STRESSED TO KILL?
The family of a man fatally shot by an Aurora officer sue for the city failing to end racially discriminatory policing
Government deciding what’s economically ‘unsavory’ is nothing but bad business
As Aurora’s resident dinosaur, I am compelled to point out the folly in this week’s episode of The Aurora City Council’s Been There, Done That.
Granted, I’m gray and grumpy, but this installment of “I’ve got an idea” just keeps coming around every few years.
DAVE PERRY Editor
Aurora, like just about every berg and community across the country, wages a never-ending battle with urban blight, suburban decay or whatever euphemism you want to give Skid Row.
Aurora is no stranger to this obsession.
The Colfax/Downtown/Original Aurora turnaround plans fill numerous shelves in the Sentinel newsroom.
One of the common themes among these well-considered and sometimes well-funded schemes is the idea that if you ban or limit certain businesses commonly found in communities on the other side of tracks, the neighborhood will become a better place.
For decades, Aurora has envied communities in the metro area that have gone from rags to riches, in an urban renewal kind of way. Old Town Arvada, a once rapidly declining wasteland of old warehouses, gas stations and motels is now a bustling center of commerce — and retail tax revenue — for that city.
Denver’s Lower Downtown and River North neighborhoods have long been the holy grail for redevelopment disciples here in the metro area. Once a wasteland of unwanted buildings and virtual landfills, RiNo is now the place to live and hang out. Apartments there collect about $2,100 a month for a 1-bedroom apartment, according to RentCafe.
Aurora lawmakers have returned to looking hard at the city’s sprawling northwest community, which continues to struggle with the same challenges it’s dealt with for decades: higher crime, lower property values and a lot of people just busting their humps every day just trying to get by.
The city is pitching a new plan to create a type of special district, mostly along the East Colfax Avenue corridor, that will focus on the area’s troubles, not unlike previous groups and districts have. That’s not a bad thing. Past efforts resulted in victories and changes that really did help move the needle in the RiNo direction.
The community boasts the Downtown
Aurora Visual Arts project, which for years has worked with generations of kids to provide cool culture for themselves and the entire community. Past rehab efforts landed the amazing MLK Junior Library, a host of city annex offices, the People’s Building and the metro-jewel, the Fox Arts Center.
The area has for years boasted cool places like La Cueva Mexican restaurant and Mango House.
But it’s never been enough to turn the Colfax strip and surrounding neighborhoods into the next Denver LoHi.
Even after the dream-come-true addition of the Anschutz Medical Campus at Fitzsimons plopped the medical school and three massive hospitals onto the scene, the neighborhood continues to struggle with the same issues it has for decades.
So in this Groundhog Day scenario of chicken-or-the-egg science experiment, Aurora lawmakers now think that if they just restrict certain businesses in the region, the neighborhoods will turn around.
On what will soon become a new “naughty” list of business types will be “unsavory” enterprises that thrive on people who live in poor, run-down parts of towns. Think vape and smoke shops, paycheck cashing and lending stores, pawn shops and plasma centers.
City lawmakers last month ditched a bill that would ban new vape stores in the city for six months until council members could come up with a comprehensive plan to limit these and other businesses in some or all Aurora neighborhoods. Despite avoiding a ban, the city still wants to come up with a plan for restrictions.
You can see where this is going. Do multiple vape shops draw poor, struggling people to live in a community? Or do vape shops pop up all over the place because neighborhoods with lots of poor people demand them? I can promise you, because I’m old and have seen this play out several times: both and neither.
It is mostly true that pawn shops and check cashing stores and vape shops like opening in poor parts of town because there are so many potential customers living nearby.
I doubt anyone sees a vape shop on the bus home from work and thinks, “I should start vaping.”
But it’s equally true that many of the people who live in northwest Aurora like to vape
and sell what they can at a pawn shop to help make rent.
I can promise you that if you closed every pawn shop, payday loan center and smoke shop in Original Aurora, it wouldn’t change much of anything. Almost every strip mall from Longmont to Castle Rock sports at least one.
There are vape stores all over the metro area right now. Just around the building from the Sentinel newsroom is a pawn shop, sitting behind pretty swank houses in the Eastridge neighborhood.
I’m absolutely no libertarian, but I’ve watched them closely long enough to know they’re not smoking crack or vaping when they insist that the market, in a market-economy, will make sure there aren’t door-todoor vape shops lining East Colfax Avenue.
And I know for certain there’s real danger in letting the government decide what residents want and need in their lives.
I think that vaping is a ludicrous habit that creates real health concerns and is a fabulous waste of money, money that poor people don’t have to waste. But I also know that banning or limiting vape shops on Colfax won’t stop anyone from vaping, and those empty storefronts will not be taken over by a yoga parlor or a chic French patisserie.
What will make a difference, just like it has in the past, is plenty of parking and beefing up police patrols in the area. The now long-gone Colfax foot and bike patrols made a real difference to business owners and residents alike. The high visibility of officers creates confidence, especially in business patrons from outside the area. The foot patrol was a band of amiable and helpful cops who were expert at enforcing laws without bullying or harassing anyone.
And if you want businesses to take a chance on opening a restaurant or hair salon on Montview or Colfax, offer tax or other incentives to the types of businesses everyone can agree to grow an inviting and sustainable urban neighborhood.
But focusing on banning one type of business over another won’t turn northwest Aurora into the next LoDo.
Why? It’s because vape shops, payday loan sharks and smoke shops are the symptom, not the problem.
Follow @EditorDavePerry on BlueSky, Threads, Mastodon, Twitter and Facebook or reach him at 303-750-7555 or dperry@SentinelColorado.com
Selection from a local smoke shop. SENTINEL FILE PHOTO
Debate over vape and smoke shops sparks Aurora ‘unsavory’ zoning debate
BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer
Aproposal to ban the opening of new vape and smoke shops for six months was narrowly defeated at the most recent city council meeting, but the debate it sparked revealed the challenges that council members might face in defining and enforcing zoning strategies aimed at reducing crime and urban decay.
Councilmember Alison Coombs sponsored the moratorium to put a six-month halt on new vape and smoke shops in order to allow the city time to assess a response to the growing concerns about the public health, safety and crime implications of these retailers.
“From my perspective, we have an issue of just not having clear enough regulations in place in our zoning codes about spacing, location and things of that nature,” Coombs said. “So we could have a block or strip mall that’s all vape and tobacco, and so we want to make sure that that’s not what’s going on, that we’re not having certain areas that are overburdened.”
At stake are areas of the city tabbed as troubled because of higher crime rates, commercial and private code violations and lower family incomes.
Coombs’ proposal was paired with a recent propsoed measure that would crack down on what city officials say are under-regulated psychoactive products and drug paraphernalia, said Treavor Vaughn, manager of licensing and finance. The ordinance to ban those specific drugs and paraphernalia from gas stations and vape and smoke shops was unanimously approved on first reading July 28.
Coombs’ moratorium was shot down after a tie between council members was
broken with Mayor Mike Coffman voting “no.” Those in favor were council members Coombs, Crystal Murillo, Ruben Medina, Stephanie Hancock and Angela Lawson.
Besides the conversation among lawmakers about not wanting to interfere with a free market, Mayor Mike Coffman and Councilmember Françoise Bergan acknowledged that Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky is also working on something similar, but more encompassing.
“I am working on bringing forward something that encompasses what is considered all predatory businesses, so not just vape and smoke shops, but there are a lot of businesses that fall under that category, and it is an actual stated category,” Jurinsky said during the July 14 meeting. “I’m bringing forward something that has spacing requirements for all these different types of businesses.”
Words like “unsavory” and “predatory” were some of the terms used to describe businesses like vape and smoke, while it was never made completely clear what “predatory” actually includes.
“I noticed a vape shop in my ward that’s from the outside, it looks like a high-end cell phone store; very reputable, it seems,” Sundberg said. “Predatory? What constitutes predatory? How about lottery tickets? Aren’t those predatory? They’ve been called a tax on the poor. I mean, is that what we go after next?”
He added that he guessed that the answer would come down the road.
Gardner said he also wanted to know how the idea of “unsavory” businesses was being decided. Gardner said he was opposed to the moratorium because it was anti-business, and never fully stated his opinion on zoning
businesses to space what Jurinsky referred to as “predatory,” but it still addressed the issue with the language.
“I know tobacco and nicotine products and vaping, and they’re generally accepted as unsavory by a majority of society, but there are also people in society who consider alcohol unsavory,” Gardner said. “We’re not looking to ban bars or liquor stores; adult content is unsavory. I mean, you can go through the list, and just because you find something unsavory does not mean we should ban something for legal adult use.”
Payday loan stores, pawn shops, plasma donation sites and some rent-to-own businesses, such as those offering rent-to-own furniture, have been tabbed as predatory businesses because they can increase debt and contribute to poverty or poorer living standards. They are also linked to urban decay in multiple national studies.
More recently, investigations and studies have identified so-called dollar stores as potentially predatory businesses, as they can contribute to the creation of food deserts and poor nutrition.
The New York Times and ProPublica conducted an investigation that found that dollar stores create food deserts because they offer cheap and unhealthy food options, staff fewer people while paying their employees low wages, and allegedly attract robberies and crime in many other cities nationwide.
Cities such as Atlanta, Birmingham, Cleveland and New Orleans are banning or making restrictions on dollar stores altogether.
Vape shops and liquor stores can also be considered predatory businesses, some urban studies assert, especially with some of
the practices of some vape shops, such as advertising to minors, attracting crime and selling misleading products, such as Amanita muscaria, a legal mushroom, which is not permitted to be added to food ingredients, but is often sold in these store to be ingested.
