is the second-leading scorer in Class 6A this season and has had plenty of help from his teammates as the fifth-seeded Buffaloes have won their first two 6A playoff games by an average of 20 points and earned a spot in the March 4 Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum.

BELOW: Senior TaRea Fulcher played a big role in getting the Regis Jesuit boys basketball team back to the Great

8 as his on-the-run 3-pointer to beat the buzzer lifted the seventh-seeded Raiders over Highlands Ranch Feb. 25.

Photos by Courtney Oakes/Sentinel Colorado

The two Aurora girls programs that are at home playing at the Denver Coliseum in the deepest rounds of the state tournament are there yet again this season, but got there in different ways than usual.

Grandview — the defending Class 5A state champion (now in 6A) — and Regis Jesuit have both made it an annual event to be among the final eight teams fighting for a state title in the past decade and the Wolves and Raiders will be there again March 4.

Back again

BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor

The route to the Coliseum, however, has been much more circuitous than usual for both programs, which are seeded No. 11 (Grandview) and No. 12) in the 32-team 6A field. The two programs have combined to make it to the state championship game seven times since 2017.

In its second season under head coach Jordan Kasemodel, Regis Jesuit has taken some losses during the regular season, including one early in the season against Cherokee Trail. The two local programs ran into each other again Feb. 24 in the 6A Sweet 16.

The Cougars — who were in the midst of a fantastic season that saw them climb as high as No. 2 in the rankings — were in determined pursuit of their first-ever trip to the Great 8, but it was Regis Jesuit that came through in crunch time.

Sophomore Iliana Greene made a tie-breaking 3-pointer that gave the Raiders the lead for good and juniors Hana Belibi and Coryn Watts (who had a team-high 17 points) sealed the victory with their performance at the free throw line.

“Just like any other team, we’ve had our ups and downs, but right now we are riding high and riding for each other,” Kasemodel said. “The season has been long and they have been developing. Our focus has been to get to 1-0 every single time. Did we lose to them (Cherokee Trail) earlier in the season? Of course, but we’ve gotten better and our girls have grown and gotten stronger.

“We’re in a really good place.”

Regis Jesuit has a potent scoring duo of Belibi (17.2 points per game) and Watts (14.6), while Greene and senior Sophia Meyer have combined to make 98 3-pointers and can hurt teams that lose them defensively. Greene had 14 points in the win over Cherokee Trail.

The Raiders (17-8) are the only team to defeat fourth-seeded Monarch (24-1) this season — a 50-36 win in the final game between winter break — and the two teams square off again in the Great 8. The teams drew the short end of the straw on an eight-game 6A schedule March 4 as they are scheduled to tip off at 8:45 a.m. because the Colorado High School Activities Association has fourth-seeded teams playing the first games of the day.

Grandview has maintained its spot as one of the state’s elite programs despite the graduation of several key players, headed by All-American Lauren Betts.

Sophomore Sienna Betts made vital contributions to last season’s championship run and has taken her game to a much higher level this season, even as she has been the focal point of all opponents.

Her surrounding cast has grown up significantly and Grandview has weathered the storm of every program it faces bringing its top game against them. Still, the Wolves — who were seeded 11th in the 6A postseason — have battled to get the program to at least the Great 8 for eighth consecutive season.

They got there this time with a gritty 5250 road win against No. 6 Fountain-Fort Car-

son, which had won nine straight games and had a sparkling 22-2 record. Betts capped a 22-point, 18-rebound effort with the winning shot in the closing seconds.

“We basically have two kids that stepped on the court in the championship game last season,” Ulitzky said, referring to Betts and senior guard Isa Dillehay.

“We’ve been spoiled in the past because we’ve always had pretty staggered classes and we haven’t really got hit hard by any one group until this year. It’s a big credit to Sienna and her teammates what they’ve been able to accomplish this season.”

The 16-9 Wolves (who downed Douglas County 57-27 in the opening round) face a rematch with a Highlands Ranch team that they defeated by 14 points in the Final Four last season. The third-seeded Falcons (223), who won the Continental League, also have had some turnover, but have caught fire and won 14 straight.

Grandview and Highlands Ranch meet at 11:45 a.m. in the third game of an eightgame schedule of 6A quarterfinal contests as they seek spots in the March 10 semifinals. Champions get crowned March 11.

Top: Regis Jesuit junior Hana Belibi (13) rises above Cherokee Trail defenders Damara Allen and Delainey Miller for a jump shot during the Raiders’ Class 6A Sweet 16 win Feb. 24. Above right: Sienna Betts made a shot in the closing seconds to lift Grandview to a 52-50 Sweet 16 win at Fountain-Fort Carson Feb. 24.

Photos by Courtney Oakes/ Sentinel Colorado

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Preps

ICE HOCKEY

Cherry Creek outlasts Resurrection Christian to make quarterfinals

The Class 5A state ice hockey playoffs opened with some quality first round matchups, highlighted by the Cherry Creek co-op team’s win over Resurrection Christian.

The sixth-seeded Bruins — a collection of players from schools across the district — had a tall task against the 11th-seeded Cougars, who had altered the postseason bracket with a win over Monarch in the regular season finale and had been playing well.

A tight contest through two periods Feb. 24 at Family Sports Center turned into a scramble in the final period as both teams scored three goals and Cherry Creek prevailed 6-5 on a goal with just nine seconds remaining from senior Ayden Schmidt (Cherokee Trail). Schmidt and Eric Burggraf (Grandview) each finished with two goals and an assist to lead the way for coach Jeff Mielnicki’s Bruins. Daniil Korobeynikov and Dominic Suchkov also had goals for Cherry Creek, which also got a 19-save performance from goaltender Ethan Barnard.

Cherry Creek advanced to the quarterfinals, which were all scheduled to be played Feb. 28-March 1 at South Suburban Sports Complex. The Bruins (12-7-1) are slated to take on No. 3 Ralston Valley (12-4-2) at 8 p.m. March 1. The teams split two meetings during the regular season as Cherry Creek won 4-3 on Dec. 17, while Ralston Valley claimed a 7-0 victory Jan. 20.

ICE HOCKEY Regis Jesuit has bye into 5A quarterfinals

When it plays for the first time in the Class 5A state ice hockey playoffs, Regis Jesuit will play the same team it faced to end the regular season.

The Raiders (8-6-4) received a bye after it earned the No. 4 seed in the 12-team 5A playoffs, which put them straight into a quarterfinal contest at 8 p.m. Feb. 28 at South Suburban Sports Complex. Their opponent will be fifth-seeded Monarch, which cruised to a 12-0 victory over No. 12 Lewis-Palmer in the opening round.

Regis Jesuit finished its regular season schedule against the same Monarch team on Feb. 17 and the teams played to a 2-2 tie as Michael Manville and Connor Ihaia had the goals for the Raiders. The Coyotes got the best of Regis Jesuit in the previous meeting, a 3-1 victory Jan. 21 that saw Nicolas Pineiro net the Raiders’ lone goal.

After all four quarterfinal contests get played at South Suburban Feb. 28-March 1, the tournament shifts to the World Arena for semifinal contests on March 4. The winners of those two contests advance to the state championship game at 8 p.m. March 7 at Magness Arena.

BOYS BASKETBALL Lead slips from Raptors in 6A Sweet 16 defeat

The Eaglecrest boys basketball team had a lead of double figures early and still two going into the final quarter of its Class 6A Sweet 16 contest at Denver East Feb. 25, only to watch the host Angels rally for an 80-65 victory.

Coach Jarris Krapcha’s Eaglecrest team had a 51-49 lead going into the final quarter, but Denver East owned a 31-14 advantage in the final eight minutes to end the season for the Raptors, who finished 15-10 overall.

Sophomore LaDavian King gave Eaglecrest a chance as he poured in a season-high 31 points, while he was joined in double figures by senior Peyton Taylor with 11 along with 10 apiece from senior Joshua Ray and junior Cam Chapa.

Eaglecrest had reached the Sweet 16 round for the 11th consecutive season with a 75-56 win over 13th-seeded ThunderRidge to open the postseason Feb. 22. The Grizzlies had two the past two large school state championships, but were felled by a Raptors team that was again led by King with 23 points, while Robert Heflin IV added 14, Chapa 12 and Taylor 10.

BOYS BASKETBALL Vista PEAK stopped in 5A Sweet 16 round

The outstanding season for the Vista PEAK boys basketball team came to an end in the Sweet 16 round of the Class 5A state tournament Feb. 25.