Liquor and cannabis stores are already zoned in Aurora, and when grouped, have been linked to crime nationwide.
Early research in four separate studies has found a correlation between tobacco vape stores and crime, which is comparable to that of liquor stores and crime, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine.
During a city council study session in June, Vaughn cited one of the studies from the University of California that said that these “gray market psychoactive items and drug paraphernalia were being sold in these outlets.”
“We see a similar correlation,” Vaughn said during the study session. “We’re seeing a high concentration of these businesses in the poorer areas of town, or in areas where there are open-air drug markets, and that’s not just in Aurora. I’ve seen that elsewhere. That kind of fuels it.”
City officials say final language for the bill is still being considered, but many of the council members, like Coffman, Bergan and Coombs, voiced potential approval of the idea.
“I believe we should address concentrations of particular business types in one area and encourage a diversity of business uses throughout the city,” Coombs said to the Sentinel. “We need to be careful about how we characterize particular business, and I trust Trevor Vaughn to be thoughtful about the options that are brought to council.”
Disposable flavored electronic cigarette devices are displayed for sale at a store June 26, 2023.
AP File
Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Aurora vape shops under scrutiny for suspicious grocery, EBT sales
A few local vape shops in Aurora are raising eyebrows, and not just from the clouds of flavored smoke.
While digging into zoning issues surrounding the city’s convenience stores and smoke shops, Aurora officials stumbled across something they say doesn’t add up: a suspiciously high number of “grocery” sales in places that mostly sell vapes, tobacco and rolling papers.
“I did see a smoke shop where they were reporting the majority of their sales to us as groceries,” said Treavor Vaughn, Aurora’s manager of licensing and finance. “Interestingly enough, there’s a big EBT sign on the window. I went in there and they had some sodas and some snacks, but for the most part, it was a smoke shop.”
That sales report was just the beginning. Vaughn said what really caught his attention was a pattern of a few vape shops claiming grocery-level sales despite only stocking a handful of snacks and sodas.
At first, he thought it might just be a sneaky move to dodge Aurora’s sales tax on groceries, which the city doesn’t collect anyway, but the math didn’t make sense. That’s when he and his team suspected something bigger, possibly fraud involving EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
“We were positive we’d seen it occurring at a couple of smoke shops,” Vaughn said.
Using the federal SNAP locator, his team was able to pinpoint which businesses were actually accepting food stamps, and they matched them up with stores that were reporting unusually high grocery sales.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, households cannot use SNAP benefits to buy beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, tobacco or food and drinks that contain controlled substances such as cannabis/marijuana and CBD.
While some big-name convenience stores like 7-Eleven accept EBT for a wide array of groceries, Vaughn said the numbers coming out of some vape shops were far too high for what little food they actually offered.
Vaughn said he reported the suspected fraud to federal food benefit officials, and now those shops are no longer listed on the locator website.
Vaughn did not reveal the shops.
Some of those kinds of shops still remain on the locator website on the Denver side of Colfax Avenue, though.
“From a city standpoint, not only are those items basically earmarked for a specific purpose,” Vaughn said. “It kind of comes down to some of these businesses targeting the poor communities, and I think it correlates with that when you see them also accepting EBT.”
Cities do not enforce EBT compliance, but they do enforce rules that promote the health and safety of their residents, Vaughn said. During the research into this topic, city officials found a chain of gray market activity while looking into the sales at some vape shops, and they are now working on enforcing better compliance for some of these issues, like banning under-regulated psychoactive products in these stores.
What Vaughn and his team were able to find was that some of these vape and tobacco stores were drop shipping or purchasing more highly regulated or banned products from out
of state, such as Delta 9, with THC levels higher than what Colorado law permits. While some of these businesses are buying out-of-state products, they are also buying their tobacco products from out-of-state distributors to avoid Colorado’s high tobacco taxes. Then they are miscategorizing the grocery purchases to cover up the out-of-state purchases, he said.
They may mix legitimate and illegitimate product sources to create a cover story, using fake or incomplete invoices and obscure distributors, Vaughn said.
“One example I had, the reason we were able to kind of track it was that they were using a drop shipping location in Aurora,” Vaughn said. He said it was a supposed distribution company called Five Star Distribution that he was unfamiliar with, and that he eventually reported to the state.
Cigarettes are easier to track due to tax stamps, he said, but other tobacco products are harder to monitor, and since the state has limited enforcement resources, it makes it easy for retailers to exploit the system.
“I think there’s a fair amount of products that it’s kind of difficult to figure out how exactly they got their hands on it,” Vaughn said. “And they’re not exactly being that transparent about it, because I’m trying to get invoices from the one vape store, and they don’t seem to want to give them to me.”
— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer
Jason Crow, Dem
reps sue Trump admin for denying access to ICE facilities
Aurora Congressperson Jason Crow has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, saying ICE officials violated federal law when it turned him away July 20 from inspecting the GEO ICE detention center in Aurora.
“Today, I filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration after they illegally denied me access into a federal immigration detention facility,” Crow said in a statement. “Oversight is a fundamental responsibility of Congress. Under law, Members of Congress have the right to do unannounced oversight visits of federal immigration detention facilities.”
As of July 28, Crow said in an interview that he had gotten no feedback nor response from ICE officials nor anyone in the Trump administration.
“I don’t expect that we’ll get one,” Crow said. “I’m sure we’ll hear about them or hear from them as the legal battle progresses.”
On July 21, spokespersons for Homeland Security’s ICE division said that Crow did not give a required seven-days notice before his visit, and so he was not admitted as a matter of department policy.
“In this case, the congressman’s request did not comply with the mandatory seven-day advance notice requirement,’ ICE officials said in a statement to the Sentinel. “DHS policy clearly requires requests to tour ICE detention facilities be submitted at least seven calendar days in advance for scheduling. This longstanding policy allows for the appropriate coordination necessary to protect facility operations.”
Crow said then, and in his lawsuit, that the ICE policy violates federal law.
“The Trump Administration attempting to require advance notice for Members of Congress to do their jobs is against the law,” Crow previously told the Sentinel. “Congress has the authority to make laws — and the law is clear: Members of Congress have the right to
immediately access federal facilities to conduct oversight. Try as they might, the Administration cannot ignore the law.”
Crow said the obstanance shown by the Trump administration in Aurora and across the country is especially worrisome giving the troubling past at many of these immigrant holding facilities.
“It’s pretty clear this administration is erecting barriers to obstruct congressional oversight, which raises the very obvious question of, why and what are they hiding? What don’t they want people to know? What questions don’t want people to ask?” Crow said Wednesday. “It should worry everybody pretty deeply. It worries me, and it actually makes it even more important that we double down on our job and we get answers.”
Crow is joined in the lawsuit, filed in a DC federal court, by other congressional representatives who said they, too, were denied access to federal detention facilities. Others joining the lawsuit include representatives Joe Neguse, D-CO, Jamie Raskin, D-MD, Bennie Thompson D-MS, Veronica Escobar D-TX, Dan Goldman, D-NY, Adriano Espaillat, D-NY, Jimmy Gomez, D-CA, Norma Torres D-CA, Raul Ruiz, D-CA, Robert Garcia , D-CA, and Lou Correa, D-CA.
ICE Director Todd Lyons told a congressional committee in May that he recognized the right of members of Congress to visit detention facilities, even unannounced. But DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told a different committee that members of Congress should have requested a tour of an immigration de-
tention facility in New Jersey where a skirmish broke out in May.
As President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda plays out, detention facilities have become overcrowded and there have been reports of mistreatment, food shortages, a lack of medical care and unsanitary conditions, the lawsuit said. Congress has a duty to make sure the administration is complying with the law while operating the facilities, the lawsuit said.
The recently passed budget bill allocates $45 billion for ICE detention — more than 13 times ICE’s current annual detention budget, the lawsuit said. Members of Congress must ensure those funds are spent efficiently and legally, the lawsuit said.
›› See METRO, 5
ARAPAHOE COUNTY
Crow said that the lawsuit grew from lawmakers comparing notes and realizing that the Trump administration was denying legal, unannounced visits in numerous locations across the country.
While the lawsuit has currently enlisted only Democrats, Crow said he’s talked with Republican House members who also share his concerns about the Trump administration thwarting transparency and accountability.
“I talk to Republicans all the time actually, because I fundamentally believe in actually talking to people,” Crow said.”I remain one of the more bipartisan members of Congress,. But in those conversations, it is clear that they have concerns, that a lot of them believe in good government and in oversight, but they, unfortunately, in far too many cases, don’t have the courage or aren’t willing to fulfill their responsibilities to conduct independent oversight as a member of congress.”
Trump administration officials last week said their policy of requiring appointments by members of congress to visit facilities provide for security.
“The Department of Homeland Security takes Congressional oversight and visits from Members of Congress to ICE facilities seriously,” officials said. “However, established protocols must be followed to ensure transparency, operational security, and the safety of staff and detainees.
“ICE is committed to ensuring detainees held in its custody are treated with dignity and respect and housed in
suitable detention conditions that provide for their safety and security.” ICE officials said. “To ensure good order of the facility, ICE maintains security protocols to promote the safety of staff, detainees, and the local community.”
Crow said he’s not buying the argument.
“Yeah, I’m deeply concerned about the trajectory here,” Crow said.”The unwillingness of the administration to allow members of congress access to these facilities, the fact that the administration, with House Republicans, just tripled ICE’s budget, and they’re announcing opening of dozens of these facilities, including several in Colorado around the surge of hiring at the same time as they’re ignoring court orders” bodes ill for immigrants and the nation.
Crow said the clear effort of the Trump administration to conceal what they don’t want the public to see is only made worse by the recent behavior of ICE agents under Trump orders.
“They’re denying people fundamental due process rights, Crow said. “There are confirmed incidents around the country of federal agents showing up in unmarked vans without markings on their clothes, wearing masks and snatching people off of street corners because they look different or in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
He said with so much distraction and disinformation, the impromptu inspections are more critical than ever.
“I mean, this is such deeply troubling stuff, “ Crow said. “I goes to the foundation of what the founders of this country were concerned about. That’s why they put habeas corpus as one of
PUBLIC NOTICE
Buckley Space Force Base
the prominent parts of our constitution.
Crow and others have repeatedly said that only regular, unannounced inspections can provide the transparency and accountability needed to ensure the public can trust that ICE is treating inmates in accordance with U.S. law and within ethical guidelines.
“Since President Trump was elected, this administration has denied Members of Congress access to immigration detention facilities and tried to intimidate us from doing our jobs. I will not be deterred from conducting lawful oversight, and I’ll continue fighting to hold the administration accountable, including in Congress and the courts.”
Since elected in 2018, Crow has been at the forefront of efforts to ensure transparency regarding who is kept in private and government operated immigration detention facilities, and to ensure members of congress have unannounced access to the facilities to ensure inmates are safe and properly cared for.
Since beginning office in 2019, Crow has visited the Aurora GEO ICE facility nine times, and his congressional team has visited the detention center 70 times, his office said in a statement. His office also provides data on his website linked to his ICE GEO visits and conditions at the facility.
Crow joined forces last year with Florida Republican Rep. John Rutherford to press for new legislation ensuring transparency and oversight at immigration detention facilities. Existing law, however, ensures members of congress unfettered access to the facilities.
— Sentinel Staff
Restoration Advisory Board Meeting
The Air Force Civil Engineer Center is holding a virtual Restoration Advisory Board meeting for Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado. Space Force officials will provide an update on Environmental Restoration Program Sites and the investigations related to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Restoration Advisory Board Meeting
August 14, 2025, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. MT RAB attendance is required for RAB members and is open to the public.
The RAB meeting will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams. To access the virtual meeting, please use the meeting link below or scan the QR code
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/ 19%3ameeting_NTQ4MmU1YjEtMGQ3NS00YmY4LTkwMzQtZGJlMjgwYmQ1Nzcx%40thread. v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%223061117b-4a0d-4f05-adf6a8dff08626ef%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22399c1c71-6f8b-4fd4-8946-c507cbdeb8b2%22%7d
For additional information, please contact Scott Wilson, Buckley SFB Restoration Program Manager, via email at: scott.wilson.7@spaceforce.mil
BUZZKILL: Aurora moves to ban under-regulated psychoactive products, gear
Aurora lawmakers are poised to approve an ordinance to ban and create enforcement for what they say are under-regulated psychoactive products and drug paraphernalia, sold in dozens of places such as Aurora vape shops, liquor stores and convenience stores.
“We just want to make sure that we don’t have stores essentially taking advantage of loopholes in the laws to put forward into our community substances that are harmful to the people in our city,” Councilmember Alison Coombs said at Monday’s city council meeting.
The measure was approved unanimously on first reading on July 28.
“Really, it’s gray market area items, and it’s basically the businesses or these entities taking advantage of the lack of enforcement,” Trevor Vaughn, Aurora’s licensing manager, said during a city council study session in June.
The ordinance would ban drugs like “poppers” — which is amyl nitrate — Amanita Muscaria a hallucinogenic mushroom, hemp weed like Delta-9 and paraphernalia that includes rose meth pipes, crack kits and other forms of illicit drug paraphernalia. It does not include cannabis or tobacco pipes, since the substances used in those devices are legal, Vaughn said.
Vaughn said the city also added a rule-making process in this ordinance to try to keep up with the “gray” area drug products as they adapt and change.
“There seems to always be something new or something that they’ve added or come up with chemically,” Vaughn said during a study session in June.
All of those drugs and items that were listed in the ban are often sold under legal or mislabeled pretenses, Vaughn said. For example, selling nitrous oxide with single-use balloons, but claiming it is for whipped cream when no dairy products or whipped cream canisters are sold with them.
The city will be able to use the ordinance to “deal with enforcement through one inspection.”
One of the reasons it’s been overlooked is a lack of community attention, in the sense that these products go unnoticed unless someone is looking for them and knows what they are, he said.
Steel wool or copper Chore Boys, for example, are sold and used as filters for smoking crack, and the rose in a glass, often seen at the register of a gas station, can be used as a meth and crack pipe.
“When I talk to these operators, they do know, and oftentimes they’ll either not answer or state something incorrect about the actual use of these items,” Vaughn said during the study session.
Vape and tobacco shops regularly sell many of these products as well, according to city officials.
What are the drugs, and how are the “under” regulated?
Nitrous oxide is made and sold mainly for culinary purposes, like whipped cream canisters, but it has long been used as a recreational drug. Many studies, including the National Library of Medicine and the Yale School of Medicine, have shown that prolonged use causes brain cell death and other forms of brain damage.
“I’ve seen a huge increase in nitrous oxide products in stores,” Vaughn said during the study session. “It used to be
just the little ‘whip-its,’ but now we’re seeing large canisters of it.” These canisters can contain between 600 grams and 2,000 grams, whereas the average whipped cream canister only requires about 6 grams of nitrous oxide. They also come in flavors like strawberry, Vaughn said.
“It’s just exploded, and there’s no regulation in Colorado on this,” Vaughn said. “A lot of states have started taking this up, and I think you’re going to hear about it more given how much I’ve seen this grow in Colorado.”
When it comes to a drug like Kratom, an addictive stimulant “supplement,” which is legal in Colorado, the ordinance incorporates state Senate Bill 25-072, which outlines legal thresholds for Kratom products and rules around proper labeling and age restrictions.
“They didn’t assign any agency to verify that or do compliance checks,” Vaughn said. “Nor did they assign any particular agency to go to retail and check and make sure that the products are in compliance with the new state law.”
Amanita muscaria, a legal mushroom, is not permitted to be added to food ingredients. It contains a psychoactive substance called muscimol, which is different from psilocybin, which is a regulated mushroom in Colorado, Vaughn said. It’s a different psychoactive substance that’s often found to contain synthetic additives that are also psychoactive.
“These products are pretty sketchy and have some other stuff in them,” Vaughn said. “Some of these products, they’ve also been found to mislabel the other way, where they have nothing in them, but they’re trying to trick the consumer.”
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment food inspectors are in charge of maintaining the safety of psychoactive mushrooms being ingested, but they are limited and have no authority at the retail level. They would handle it at the distribution level, but many of the retailers have them shipped from out of state.
“I think the vape stores and some of these outlets know that, if they get it shipped in, they can dodge that,” Vaughn said. “No regulation on that, and no prevention, as far as it ends up in the hands of kids when they’re selling it that way.”
There are other products, such as Mad Honey, which is honey gathered by bees from poppy plants and is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has put out warnings that they are dangerous and highly addictive, Vaughn said.
One of the last prominent products being examined is hemp products with high THC levels. These include products such as Delta-9 and Delta-8. These are legal at some “dosages” in Colorado, but Vaughn said he found some in a local vape shop with higher doses than what the state legally allows to be sold.
“These are safety and health issues for substances that are intoxicants that are legal in our state,” Coombs said. “There’s a pretty high amount of regulation on the manufacturing, the businesses and everything else, but when there are these unregulated products, it’s dangerous. You don’t know what’s in them, and the people who are consuming them don’t know what’s in them. So I think it’s our responsibility to address those issues.”
— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer
Aurora lawmakers restore public comment but keep city council meetings remote
The public listening session during city council meetings is back, but city council meetings will remain virtual until the Kilyn Lewis wrongful death lawsuit with Lewis’ family is closed.
“We have seen folks coming, staying within their time limits in our recent meetings, abiding by the decorum rules, at least for members of the public, once we agreed to reinstate the public comment listening session, and so I think that it would be appropriate to give folks a chance to continue that in person,” Councilmember Alison Coombs said July 28.
The change was made after months of protests during city council meetings linked to the death of Lewis, an unarmed Black man who an Aurora SWAT officer killed during his arrest in May 2024. Lewis was accused of a shooting earlier that month in Denver. Some of the protesting spilled over into public hearings during agenda items in the meeting when the city council attempted to cancel the public listening session that happens before the meeting.
“The truth is, the people of Aurora are far wiser than you’re willing to acknowledge,” said activist and Lewis family spokesperson MiDian Shofner.
“We see this for what it is, another attempt to control, contain and diminish the voices of the people. For over a year, you’ve dismissed democracy because you’ve been in damage control.”
During the July 14 council meeting, the “public invited to be heard” session was voted to be brought back, but with only 30 minutes for speaking instead of the 45-minute session the city used to allow. The virtualsession had seven speakers, including Kilyn Lewis’ mother, LaRonda Jones, and the primary spokesperson for the Lewis family, Shofner.
Since speakers are only given two minutes to speak, the session lasted 15 minutes, and could only be heard if members of the public called into the listening line on the Aurora city website.
Near the end of each city council meeting, there is a question about whether to make changes to the “public invited to be heard” session. This week, Coombs motioned to bring the meeting back to in-person instead of virtual meetings, where council members attend from their private locations, instead of inside of city hall or council chambers.
“I know that many folks on this body have agreed and indicated over time that they believe in-person meetings are more effective and that it is appropriate for members of this body to conduct our meetings in person,” Coombs said. “In light of, kind of, those positions which I agree with, I believe that we should return to in-person meetings.”
The motion failed with Mayor Mike Coffman and council members Coombs, Ruben Medina, Crystal Murillo and Stephany Hancock voting in favor of bringing the meetings back to in-person.