The ninth-seeded Bison were tied with eighth-seeded Pueblo South near the midway point of the fourth quarter in a game played at the Colorado State Fair Events Center in Pueblo, but got outscored 2110 the rest of the way in a 62-51 loss.

Coach Keenon Clement’s team got a 16-point effort from senior Gabe Britton plus nine more from senior Nasir Mills and seven points apiece from junior Alante Monroe-Elazier and senior Kyelin Sanders, but finished 18-7 overall.

Vista PEAK had earned its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2020 with a 52-35 win over Discovery Canyon in the first round Feb. 22 in a game in which Monroe-Elazier poured in 19 points and Britton and junior Carson McDonald had nine apiece.

TOP: A shot from the point ticks off the glove of Cherry Creek goaltender

Ethan Barnard right during the first period of the Bruins’ 6-5 win over Resurrection Christian Feb. 24 at Class 5A state ice hockey playoff game. ABOVE

LEFT: Eaglecrest’s LaDavian King, right, scored 31 points in the Raptors’ 80-65 Class 6A Sweet 16 boys loss at Denver East Feb. 25. ABOVE RIGHT:

Senior Ashlyn Stapleton, right, and the Vista PEAK girls basketball team won its opener in the Class 5A girls state playoffs over Standley Lake before it lost in the Sweet 16 at Mead Feb. 24.

LEFT: Senior Laci Roffle (5) and the Eaglecrest girls basketball team make the Class 6A Sweet 16 with a road win at Rangeview before it dropped a Sweet 16 contest at Highlands Ranch Feb. 24.

(Photos by Courtney Oakes/Sentinel Colorado)

GIRLS BASKETBALL Eaglecrest stopped after making its first Sweet 16 since 2016

The Eaglecrest girls basketball team advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 17 seasons before it lost to Highlands Ranch with a trip to the Denver Coliseum on the line.

The 19th-seeded Raptors knocked off 14th-seeded Rangeview in an all-Aurora first round game to make it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2006, then fell to third-seeded Highlands Ranch 5434 to end the season 15-10.

Senior Nia McKenzie and sophomore Amaia Jones finished with eight points apiece to lead coach

Robby Gabrielli’s Eaglecrest team. McKenzie had 15 points, senior Laci Roffle 14 and senior Anjolene Ramiro 11 in a 51-46 win over Rangeview.

GIRLS BASKETBALL Bison fall on the road to Mead in 5A Sweet 16

The Vista PEAK girls basketball team defended its home floor to win its Class 5A state tournament opener and went on the road in hopes of pulling off an upset in the Sweet 16.

The 12th-seed Bison trailed the Mavericks by just points after one quarter, but saw the deficit grow to nearly 20 by halftime in an eventual 79-53 loss as they ended 15-10.

Sophomore Eianna Jackson led coach Howard Payne’s Vista PEAK team with 13 points in the defeat, while junior Alliyah Thompson added 12 and sophomore Amirah Pena 10. Jackson also paced the team its in 64-44 first round win over Standley Lake as she had 19 points, while senior Ashlyn Stapleton had 13 (all in the second half), which included three 3-pointers to give her the program record in a single season. She added two against Mead to finish with 55.

SPRING SPORTS

New season practices begin for all Feb. 27

The last of the three prep sports seasons of the school year — spring — began practice Feb. 27 as they work towards the start of regular seasons either March 2 or March 9. Boys swimming & boys volleyball started Feb. 20.

CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO

Ordinance 2023-04

FOR AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO, AMENDING SECTION 10269 OF THE CITY CODE PERTAINING TO COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION

Ordinance 2023-04 which was introduced on February 27, 2023, will be presented for final passage at the March 13, 2023, regular meeting of the City Council. The full text of the ordinance is available for public inspection and acquisition in the City Clerk’s Office, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Suite 1400, Aurora, Colorado, and on the city’s website at: https://www.auroragov.org/city_hall/public_records/legal_notices/ordinance_notices/.

/s/ Kadee Rodriguez City Clerk

Publication: March 2, 2023

Sentinel CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO

Ordinance 2023-05

FOR AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO, VACATING A PORTION OF THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF WAY FOR N. ORLEANS ST., LOCATED WITHIN SECTION 11, TOWNSHIP 3 SOUTH, RANGE 66 WEST OF THE 6TH PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, CITY OF AURORA, COUNTY OF ADAMS, STATE OF COLORADO (PAINTED PRAIRIE N. ORLEANS ST. RIGHTOF-WAY VACATION)

Ordinance 2023-05 which was introduced on February 27, 2023, will be presented for final passage at the March 13, 2023, regular meeting of the City Council. The full text of the ordinance is available for public inspection and acquisition in the City Clerk’s Office, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Suite 1400, Aurora, Colorado, and on the city’s website at: https://www.auroragov.org/city_hall/public_records/legal_notices/ordinance_notices/.

/s/ Kadee Rodriguez City Clerk

Publication: March 2, 2023

Sentinel

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

Unclaimed, confiscated, and recovered property will be auctioned to the highest and best bidder at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at 7500 York Street, Denver, Colorado.

These items may be inspected at 7500 York Street, Denver, Colorado, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. the day before the sale, then between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on the day of the auction. A complete list of all items will be available for review in the City Clerk’s Office, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Room 1400 (1st floor), Aurora, Colorado.

21-31929237597-21 Ingersoll Drill

21-31929237597-22 Ingersoll Drill

21-31929237597-23 Makita Drill

21-31929237597-24 Makita Drill

21-31929237597-25 Ryobi Circular Saw

21-31929237597-26 Fluke Volt Meter/ Electrical Tester

21-31929237597-28 Gas Generator

21-31929237597-29 Maestro Guitar

15-4717931038-2 Bracelet 2040761209614-1 Black Apple Watch (no strap)

20-46191213805-1 Clears Stones/Possible Diamonds

21-11992222024-27 Invicta Angel Watch

21-11992222024-28 Michael Kors Watch

w/Clear Stones on Rim

21-11992222024-29 Single Stud Earring w/Clear Stone

10-354641035464Z-7 Watch w/Picture on Face

11-277851127785-3 Ring

11-277851127785-4 Ring

11-460401146040-15 Ring

11-460401146040-16 Ring 11460401146040-17 Ring

11-460401146040-18 Earrings

11-460401146040-19 Rosary Necklace

21-31929237597-30 Dewalt Tool Bag

137598137598Z-61 HP Printer/Computer

13-7598137598Z-64 HP Monitor

13-7598137598Z-70 HP Monitor

13-7598137598Z-71 IMAC

13-7598137598Z-72 IMAC Apple Keyboard

13-7598137598Z-75 Sansui TV

16-4380760737-26 Spare Power Tool Bat-

21-11992222024-34 Gold Colored Chain

16-1268647268-3 Hennessy Watch w/ Black Leather Band

17-2489280785-6 Silver Colored Ring w/ Clear Stones

17-4432591057-1 Brown Imitation Leather

Watch

17-4658992511-3 Black Colored Earrings

19-48128179532-11 Metal Watch

20-296181650-1 Silver Chain w/Jesus

Pendant

20-296181650-2 Flat Gold Necklace

20-296181650-3 Broken Bracelet

20-296181650-45 Stud Earrings w/Crystal

20-296181650-5 Coach Ring

20-296181650-6 Flower Ring

20-296181650-7 Men’s Wedding Band

20-296181650-8 Broken Piece of Jewelry

19-48308188390-93 Wrist Watches

19-48308188390-103 Wrist Watches

19-48308188390-111 Wrist Watch

Craftsman Circular

Bosch Hammer Drill 14-363298949-27 Garmin GPS 14-363298949-28 Garmin GPS

14-363298949-29 Speaker w/Cord

14-363298949-30 Go Pro Underwater

14-363298949-31 Garmin GPS w/ Charger and Mount

14-363298949-32 Garmin GPS w/Charger and Mount

14-363298949-34 Beats Headphones

14-363298949-35 Beats Headphones in Box 14-363298949-36 Beats Wireless Headphones in Box

14-363298949-37 Garmin GPS w/Cords and Mount

14-363298949-38 Garmin GPS w/Cords and Mount

14-363298949-39 Go Pro Camcorder

14-363298949-40 Beats Wireless Headphones in Box

14-363298949-41 Headphones in Case

14-363298949-42 Garmin GPS w/Mount and Charger

14-363298949-43 Garmin GPS

14-363298949-44 Beats Headphones in Small Case

14-363298949-45 Beats Headphones in Small Case

14-363298949-46 TomTom GPS w/Charger

16-24533508-11 Collector’s Sports Cards

(3)