Hancock said that she would expect people to be respectful and follow the rules if the meetings were brought back, while mentioning that people’s behavior has been nice, but that there is also the ability to “disconnect” the line when people try to talk over their time.
“It is important, however, that when we come into the council chambers, people, whether they have a viewpoint that’s counter to us, whether they disagree with us vehemently, they need to
be reminded of the respect that is due to the office, whether they like us or not, is immaterial, Hancock said. “The fact of the matter is, the office of the City Council, and the work that we do for the constituents of this city, is important, and we want to get our business done.”
Hancock and council member Françoise Bergan reminded listeners that they have many other avenues to contact council members, including by phone, email and at council-member town halls.
— Cassandra Ballard, Sentinel Staff Writer
Aurora police chief credits swift immigrant homicide arrest to local cops, collaboration with ICE
Aurora’s police chief credited Aurora investigators as well as ICE and Homeland Security agents in quickly tracking down a Venezuelan immigrant accused of shooting his wife and her sister in front of five children early Aug. 3 inside an Aurora apartment.
Investigators the next day said they found and arrested Michel Jordan Castellano-Fonseca, 30, late Aug. 3, who they say shot and killed his 26-year-old sister-in-law and critically injured his wife at about 3 a.m. at Aurora Meadows apartments in the 1000 block of Cimarron Circle.
“The one thing that I really want to detail…is the foundation of the incident itself,” Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain told reporters at a press conference Monday “This was a tragic loss of life. This event occurred by an individual who, quite frankly, should not have ever been in this country in the first place.”
Chamberlain repeatedly told reporters that Castellano-Fonseca was a Venezuelan immigrant and had “illegally” immigrated first to Florida and then to Aurora.
“So again, he came illegally into the country in 2023 and he never, at any time, filed for any type of legitimate process to get started into the process of becoming a citizen,” Chamberlain said. “And again, in Florida, sometimes he was picked up for a traffic violation issue and citation.”
Chamberlain didn’t release details of the traffic infraction, but also expanded on details of the Aurora crime, and how the suspect’s arrest unfolded.
“The preliminary investigation by APD’s Major Crime Homicide Unit suggests the shooting stemmed from a possible domestic violence incident, after which Castellano-Fonseca threatened to return to the apartment complex with a firearm,” Aurora Police spokesperson Joe Moylan said in a statement Sunday.
Chamberlain said local officers had contacted Castellano-Fonseca sometime last year on a previous domestic violence call, although there was no arrest nor follow-up from that incident.
On Saturday, Castellano-Fonseca was “high on cocaine” and inebriated, which may have been the crux of the domestic violence in his Aurora apartment Saturday, Chamberlain speculated.
At one point, Castellano-Fonseca left the apartment and called an acquaintance in order to find a gun, the chief said.
Police said he did that, meeting someone in a local park. From there, Castellano-Fonseca and the unidentified acquaintance drove near East Mississippi Avenue and South Chambers Street, and Castellano-Fonseca fired the gun from the car in “practice,” Chamberlain said.
He then returned to the Auro-
ra apartment and muscled his way through the front door at about 3 a.m., which was answered by a 15-year-old girl living in the apartment with the two women and four other children.
“She tried to close the door. The suspect, he put his foot in the doorway, holding the door in place, and then he pushed the door completely open,” Chamberlain said. “The children and the women, in fear for their life, gathered and huddled together and tried to run into the bathroom. As they were running into the bathroom, the suspect followed those victims and then randomly shot two of them in the head, which included the wife and also the sister.”
His wife is in critical condition in a nearby hospital. Her sister died from the gunshot wound inside the apartment, Chamberlain said.
Castellano-Fonseca then left the apartment and drove away his car.
“None of the children were injured during the shooting,” Moylan said.
Castellano-Fonseca left the scene in a green Acura MDX SUV bearing a Colorado license plate, CV0668.
Castellano-Fonseca was captured a hours later after police asked for the public’s help in finding him, saying he was ”considered armed and dangerous,” Moylan said.
Chamberlain said police used community surveillance technology to search for license plates matching what they knew about Castellano-Fonseca. Eventually they did and began tracking him down.
Police said they encountered him in a nearby Taco Bell parking lot eating.
“This was a tragic loss of life.,” Chamberlain said. “This event occurred by an individual who, quite frankly, should not have ever been in this country in the first place.”
Chamberlain said the immigration agents’ help was critical to finding Castellano-Fonseca, but he did not detail how.
Chamberlain said it appeared all of the residents in the apartment are Venezuelan immigrants. He was unsure what their status was and would be, only that local victim services were working with them.
“This is something that came together, unfortunately for a very bad event, but came together with a positive conclusion,” Chamberlain said. “And the conclusion is that this individual who should not have been in this country in the first place, this individual who should not have been involved in the crimes that he was committing, who has demonstrated a pattern of violence, demonstrated a pattern of neglect towards those he cared for and supposedly loved, is no longer on the streets and he is now in custody. “
The chief said he did not know at the time of the press conference how ICE would interact with the family or Castellano-Fonseca as charges and the case moved forward.
“Right now, he has to go through his due process,” Chamberlain said.
He said there were bigger implications from the case for Aurora, and for the state.
Chamberlain talked about the “huge influx” of immigrants, in Aurora and across the United States and how local police are managing the immigrant population surge over the past two years.
Of the tens of thousands of Venezuelan migrants who came across the Texas border, many of them were bused to Denver by Texas state officials. Denver housed many of the immigrants for months, and they since have dispersed across the metro area, an undetermined number into Aurora.
“What are the ones that came here for a better life, and what are the ones that came here to cause crime and to cause havoc?” Chamberlain said. “That is, that is the direction that we are trying to figure out.”
He said state lawmakers and Attorney General Phil Weiser, who has held police accountable to state laws restricting how they interact with federal immigration agents, and especially since Trump returned to office, promising mass deportations, have caused problems for local law enforcement. He referred to recent news that Weiser has sued three sheriff deputies across the state for providing information to ICE agents about police suspects.
“I think right now in Colorado again, we have the right with individuals involved in criminal activity, to be involved in that relationship and to work with federal, state and local partners,” Chamberlain said.
He said that police are fearful of Wesier’s office. Weiser was not immediately available for comment.
“Officers specifically feel like, well, I don’t want to be judged on the information that I’m providing, because I’m not sure if I’m going to get hung up by the attorney general,” he said. “And then when you see incidents that occur in other parts of Colorado where officers, that have passed information trying to get an individual that they believe is involved in criminal activity, and then ultimately get penalized for that. That’s a challenge.”
— Sentinel Staff
COPS AND COURTS
Tips, police sleuthing led to arrest in fatal Aurora scooter crash, police say
Police say tips from the community and strategic investigation led to the arrest of a man suspected of a fatal hit-and-run crash Aug. 1 that killed a 16-year-old boy riding his scooter in a marked bike lane on a southeast Aurora suburban street.
“Daveon Javon-James Jackson, 19, of Aurora, was arrested shortly before 7 p.m. tonight by members of our Traffic Investigations Unit,” Aurora police spokesperson Joe Moylan said in a statement Saturday night. “He is currently being booked on charges of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death, a felony, as well as careless driving resulting in death, hit-and-run and failing to report a crash to police, traffic infractions.”
Police credited calls from the community and a rigorous police investigation in identifying Jackson as a suspect, who investigators said drove a 2014 Dodge Charger.
Officers were called to the area of East Wesley Driver and South Dunkirk Street at about 11:15 p.m. after reports of a hit-and-run victim on the street and critically injured.
“When officers arrived at the scene, they located a 16-year-old boy who was conscious and had sustained serious injuries in the crash.,” Aurora Police spokesperson Joe Moylan said in a statement. “The teen was taken to a local hospital for treatment, where his condition declined rapidly. He died shortly after arriving at the hospital.”
A preliminary investigation revealed that the boy was riding his scooter north on Wesley in the bike lane and was approaching Dunkirk “when he was hit from behind by a (then-unknown) vehicle traveling the same direction,” Moylan said.
Police said the driver then sped off, likely driving north on Dunkirk toward
East Jewell Avenue.
“Residents in the area reported to police they heard a vehicle with a loud exhaust speed from the scene about the time the fatal auto-pedestrian crash occurred, Moylan said.
Police asked residents in the area to check their outdoor security cameras between 11:15 p.m. and 11:20 p.m. for possible video showing details of the hit-and-run crash.
Police were able to identify and arrest Jackson less than 20 hours after the crash.
“The swift arrest in this case is a credit to our officers and detectives who conducted a thorough and tenacious investigation in pursuit of the person responsible for the tragic and senseless loss of a young member of our community,” Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said in a statement. “If not for the critical information provided by local residents and our ability to leverage video technology through the Aurora Police Department’s Real-Time Information Center, this very well could have been a case of another life lost without justice.”
Police said two teenagers in the area saw reports of the fatal crash in local media and contacted investigators.
“The teens provided a detailed description of the suspect vehicle, which they said they observed speeding through the neighborhood about the time of the crash,” Moylan said.
That description was relayed to the police department’s “Real-Time Information Center” who used “camera technology” to determine that the vehicle linked to the fatal crash was, indeed, a 2014 blue Dodge Charger, Moylan said. With that information, investigators were able to “backtrack” the route of the car, determining where it exited Aurora and entered Denver.
“Patrol and traffic officers and investigators launched an exhaustive search for the vehicle, ultimately locating it abandoned in a parking lot of a Denver apartment complex,” Moylan said.
”Officers determined the vehicle was registered to an Aurora address. Detectives responded to that address where they located and arrested” Jackson.
As of Sunday, Jackson was being held at the city’s detention center.