15-3902726466-21 Walt Disney Silverware

15-4757835651-6 Corded Milwaukee

Sawzall

15-4757836647-31 Corded Dewalt Swa-

zall

21-25635231198-1 Milwaukee Cut Off Tool

21-25635231198-2 Milwaukee LED Light Stick

21-25635231198-3 Milwaukee Impact Wrench 21-25635231198-4 Dewalt Oscillating Multi Tool 21-25635231198-5 Dewalt Reciprocating Saw 21-25635231198-6 Small Power Inverter 21-25635231198-7 Wagner Heat Gun

21-25635231198-8 Craftsman Drill

21-44410246907-1 Dewalt Toolbag

21-44410246907-6v Misc. Hand Tools

21-44410247506-6 Dewalt Disc Sander

21-44410247506-8 Makita Reciprocating Saw

21-44410247506-11 Dewalt Cordless

Wrench

10-398761039876Z-2 Lug Nuts

21-28015239036-1 Bose Sound Bar

21-47161249461-22 Purses

21-47161249461-3 Bosch Drill Set in Box

21-44643251590-1 Crain Carpet Stretcher

21-44643251590-2 Husky Assorted Hand Tolls and Case

21-44643251590-3 Duralast Ratchet Set

21-44643251590-4 Redmax Hedge Trim-

mer

21-44643251590-5 6ft Fiberglass Ladder

21-44643251590-6 Demolition Hammer

21-44643251590-7 Milwaukee Rotary Tool

21-44643251590-8 Milwaukee Rotary Cut

Off Tool

21-44643251590-9 Roberts Saw 21-

44643251590-10 Makita Worm Drive Saw

21-44643251590-11 Wagner Tool 2144643251590-12 Rigid Finish Stapler w/ Bag

21-44643251590-13 Porter Cable ¼ Nar-

row Crown Stapler

21-44643251590-14 Powernail 20 GA Power Tacker

21-44643251590-15 Traxx Carpet Stapler

21-44643251590-16 Carpet Stapler

21-44643251590-17 18V Ryobi Circular

Saw w/Battery

21-44643251590-18 18V Ryobi Circular

Saw w/Battery

21-44643251590-19 Ryobi Class

20-13461190409-1 Silver Colored Ring w/ Clear Stones

20-32304203855-1 Silver Colored Ring

21-8042219212-19 Earring

21-8042219212-20 Bracelet

21-8042219212-21 Ring

21-8042219212-22 Ring

21-35445238009-2 Black Apple 3 Watch

18-267198207-31 Silver Colored Chain (broken)

18-6276100581-8 Gold Chain w/Grim Reaper Medallion

13-2365132365Z-16 Thin Chain

13-2365132365Z-17 Religious Yellow Metal

13-2365132365Z-18 Religious Silver Color Necklace w/Cross

13-2365132365Z-19 Big Face Watch w/ Silver & Yellow Metal

13-2365132365Z-28 Stud Earrings Yellow & Silver

13-2365132365Z-29 Silver Colored Brace-

let 19-6398150175-73 Watches

20-1821182710-1 Size 3 Silver Colored Ring w/Stone

20-9043187390-3 Men’s Watch (broken glass face)