Police said anyone with information can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000, police said.
— Sentinel Staff
Family of unarmed Black man sues Aurora police for wrongful death over Parking Spot shooting
BY CASSANDRA BALLARD, Sentinel Staff Writer
Ajury will likely decide whether an Aurora police officer was responsible for the May 12 shooting death of an unarmed, barefoot Black man suffering some kind of mental crisis in a private airport parking lot.
Police Officer Brandon Mills fatally shot 32-year-old Rashaud Johnson in the Parking Spot in northeast Aurora after employees there said a man was behaving erratically, wandering around the complex with no shoes on.
“Yet another unarmed Black man has been condemned to death by the Aurora Police Department,” a statement from the Johnson family’s attorneys said. “Under the APD’s playbook, officers escalate encounters that a reasonable officer would resolve peacefully. APD officers bait Black citizens standing on the other side of the weapons into making one wrong move.”
The same lawyers who handled the Aurora Police wrongful death cases of Elijah McClain and Naeschylus Vinzant-Carter have filed a new wrongful death lawsuit in Adams County district court against Mills and Aurora police.
Attorneys held a press conference Tuesday morning in Denver.
“Someone who thought they were god basically took my baby’s life,” Taushica Carter, Rashaud’s mother, said. Her only son’s death came two days after Mother’s Day.
The lawsuit comes amid a consent decree, which was imposed by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser in 2021, following investigations into the Aurora Police Department’s excessive use of force and discriminatory practices, particularly against people of color. Triggered in part by the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, who died at the hands of police and rescuers after being stopped, unarmed, the decree mandates broad reforms in training, accountability, use-of-force policies, data systems and community engagement
This also comes a few weeks short of one year after the death of Kilyn Lewis. Lewis was an unarmed Black man who was also shot and killed by Aurora Police officers. Lewis was fatally shot by a SWAT unit officer while being arrested on a warrant linked to allegations that he shot a homeless man in the shoulder while firing a handgun out of a car window in Denver. Lewis’ family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city in May.
“It’s a pain some people know, but I don’t want them to know it at all because it puts you in a very exclusive club that I wouldn’t ask for anyone,” Rashaud’s father, Christopher Johnson, said.
Two months ago, reporters were ushered into the Aurora Police Department’s press conference room, where Chief Todd Chamberlain recounted the events of an officer-involved shooting that ended in Johnson’s death at the private parking facility.
Mills’ body cam, released then, illustrated a few minutes of the officer trying to discern what was wrong with Johnson as he wandered, mumbled and giggled inappropriately. An unexpected struggle ensues and ends, and the two men separate for some time as Mills calls for backup. Mills shouts several commands for some time and then fatally shoots Johnson at a distance.
Chamberlain, at his press conference, said the shooting was justified under the circumstances outlined in the press conference. However, he called for more support services, such as emergency mental
health services, to keep police from acting as the city’s “catch-all,” making a clear admission that Johnson was mentally incapacitated at the time of the shooting.
The city’s press release and news page about Johnson’s death were transparent about most of the details known about the shooting at the time.
“There are countless things that the officer could have done besides discharging the firearm,” attorney Qusair Mohamedbhai said. “Time, distance, cover, de-escalation. He could have just started talking to him. Could have tried showing him some love, some compassion, rendering aid to serve and to protect, not continually bombarding a man with verbal commands that were further agitating the situation.”
Johnson’s family said Tuesday he did not exhibit any abnormal behavior before the incident. His father, Christopher, said his son “moved at his own pace,” describing him as thoughtful with his replies, which might have explained some of the lack of response from Rashaud during the encounter with Mills and the employees at the Parking Spot.
His mother, Carter, said she spoke with him on Mother’s Day and he was “happy and in good spirits.”
Lawyers for Johnson’s family say Mills handled the situation wrong, antagonizing Johnson instead of waiting for police assistance, and then shot him from a distance when any threat was diminished.
“We don’t see these types of encounters when it comes to other races and other genders,” Mohamedbhai said, adding that if it were a white woman, the officer probably would have flirted with her.
Johnson was “unarmed and posing no serious threat” before the confrontation became physical, lawyers said earlier in a statement.
Johnson was a graduate of Regis Jesuit High School and studied economics at the University of Colorado. He then became a local stand-up comedian, performing at a wide range of local clubs, achieving some notoriety in the entertainment community.
It’s unclear how Johnson ended up barefoot and having a mental breakdown at the Parking Spot. His parents said Rashaud and his grandmother both lived a half-mile from the parking business. Lawyers for Johnson’s family said an autopsy report revealed no drugs or alcohol, other than evidence of prior use of marijuana.
Employees who called 911 hours before Mills arrived and the shooting occurred and said they noticed Johnson was behaving strangely, by walking outside barefoot, not speaking to them. A couple of employees speculated that “he seemed like he was on some type of drugs.”
The statement from the firm said that the Parking Spot attendees called 911 to have someone check on Johnson, which can also be heard in the 911 calls posted on the Aurora police website.
The employees also said that he wasn’t harming anyone or doing anything threatening, but they asked for police assistance, which didn’t arrive for hours, when Mills did, alone. The first three calls to police start just before 3 p.m., with each employee asking for someone to check on Rashaud but claiming he is not acting violently; they just want him to leave.
In the fourth call to dispatch just before 4:40 p.m., the manager of the lot states that Rashaud is “trying to unlock people’s car doors,” and that he won’t talk
to the employees or leave. This is when dispatch upgraded the priority of the call.
In June, the Sentinel asked city officials why dispatch did not send Emergency Medical Technicians or their Aurora Mobile Response Team for the incident, and they responded that the call did not meet the criteria.
“The Aurora Mobile Response Team was not dispatched to The Parking on Spot on May 12 because the initial reports did not meet the criteria for AMRT response,” officials said in a statement. “Reporting parties state multiple times, in multiple 911 calls, that the suspect is trying to get into a physical altercation with employees, causing them to fear for their safety. AMRT responds to low-intensity mental health calls for service and will not respond to calls for service that include weapons or a component of violence to self, others, or property. Members of the Aurora Mobile Response Team are unarmed and do not fulfill law enforcement duties.”
At 5 p.m., during the fifth 911 call to dispatch, the manager at the lot says for the first time that Rashaud is trying to confront his employees.
“Rather than send someone to help Mr. Johnson, the Aurora Police Department dispatched a single officer, Brandon Mills,” Johnson family lawyers said in an earlier statement. “Officer Mills spent the next few minutes escalating the situation and refusing to disengage, prompting what Officer Mills later described as a ‘tussle’.”
In Mills’ body camera footage, Johnson can be heard making giggling sounds while lunging toward the officer and seemed unaware that there was a gun being pointed at him or that an officer was giving him commands.
In the final 911 call, made moments before the shooting, the manager told dispatchers that Johnson was “tackling” the officer, and he asked dispatch to send the officer backup.
“When Officer Mills stood up from that tussle, he re-engaged, drew his firearm, and aimed it at Mr. Johnson,” lawyers said in a statement. “From that point on, Officer Mills disregarded the fact that Mr. Johnson was unarmed, that Mr. John-
son was calmly walking through the field, or that Mr. Johnson was dozens of feet away.”
The manager was still on the phone with the dispatcher when Mills fired twice from what family lawyers said was about 15 feet away.
“The cop just shot him,” the manager said, beginning to cry. “The cop got him. You guys might want to send someone to help your officer.”
There’s background commotion in the recording.
“I just wanted him off the lot,” the manager said. “I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”
Dispatch told him he did the right thing by calling them.
“It doesn’t feel like it,” he said.
The bodycam body video shows a wounded Johnson move, as if to get up, as Mills commands him to “stay down” and “put his hands out,” while continuing to point his gun at Johnson. After that, Johnson does not move again, while Mills spends several minutes standing far away, pointing his gun at Johnson and calling for backup over his radio.
“As Mr. Johnson collapsed in that field, blood pouring from his chest, Officer Mills stood at a distance, still holding him at gunpoint,” family lawyers said in their statement. “Officer Mills made no attempt to provide life-saving aid for five minutes and forty-two seconds after he shot Mr. Johnson — when he finally handcuffed Mr. Johnson and placed a solitary hand on his fatal wound, at the prompting of a recently arrived officer.”
Lawyers for Johnson’s family said he had a nonviolent record with only a traffic citation and a minor marijuana charge from more than a decade ago.
“He had spent his life exploring world religions, wrapping his arms around his family, and telling jokes that made both Colfax comedy clubs and his grandmother laugh,” lawyers said in a statement.
The lawsuit comes before a Critical Incident Response Team investigation report and review of the shooting. Aurora police are conducting their own investigations as well. The CIRT report goes to the 17th Judicial District Attorney Bryan Ad-
ams, who will decide whether the shooting was justified or whether to file charges against Mills.
Mohamedbhai said during the Tuesday press conference that he did not need to see the results of the report because he knew what had happened, and there would be the same response that is always given that “the officer was scared.” City and police officials are aware of the lawsuit, according to City Attorney Pete Schulte. He said in a statement that the CIRT and internal investigations were both ongoing, and the findings and a decision by the district attorney could take weeks, if not months.
“Like any critical incident, there are important facts that will be revealed by these investigations that are not depicted in a single body camera video,” Schulte said in the statement. “Now that this lawsuit has been filed my office will defend the city and the officer in this case.” Police have not released details about Mills or his tenure on the force, other than he was placed on paid administrative leave pending investigations into the shooting.
“The APD’s list of victims is matched only by their list of broken promises,” lawyers for Johnson’s family said. “In the wake of Elijah McClain’s death, APD entered into a consent decree, promising the community that it would stop robbing families of their children. Recent homicides by APD officers, however, demonstrate that the APD and its officers are turning their backs on that consent decree.”