20-18953194473-1 Silver Colored Earring

w/Purple Stones

20-28025201074-6 White Metal Ring

20-28025201074-7 White Metal Necklace

20-28025201074-8 White Metal Bracelet

20-38973208375-6 Silver Watch

20-46622213440-2 Watch

21-1283214306-1 Gold in Color Ring

21-6969218465-19 Nixon Watch

21-7472219446-1 White Metal Ring w/ White Stone

21-7472219446-2 Necklace w/Clock Pendant

21-13762223243-4 Ring without Gems

21-13762223243-6 Ring w/Gems

21-28212233646-1 Silver/Gold Dragon Ring w/Jade Green Stone

16-2320747974-1 Necklace

16-2178352441-34 Watch White A

1281316-2178352441-35 Watch Invicta

Provider

16-4254860334-11 Silver Necklace

16-4380760737-38 Cross Shaped Pendant 16-4380760737-39 Necklace

16-4380760737-40 Pair of Silver Earrings

17-2420679314-11 Gold False Teeth

17-3847787787-47 Necklace

11-460401146040-20 Rosary Necklace 11-

460401146040-21 Hooked Earrings w/3

Bangles

11-460401146040-22 Necklace Charm

11-460401146040-23 Bracelet w/Clear

Stones

11-460401146040-24 Necklace

11-

460401146040-25 Hair Clip Bow w/Clear

Stones

11-460401146040-26 Christmas Santa Earring

11-460401146040-27 Ring w/White Stone

11-460401146040-28 Hair Clip

11-460401146040-29 Earring w/Clear Stones

11-460401146040-30 Charm

11-460401146040-31 Pink Hair Rubber Band

11-460401146040-32 Silver Charm

11-463441146344-13 Pair of Earrings 11471741147174-16 Costume Feather Earring

11-471741147174-17 Clear Stone Ear-

rings1

1-471741147174-18 Black Costume Earrings

11-471741147174-19 Yellow Color Earring

11-471741147174-20 Double Ring

16-4140259010-7 White Timex Watch

16-4140259010-8 Red & White Geneva Watch

16-4140259010-9 White & Brown Geneva Watch 08-220250822025-5 Ring

08-220250822025-6 Necklace

08-220250822025-7 Necklace

08-220250822025-8 Ring

08-220250822025-9 Key Chain

12-159071215907Z-5 Bracelet

12-159071215907Z-6 Necklace

12-162411216241Z-22 Ring

12-162411216241Z-23 Ring

12-251471225147-9 Ring

12-4760124760Z-8 Earrings

14-363298949-8 Watch in Box w/Charger

14-363298949-11 Watch in Box

14-363298949-23 Nike Smart Watch w/ Box

14-363298949-24 Nike Smart Watch w/ Box

14-363298949-25 Tom Tom Smart Watch

14-363298949-26 Garmin Smart Watch

08-537690853769-5 Watch

09-5517095517Z-5 Watch

05-442240544224Z-4 Metal Bracelet

05-442240544224Z-5 Metal Bracelet

05-442240544224Z-6 Metal Link Bracelet

05-442240544224Z-7 Metal Bracelet 05-

442240544224Z-8 Black Rubber Bracelet

05-442240544224Z-9E arrings

05-

442240544224Z-101 Earring 05-442240544224Z-11 Silver Ring 05-442240544224Z-12 Multi Colored

Necklace 05-442240544224Z-13 Ring Purple Stone 05-442240544224Z-14 Bracelet/Thread 05-442240544224Z-15 Bracelet/Metal

05-442240544224Z-16 Ring w/Clear

05-442240544224Z-17 Rubber Rings 05-442240544224Z-18 Rubber Bracelet

05-484800548480-20 Watch w/Broken Band

05-487890548789-14 Bracelet

05-487890548789-15 Watch w/No Band

06-516010651601Z-1 Earring

06-516010651601Z-2 Earrings

06-516010651601Z-3 Earring

Silver Soviet Kopeck Coins in Case

21-7081218516-611 Soviet Animal Coins in Case

18-9784180858-2 Foreign Money

20-1190182308-4 Mexican Coin

20-879182062-74 Ecuador Coins & 1 Australian Coin

11-108631110863-12 Chinese Bank Note

11-431501143150-16 Foreign Coin

14-6837146837-15 Pesos

20-2303183074-12 Russian Bill

10-449931044993Z-16 Canadian $2 Coin

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: February 16, 2023

Final Publication: March 2, 2023 Sentinel

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO ALIAS ORDER TO ISSUE CITATION AND CITATION TO SHOW CAUSE Case No. 2011DR2026

To: JESSICA IRENE HERNANDEZ

The Court, having reviewed the Verified Motion and Affidavit for Citation for Contempt of Court filed on by Respondent on August 14, 2022 (date), orders that the clerk issue a Citation to Show Cause to the party named to appear before the Court at a date and time certain.

Date: January 11, 2023

You are ordered to appear before this Court at the place, date and time listed below to show cause, if any, for the failure and refusal to comply with the Orders of this Court entered on March 8, 2022 (date) and to show cause why sanctions and/or imprisonment should not be imposed.

You JESSICA IRENE HERNANDEZ and OSCAR CERVANTES, JR (Name) are hereby ordered to appear at: Court Location: ARAPAHOE COUNTY COURT 7325 S. POTOMAC ST, CENTENNIAL CO 80112

Date: Friday, March 31, 2023 Time: 11:00 AM in division 21

21-22786229128-242 Silver Colored

Necklaces

15-4717931038-1 Necklace

173935288197-10 Porcelain Type Ring

17-3935288197-9 Yellow Metal Ring

152920120695-4 Rings (2)

15-2920120695-5 Earrings

21-37666239888-20 Geneva Watch

21-37666239888-21 Black Watch 14207411420741-1 Yellow Bracelet 14213671421367-23 Medallion-Swords of Justice

14-213671421367-24 Ankle Bracelet 14213671421367-25 Earring

14-412042860-2B lack String Bracelet

14-412042860-3 Gray Watch w/Clear Stones in Parklane Box

14-422023222-16 Ring- 101st Airborne

14-422023222-17 Gold Ring

14-422023222-18 Michael Kors Watch

16-47233782-3C E Rohs Smart Watch

15-73898940-6 Gold Colored Rope Chain

15-73898940-7 Gold Colored Chain w/ Cross

15-73898940-8 Gold Colored Rope Chain

15-1072710670-8 Silver Colored Men’s Watch

13-426061342606Z-21 Watch 14-165971416597-62 Watch 14-176121417612-4 Class Ring 14-2096142096-8 Green Watch 14-2096142096-9 Yellow Gold Watch 14-2096142096-10 Bracelet 147885147885Z-1 Necklace

15-31157582-83 Charms

15-31157582-9 Intricate Design Earring

15-31157582-10 Ball Earrings

06-516010651601Z-4 Earring

06-516010651601Z-5 Earring

09-174650917465Z-3 Men’s Wedding Band

09-209580920958-4 Earrings

09-209580920958-5 Watch

15-2001314793-2 Watch

20-29135201812-1 Silver/Chrome Men’s Watch w/Copper Accent 20-29135201812-2 Men’s Watch 20-29135201812-3 Men’s Multi Colored Smoke/Chrome Watch

20-29135201812-4 Watch w/Chrome Face

20-29135201812-5 Watch Face

20-29135201812-6 Square Kenneth Cole Watch Face

20-29135201812-7 Yellow Men’s Watch

20-29135201812-8 Black Casio Watch

20-29135201812-9 Silver Watch w/Blue Face

20-29135201812-10 Women’s Watch w/ Leather Band

20-29135201812-11 Women’s Chrome and Yellow Faced Watch

20-29135201812-12 Women’s Plastic Watch

20-29135201812-13 Gold Ladies Watch

20-29135201812-14 Watch Face

20-29135201812-15 Seiko Watch Face

20-29135201812-16 Bulova Watch

20-29135201812-17

If you fail to appear in Court at the time, date and place specified, a bench warrant will be issued for your arrest without further notice and you may be further sanctioned according to the law for your failure to appear.

Date: January 11, 2023

First Publication: February 2, 2023

Final Publication: March 2, 2023 Sentinel

ATTACHMENT C SUGGESTED FORMAT FOR LEGAL NOTICE

Instructions: This legal notice must be published as a legal notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the area of the project for one day at least five days prior to the public meeting. If applicant is applying to the local jurisdiction for matching funds, a combined public notice may be published although it must distinguish each funding request separately. In the case of a multi-jurisdictional application, a legal notice must be published in each participating municipality or county.

(Replace this sample with notarized proof of publication as Attachment C)

Columbia Ventures will submit an application to the Colorado Division of Housing (DOH). The purpose of this application is to request approximately $5,480,000 to develop 137 units of rental housing at 1671 Altura Blvd, Aurora, Colorado. The request of funding from DOH is to benefit persons with low and moderate incomes by increasing the availability of affordable housing in Aurora. It is not the intent to cause displacement from any existing housing; however, if persons are displaced from their existing residences reasonable housing alternatives shall be offered.

All interested persons are encouraged to contact the applicant for further information. Written comments should be sent to Iván Anaya or ianaya@columbiaven.com and will be forwarded to DOH for consideration during the application process.

Wanted: Personal Care Assistant

Hiring personal care assistant/CNA/Home health aid. Individuals who are compassionate and are service oriented to care for others. Assist with activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, toileting, running errands.