Attorneys said they want an opportunity for a jury to scrutinize what happened before and during the shooting, as well as make public details of Johnson’s life and how it ended.
“Mr. Johnson’s murder fits into a pattern of unlawful behavior by the APD and its officers, but he was and will always be more than a mere statistic,” the statement said. “He was a light in his community, and his friends and family are better for having known him. Our firm is proud to represent his family in their pursuit of justice against the officer and the city responsible for this needless loss.”
Taushica Carter, mother of Rashaud Johnson, talks to the media at her attorney’s office Aug. 5, 2025. Sentinel Photo/Cassandra Ballard
Brimming with pride and purpose
IN ARAPAHOE COUNTY, SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES CAN NOW WEAR COWBOY HATS. FOR SOME IT’S MORE THAN A UNIFORM
BY HAYLEE MAY, CPR NEWS
Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Deputy Devon Lance says wearing a cowboy hat on duty represents his heritage and gives a nod to the kind of law enforcement officer he wants to be.
On a long stretch of highway in Arapahoe County, a sheriff’s patrol vehicle cruises past rows of farmland. Behind the wheel sits a deputy, a straw cowboy hat on his center console, eyes on the open road.
ABOVE: Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Deputy Devon Lance says wearing a cowboy hat on duty represents his heritage and gives a nod to the kind of law enforcement officer he wants to be.
A new rule change in Arapahoe County means sheriff’s deputies are now allowed to wear cowboy hats while on duty — a small policy shift, but one that’s turning heads.
Deputy Devon Lance was one of the first to make the switch — not for fashion, but for meaning.
“People have this evocation of the Old West — a rancher, a cowboy — someone who had to work their way up through life. Didn’t have things handed to them,” Deputy Devon Lance said. “And I think people look at the cowboy hat and go, ‘He gets it.’”
Lance grew up in rural California and later served in the U.S. Army as a combat medic. Now, he patrols the far eastern edge of Arapahoe County — a sprawling rural district that includes the town of Bennett. It’s a place where tractors outnumber Teslas. “We’re way out east… a lot of farms, a lot of real big open space,” he says. “The people out here are great — most everyone’s real respectful, real nice.”
He believes being seen — and seen as approachable — matters. “You start to recognize and see the same people,” Lance says. “Especially if you stay in
the same districts for a long period of time.”
Along with protecting people, he believes building a connection with the community is part of his responsibility. That chance to reshape the image of law enforcement is exactly why he became a deputy.
“I saw some of the bad things that law enforcement has done, and I thought to myself, ‘Well, the only way to change something is to go out and get involved with it,’” he said. “So I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna be the change that I want to see.”
That change is tested during every on-duty call.
Minor violations, like a routine stop for expired plates, for example, can lead to higher-impact arrests, including drug charges. Deputy Lance recently made an arrest for methamphetamine possession after stopping a suspicious vehicle. “That’s what I love about the job,” he says. “It’s like a puzzle. Sure, it’s a minor traffic violation, but by looking and asking questions and digging a little deeper, I was able to take drugs off the street.”
But another routine stop for a similar violation wasn’t as clear-cut.
This time, the driver with expired plates was a 21-year-old delivering for Uber Eats. He was sweating, hands shaking. The system showed previous tickets for the same violation. But there were no warrants out for his arrest, and a quick look in his back seat revealed nothing out of the ordinary. When Lance came back to the squad car, he let out a long sigh and explained the situation.
“He called his daddy and was talking to him,” Lance said. “He and his family don’t have a house.
They’re homeless. So, this young man’s out here doing the best that he can, trying to earn some money for his family.”
Next came a string of questions Lance often finds himself asking, “Can I let this guy go and feel confident that he’s learned his lesson? Am I just ticketing somebody for their socioeconomic situation? Could this be the ticket that sends this kid over the edge?”
And is this person telling the truth?
“I get sob stories all the time,” he said.
This time, Lance felt the driver was just down on his luck.
“There just ain’t no sense in giving him a ticket,” Lance says. “It’s just pile it on, pile it on, pile it on. Why? I don’t think he’s lying. I think that kid is trying to help his family and doing everything that he can.”
It’s not always easy to make those calls. But for Lance, that’s the job. “The way I draw empathy is I try to always look at myself and ask: Am I being the man that my mom and dad wanted me to be? The man that my wife married? The man my son thinks I am as his dad?”
The cowboy hat, he says, is part of that. Not just a nod to Colorado’s Western heritage, but a reminder of who he is and who he’s trying to be.
“I was in the Army, so I’ve lived all over the U.S., all over the South,” he says. “Everywhere you go, you can find someone with that shared culture of respect — people trying to do the best they can do.
“There’s a country song that talks about that.”
Check it out — Aurora library books farmer’s markets for the summer
Residents near the Hoffman Heights Library are getting a farmer’s market all summer.
scene & herd
Free Premium Diesel
It’s the summer’s final Sounds of Southlands Aug. 7, this week bringing listeners Premium Diesel. “More than just performing today’s hottest country, Premium Diesel will rev up the night with high-octane versions of the best classic and Top 40 country, newgrass, and folk/indie rock hits from artists like Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Zac Brown Band, Jason Aldean, Luke Combs, Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, Lady A, and more. The concert is free.
IF YOU GO
Where: Southlands, 6155 South Main St.
When: 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Aug. 7
Tickets: Free, no ticket necessary
Details: www.shopsouthlands.com
Open Day at DeLaney Farm
Discover Aurora’s agricultural past at DeLaney Farm. This site contains the Gully Home, the oldest building standing in Aurora and the only known round barn in tColorado. Join local historians and see inside the historic buildings on this site.
IF YOU GO
When: Aug. 9, 1 p.m.to 4 p.m.
Where: DeLaney Farm, 170 S. Chambers Road
Tickets: Free Details: www.auroragov.org/ things_to_do/aurora_history_ museum
Animal attraction
One Night Stand Theater presents “Dogs and Cats Living Together” at Vintage Theatre Aurora. The production features performances and readings of short plays and stories about family pets and the people who love them: “The Litter Box Conspiracy” by Chuck Anderson, “Tax Preparation for Dogs” by John Busser, “The Unexpected Delight of Snow Birds” by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend, “The Cat Clause, Who Rescued Who?” Through the Window” by Dana Hall, “Likewise” by Judy Klass, “We Know About Sundays” by Steven Korbar and “Cat Funeral” by Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos. The show is recommended for mature audiences.
IF YOU GO
When: Aug. 10, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St.
Tickets: $12
Details: OneNightStandTheater. org, or call 303-725-4959.
Information is available at www.onenightstandtheater.org.
“Libraries are more than just books—they’re hubs for healthy, thriving neighborhoods and this collaboration is a perfect example of how we’re re-imagining library grounds into a space for connection while serving our community,” said Ginger White Brunetti, director of Library and Cultural Services, in a statement.
Aurora Public Library is partnering with the mission-driven organization Rebel Marketplace to bring a monthly farmers market to Hoffman Heights Library through September, according to a statement from the city.
“The farmers market at Hoffman Library was created to be an authentic neighborhood marketplace run and operated by surrounding community businesses, with the library as the hub,” the statement said.
Rebel Marketplace is a local group of urban farmers in Aurora who started growing produce in their backyards and aims to build a “food sovereign neighborhood.” The Johnson family’s story of starting the Rebel Market was reported on last year by the Sentinel.
“The Rebel Marketplace believes that there is enough talent and businesses in a six-mile radius to fully supply and stand up a neighborhood marketplace,” the Rebel Marketplace website said. “By creating a singular, locally run access point for goods and services, we envision a vibrant, cooperative and healthy community.”
Each farmers market will host multiple programming events as well.
“We’re thrilled to launch this unique partnership with Rebel Marketplace to bring fresh, local food and community connections right to the doorstep of Hoffman Heights Library,” Brunetti said in the statement.
IF YOU GO
Where: Hoffman Heights Library, 1298 Peoria St.
When: Dates vary below. The library will also stay open late on those nights for its programs and additional services. The Hoffman Heights Library will also host storytimes at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., a kids’ play area at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., and a teen game space from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The lineup: • Intro to pickling, by learning to make pickle brine with ingredients provided, 6 p.m., Sept. 10
Glow in the Park brings free teen fun to Bicentennial Park
Teens and pre-teens are invited to light up the night at “Glow in the Park,” part of the Summer Vibes free event series hosted by the City of Aurora. The evening will feature a live DJ, glowin-the-dark mini golf, and a full lineup of LED glow games. Designed for ages 10 to 17, this free event is all about music, motion, and glowing fun as the sun goes down. Everything from the entertainment to the activities and prizes is completely free for participants.
IF YOU GO
Date: Aug. 6, 5p.m.–9 p.m.
Place: Bicentennial Park, 13655 E. Alameda Parkway.
Tickets: Free
Details: AuroraGov.org/ SummerVibes
Creative Action by Teens returns to DAVA for hands-on art and design
Young artists are invited to level up their creativity through Downtown Aurora Visual Arts’ (DAVA) Creative Action by Teens (CAT) program, a free opportunity for ages 13 to 17 to dive into visual arts, graphic design, ceramics, and collaborative projects.
Participants will develop their creative voices while building skills for future jobs or college, all in a supportive studio environment. Projects will be showcased in the DAVA Gallery, and the program includes field trips and a stipend for consistent attendance.
Organizers say teens should expect to commit 4–6 hours per week across flexible summer sessions. “Join a community of creative teens, explore new media, and have fun while working hard,” they encourage.