Benefits:

Employee discount

Flexible schedule

Time schedule 5 hours per day & $30 per hour.

Email andyctrangegrading@gmail.com for more details.

I) de deux 2) Dinner scrap

Ammo in a harmless shooter 4) Legal aides, informally 5) Recently 6) Baby's word for 1-Across 7) Japanese protein source 8) Cats have nine of them 9) Welcoming garland 10) Makes soapy bubbles 11) Business seed money

Steeplechase obstacle

Called off

Left the scene

Desk drawer item

›› METRO, from 7

the district wrestled with the unpopular decision to close several elementary schools as part of Blueprint APS.

In a December interview with the Sentinel, Munn said that he did not yet know what his future plans would be.

“I’m going to be available to the district for some time period, then I’ll be exploring what’s next for me,” he said.

Munn’s first day as chief of staff is July 1, the release said.

Munn’s departure contract with APS states that from July to December of this year he will serve as a contractor for the district to help advise the new superintendent. A representative from the district did not immediately respond to a question about whether this would still be in place.

APS has contracted with the search firm HYA to find Munn’s replacement. The firm is currently soliciting feedback from the community about what it wants in a new superintendent, and is currently accepting applications for the position.

HYA vice president Mike Ritchie, who is leading the search, said that it plans to present a slate of candidates to the school board in mid-March and hopes to announce the selection in early May.

— CARINA JULIG, Sentinel Staff Writer

COURTS

Man sentenced to prison for illegally owning gun

An Aurora man was sentenced to almost 20 years in prison for illegally owning a weapon as a felon, the U.S. Attorney General’s Office for the District of Colorado announced in a Feb. 22 news release.

Robert Vandori Johnson, 40, was sentenced Feb. 17 to 19.5 years in federal prison after being found guilty by a jury in November of being a felon in possession of a firearm, the release said. He will also serve five years of supervised release.

In February of last year, Denver police officers were searching for Daeveon House on a warrant and observed House and Johnson drive to an apartment complex. When they got out and entered another car, police stopped the pair and attempted to arrest House, the release said. Both men were found to be in possession of firearms at the scene, which neither were legally allowed to own because of previous felony convictions.

House was sentenced in August to over seven years in prison.

“We are working aggressively with the ATF and the Denver Police Department to take dangerous felons with guns off the streets of Denver,” United States Attorney Cole Finegan said in the release. “If you are a convicted felon caught with a firearm or ammunition, you can expect to face severe consequences.”

— CARINA JULIG, Sentinel Staff Writer

langer’s firm as part of the “whole-person” vision for the redesigned hiring process.

“What we’re trying to do is give everybody a fair shake,” Snider said. He specifically mentioned wanting to accommodate adults who may have acted dishonestly or committed crimes as teenagers but have since reformed their lives.

“We’re obviously not going to hire anybody with an alcohol problem,” he said. “If a DUI incident is a minor one where nobody was affected except for the

applicant, and in terms of time it was far in the past, it gives the commission more flexibility to give some people some grace for a dumb decision.”

Last year, former interim police chief Dan Oates also declined to fire a rookie cop facing an open criminal case in Arkansas for a drunken family dispute after that information became public.

Some reform advocates cast doubt on the city’s judgment.

Lindsay Minter, a member of the now-defunct Community Police Task Force, said she was uncom-

fortable with the Civil Service Commission’s controversial decision in December to reinstate the police officer who threatened to unleash a dog on Elijah McClain.

She said she supported loosening restrictions on past marijuana use and traffic citations but that she was uncomfortable with police welcoming candidates whose background checks revealed integrity problems or DUIs.

“If you already have a dishonesty and integrity issue, then you’re not going to be able to hold anybody else accountable or your-

self accountable,” she said. “And if we have the same people making the same decisions in hiring, it really doesn’t matter what the qualifications are. We’re still gonna get the same type of folks.”

Mohamedbhai, the attorney for McClain’s family, said he generally approved of the rule changes, pointing out that even some crimes related to dishonesty, like writing a bad check, could be considered crimes of poverty.

But like Minter, he said he believed it was ultimately up to the commission and Aurora’s public

safety agencies to weed out unsuitable candidates.

“If you’ve got the wrong people on the commission, these rules will be abused, you know?,” he said. “So it’s setting them up for something that could work. But it’s also setting them up for something that may get worse.”