IF YOU GO
Date: Begins Aug. 1; weekly hours
Wed. 1 p.m.–4 p.m., Thurs. 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Fri. 1 p.m.–4 p.m.
Place: Downtown Aurora Visual Arts (DAVA), 1405 Florence St.
Tickets: Free; application required
Details: davarts.org and 303-367-5886
Centennial Under the Stars returns with live music and family fun
The City of Centennial invites the community to its 19th Annual Centennial Under the Stars on Aug. 9. It’s a free, family-friendly evening of music, food, and activities at Centennial Center Park.
Set beneath the summer sky at the award-winning amphitheater, the event features performances by Denver favorites Hazel Miller and the Collective and the high-energy funk band Funkiphino.
Families can enjoy a kid’s zone packed with bubbles, face painting, crafts, and more, while food trucks will offer a variety of eats and treats throughout the night.
“Bring your blankets and chairs,” organizers say, but note that pets, outside alcohol, and tents are not permitted. Parking at the park is limited, with
IF YOU GO
Date: Aug. 9, 5 p.m.–close
Place: Centennial Center Park, 13050 E. Peakview Ave.
Tickets: Free
Details: centennialco.gov
Community conversation dives into disinformation at Koelbel Library
Arapahoe Libraries continues its 2025 Community Conversation Series on Aug. 7 with an evening dedicated to navigating truth in today’s media landscape. Titled Decoding Fact from Fiction in the Era of Disinformation, the third installment of the four-part series invites attendees to engage in a thoughtful discussion guided by expert facilitator and panelists Laura Frank, Vera Azuka Idam, and Mike Littwin. Organizers say the series is designed to spark meaningful dialogue and understanding among community members. “These events are meant to connect people through shared stories, insights, and respectful conversation,” they note. Light refreshments will be provided.
IF YOU GO
Date: Aug. 7, 6 p.m.
Place: Koelbel Library, 5955 S. Holly Street
Tickets: Free; RSVP encouraged
Details: arap.li/44vwl8i
Art in the Park food and market series at the Aurora Highlands
A fusion of art, shopping, food and community are slated for Aug. 2 at Winged Melody Park as part of a free market in the park series.
Participants are invited to explore other pieces in the huge, open-air gallery of large-art installations across the park, including “Broken but Together” by Michael Benisty and “The Only Way Out is Through” by Snyder and Olivia Steele.
“Pack your blankets, lawn chairs, and coolers,” organizers say. “Everyone is welcome to bring their own food and drinks, or get treats from nearby food trucks.” This week’s vendors include: The Progressive Pantry, Hooked by Shan, Korf Kreations, Mamas Money My Treats, La Bloom, Corf Coffee Mobile, StephanieH TupperAdvantage, Snowy Leopard Art, Natural Cottage Pantry, Blizzful Beech, Jordan Crafts Co, Mouna’s Boutique.
IF YOU GO
Date: Aug. 16, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m..
Place: Winged Melody Park at Highlands Creek, 24495 E 35th Drive in the Aurora Highlands Tickets: Free Details: theaurorahighlands.com
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BALL OF THE FALL
Practice begins on new fall prep sports season, which could surpass stellar
The 2025 fall prep sports season has begun, at least as far as practice goes.
The Colorado High School Activities Association allowed football and boys golf teams to start tryouts and practices Aug. 4 with the start of competition coming shortly thereafter for those as well as the remainder of the fall sports.
Here’s a look back how the 2024 fall prep sports season played out for Aurora area teams and a look details for each sport for the upcoming season:
FOOTBALL
The Aurora area goes into the 2025 season in the midst of a state championship drought that stretches all the way back to Grandview’s 2007 Class 5A state title.
Cherokee Trail, Grandview and Regis Jesuit all made it a round deep in the 5A postseason in 2024 before they were ousted by higher-seeded opponents, while Eaglecrest and Overland lost in the first round.
All of those programs suffered key personnel losses due to graduation (players such as Cherokee Trail’s Cade Brock, Grandview’s Xay Neto, Regis Jesuit’s Grayson McPherson, Eaglecrest’s Elvis Ampofo and Overland’s Jarrius Ward, each All-Aurora first teamers a year ago), but all return their head coaches and feature emerging talents.
Regis Jesuit, Grandview and Overland (the 5A Metro North champions) tied for the city league with six wins, while Cherokee Trail and Eaglecrest finished with five, Rangeview had four, Vista PEAK Prep won three, Gateway had two, Hinkley one and Smoky Hill zero. Only Overland (6-5) had a winning record, while Grandview and Regis Jesuit were .500 at 6-6.
In terms of change, Aurora Public Schools rivals Rangeview and Vista PEAK Prep both enter the season with new coaches, as Chris Lopez took over for Chris Dixon with the Raiders and Kyle Reese got tabbed to lead the Bison, who finished the season under
Jalin McKinnon on an interim basis last season. While Lopez is in his first stint as a head coach, he was already a member of the Rangeview staff and provides program continuity, while Reese returns to the sideline after a brief absence following an impactful four-year run with Overland. The third coaching newcomer is Shawn Barnett, who takes over a Hinkley team that snapped a 44-game losing streak with a win over Littleton in its 2024 season finale.
Aurora area teams play in Classes 4A (Aurora Central and Gateway) and 5A (Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest, Grandview, Overland, Rangeview, Regis Jesuit, Smoky Hill and Vista PEAK Prep). Like last season, 24 teams will qualify for the 5A state playoffs, which begin following the conclusion of the regular season on Oct. 30. The 5A state championship game is set for 5 p.m. Dec. 6 at Canvas Stadium on the campus of Colorado State University.
The opening games of the season for the Aurora area come in Week Zero, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 21 with a Week Zero contest between host Regis Jesuit and defending 5A state champion Cherry Creek, followed a day later by a 6:30 p.m. contest at APS Stadium between Vista PEAK Prep and Grandview.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Only one Aurora area team had its season come to end at the Denver Coliseum — the annual home of the Class 5A state tournament — last season.
Senior-heavy Cherokee Trail represented the city among the 12 teams that played off for the 5A state title and the Cougars last two matches (losses to Pine Creek and Legend) to finish an 18-8 season. Eliminated in the 5A regional rounds were Grandview (which had a six-season streak of state tournament appearances snapped), Rangeview (in its first postseason qualification since 2019) and Regis Jesuit (which finished the regular season on an 11-match win streak) — which all won double-digit matches — plus Eaglecrest, which finished with nine.
Aurora programs play in Classes 3A (Aurora West College Prep Academy), 4A (Aurora Central and Gateway) and 5A (Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest, Grandview, Hinkley, Overland, Rangeview, Regis Jesuit, Smoky Hill and Vista PEAK Prep).
The regular season begins on Aug. 21 and concludes Nov. 1, followed by regional state qualifying tournaments for 36 teams in each classification Nov. 7-8. The state tournament for all classes are scheduled for Nov. 13-15 at the Denver Coliseum.
BOYS SOCCER
For the second straight season, the Class 5A postseason included five Aurora area teams, which finished a combined 3-5. Regis Jesuit picked up two of those wins, but a high-powered, senior-heavy group fell short of its state championship goal with a quarterfinal loss to Broomfield (which was its only loss to a Colorado team in a 14-2-2 season), while the other came from Grandview (8-7-2), which gave outgoing coach Brian Wood one more taste of postseason victory with a first-round overtime win over Fairview before a second round loss to Ralston Valley. Aurora Central (7-63), Cherokee Trail (10-6) and Vista PEAK Prep (9-3-4) all lost in the opening round, however.
Aurora area teams play in Classes 2A (Lotus School), 3A (Aurora West College Prep Academy) and 5A (Aurora Central, Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest, Gateway, Grandview, Hinkley, Overland, Ran-
BY COURTNEY OAKES Sports Editor
FALL stellar 2024
geview, Regis Jesuit, Smoky Hill and Vista PEAK Prep). The regular season begins on Aug. 21 and finishes on Oct. 25 ahead of the opening of the postseason Oct. 29. State championships games will be played Nov. 15 at Switchbacks Weidner Field in Colorado Springs.
SOFTBALL
For the first time since 2020, an Aurora area team played for the Class 5A state softball championship last season, but this time Cherokee Trail (the 2020 winner) finished as the runner-up with a championship game loss to Riverdale Ridge, which was in its first season in the largest classification. The Cougars have been a state staple for a handful of years and were again joined last season by Grandview, which is also in a sustained run of success, though the Wolves lost in the second round last season. Eaglecrest and Vista PEAK Prep (the City League champion) lost in regionals.
Aurora area teams play in Classes 4A (Aurora Central) and 5A (Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest, Grandview, Overland, Rangeview, Regis Jesuit, Smoky Hill and Vista PEAK Prep).
The regular season opens on Aug. 14 and ends on Oct. 11, followed by regional state qualifying tournaments for 32 teams in 5A.
The winner and runner-up of eight four-team regionals tournaments moves on to the 5A state tournament, which is schedule for Oct. 24-25 at the Aurora Sports Park.
BOYS & GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
Two Aurora area boys cross country runners (Biruk Begashaw of Lotus School, the Class 2A runner-up and Colton White of Grandview, who placed 10th in 5A) made the medal podium at last season’s state cross country meet, but both graduated.
A good portion of Aurora’s only 5A boys team state championship (13th-place Cherokee Trail) also graduated, but Dylan Smith — a key performer on the school’s state championship-winning track team in the spring — is back with some other seniors. The majority of the Cherokee Trail girls team expects to return, plus Aurora City Champion Jenna Winn of Eaglecrest.
Aurora area teams compete in 2A (Lotus School), 3A (Aurora West College Prep Academy), 4A (Aurora Central, Gateway and Hinkley) and 5A (Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest, Grandview, Overland, Rangeview, Regis Jesuit, Smoky Hill and Vista PEAK Prep).
The regular season begins Aug. 21 and runs through late October, while teams and individuals qualify for state meets at regionals from Oct. 23-25. The state championship meet for all classifications is scheduled for Nov. 1 at the Norris Penrose Events Center.
BOYS
TENNIS
The runner-up in the Class 5A team state tournament the past two seasons has been Regis Jesuit, which could return a significant portion of its lineup for another run. The Raiders had last season’s 5A individual state champion at No. 1 singles in Alec Rodriguez-Fields. Grandview was the area’s other team state tournament qualifier and had two third-place individual singles finishers as freshmen in twins Kaahan and Krish Wani. Sixteen teams qualify for this season’s 5A state team tournament, which concludes with a championship dual Oct. 21 at the Denver Tennis Park. The individual 5A state tournament features 16 qualifiers in each bracket from Oct. 11 regional play ahead of competition Oct. 16-18 at the Denver Tennis Park.
FAR LEFT TOP: Smoky Hill football players run through special teams drills on the opening day of practice on Aug. 4 at Smoky Hill High School. Football and boys golf were the first two sports to begin practice for the 2025 fall season. FAR LEFT BELOW: Eaglecrest’s Jenna Winn, left, is the defending Aurora city champion in girls cross country and also will aim at earning a return trip to the Class 5A state meet. CENTER BELOW: Ella Notheisen (3) and Cherokee Trail were the lone Aurora area team to qualify for the Class 5A girls volleyball state tournament in 2024. LEFT: Emma Rice and the Cherokee Trail softball team made a dramatic run all the way to the 2024 Class 5A state championship game before falling to Riverdale Ridge. ABOVE LEFT: In 2024, Regis Jesuit’s Alec Rodriguez-Fields won the Class 5A boys tennis individual state championship at No. 1 singles and also helped the Raiders make the 5A team state championship match, which they lost 4-3 to Cherry Creek. ABOVE RIGHT: Sahniya Vaughn and Overland competed in 2024, which was the first sanctioned season for girls flag football by the Colorado High School Activities Association. (Photos by Courtney Oakes/ Aurora Sentinel)
FOR AURORA PREP PHOTOS GALLERIES, VISIT COURTNEYOAKES.SMUGMUG.COM OR SCAN QR CODE
FIELD HOCKEY
There is only one conference and it includes all three Aurora area programs, Grandview, Regis Jesuit and the Smoky Hill-based co-op. All were part of the postseason a year ago when a new 16-team format debuted and Smoky Hill won the consolation championship, while Regis Jesuit went a round deep in the championship bracket. The regular season begins Aug. 21 and ends on Oct. 23, when 16 teams are seeded in the championship bracket Oct. 27-28. Consolation and championship games are set Nov. 5 at All-City Stadium.
GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL
Grandview and Regis Jesuit played each other in the first game of the first sanctioned season for the sport, both ended up as qualifiers for the Class 5A state playoffs and both lost early. Aurora area teams compete in Classes 4A (Aurora West and Gateway) and 5A (Aurora Central, Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest, Grandview, Hinkley, Overland, Rangeview, Regis Jesuit, Smoky Hill and Vista PEAK Prep). The regular season begins Aug. 16 and ends on Oct. 11 ahead of the state tournament, which includes 20 qualifying teams in each classification. The 4A and 5A state championship games take place Oct. 25 at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood.
BOYS GOLF
Cherokee Trail has been a state championship contender for the past two seasons with a pair of runner-up finishes at the Class 5A state meet and were joined by Grandview and Regis Jesuit last season. A change this season is the elimination of regional state qualifying tournaments, as state fields will be determined by the top 84 players who compete in five rounds during the regular season. This season’s 5A state tournament is Oct. 6-7 at Bookcliff Country Club in Grand Junction.
GYMNASTICS
Aurora’s only area team — the Overland co-op — finished as the Class 5A state runner-up for the second year in a row. The Trailblazers will attempt to keep the streak going despite significant losses. The state meet will be not held at Thornton High School for the first time and will be Nov. 6-8 at a yet to be announced venue.
A copy of the Application may be obtained from the Commission’s eFiling system or Applicant’s attorney.
ENERGY AND CARBON
MANAGEMENT COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO
By Elias J. Thomas, Hearings Manager
Dated: July 15, 2025.
Energy and Carbon Management Commission 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 801 Denver, Colorado 80203 Website: https://ecmc.colorado.gov/ Phone: (303) 894-2100 Fax: (303) 894-2109
Attorneys for Applicant: Jamie L. Jost
Kelsey H. Wasylenky Jost Energy Law, P.C. 3511 Ringsby Court, Unit 103 Denver, CO 80216
720-446-5620
jjost@jostenergylaw.com
kwasylenky@jostenergylaw.com
First Publication: July 24, 2025
Final Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
§§ 1-13.5-501; 1-13.5-303, C.R.S.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and, particularly, to the eligible electors of the proposed First Creek Powhaton Metropolitan District Nos. 1-12, City of Aurora, Arapahoe County, Colorado (each a “District” and collectively, the “Districts”).
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an election will be held on November 4, 2025, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. At that time, and for each District, two (2) directors will be elected to serve until May 2027 and three (3) directors will be elected to serve until May 2029. Eligible electors of the Districts interested in serving on the boards of directors may obtain a Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form from the Designated Election Official (“DEO”) at 2154 E. Commons Ave., Suite 2000, Centennial, CO 80122 or via telephone at 303858-1800, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The deadline to submit a Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form is the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on Friday, August 29, 2025. If the DEO determines a Self-Nomination and Acceptance Form is not sufficient, the form may be amended prior to 5:00 p.m. on August 29, 2025. Earlier submittal is encouraged as the deadline will not permit curing of an insufficient form after this date and time. An Affidavit of Intent to be a Write-In Candidate must be submitted to the office of the DEO by the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that information on obtaining an absentee ballot may be obtained from the DEO, and applications for an absentee ballot must be filed with the DEO no later than the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on October 28, 2025.
FIRST CREEK POWHATON
METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NOS. 1-12
By: Designated Election Official
Publication: August 7, 2025 Sentinel DISTRICT COURT, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO NOTICE OF HEARING BY PUBLICATION
Case Number: 2025PR358
To Interested Persons and Unknown Father In the Matter of Guardianship of: Amir Amari Duarte, Minor Child
To the Respondent(s): Unknown Father
A Petition for Appointment of Guardian for the minor child has been filed in the court.
A hearing on the Petition will be held at the following date, time, and location:
Date of Hearing: September 10, 2025
Time of Hearing: 3:00 PM
Location: Arapahoe County District Court, 7325 S. Potomac Street, Centennial, CO 80112
The purpose of this hearing is to determine whether a guardian should be appointed for the above-named minor.
If you wish to object to the appointment or wish to participate in this hearing, you must appear at the hearing or file a response with the court prior to the hearing date.
First Publication: August 7, 2025 Final Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel INVITATION TO BID
The Colorado International Center Metropolitan District No. 7 (hereinafter called the “Owner”) will receive sealed Bids for the High Point Gun Club to 61st Avenue Extension & 63rd Avenue (the “Project”) at 18335 E 103rd Ave. #204, Commerce City, CO 80022 until 10:00 am., August 28th, 2025. At such time, Bids received will be publicly opened and read aloud.
A description of the Work to be performed is Earthwork, underground utilities, storm drainage and channel improvements, roadway improvements, and erosion control.
Bid packages will be available for pickup after 10:00 am. on August 11th, 2025. Send request for bid documents to Jeff@ Silverbluffcompanies.com. Include company name, contact name and contact information.
Bids shall be made on the forms furnished by the Owner and shall be enclosed in a
sealed envelope and endorsed with the name of the Bidder. A Bid Bond in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the total Bid amount will be required. The Bid Bond will be retained by Owner as liquidated damages should the Successful Bidder fail to enter into a Contract with the Owner in accordance with the Bid. Bidders must supply a list of Subcontractors providing $10,000 or more in labor and/or materials to the Project.
Attention is called to the fact that Bidders offer to assume the obligations and liabilities imposed by the Contract Documents. The Successful Bidder for the Project will be required to furnish a Performance Bond and a Labor and Materials Payment Bond in the full amount of the Contract Price, in conformity with the requirements of the Contract Documents.
Bidders are hereby advised that the Owner reserves the right to not award a Contract until sixty (60) days from the date of the opening of Bids, and Bidders expressly agree to keep their Bids open for the sixty (60) day time period. Owner reserves the right to reject any and all Bids, to waive any informality, technicality or irregularity in any Bid, to disregard all non-conforming, non-responsive, conditional or alternate Bids, to negotiate contract terms with the Successful Bidder, to require statements or evidence of Bidders’ qualifications, including financial statements, and to accept the proposal that is in the opinion of the Owner in its best interest. Owner also reserves the right to extend the Bidding period by Addendum if it appears in its interest to do so.
Any questions concerning this bid shall be directed in writing to: Jeff Blankenship at Jeff@Silverbluffcompanies.com no later than 5:00pm, August 22nd, 2025. Publication: August 7, 2025 Sentinel
JUVENILE COURT, DENVER COUNTY, COLORADO SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION Case No. 2025JA030028
EVA BAUTISTA GARCIA & JOEL CRUZ PAREDES, For the Adoption of a Child.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF COLORADO
TO ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS:
You are hereby summoned and required to appear and defend against the claims of the complaint [petition] filed with the court in this action, by filing with the clerk of this court an answer or other response. You are required to file your answer or other response within 35 days after the service of this summons upon you. Service of this summons shall be complete on the day of the last publication. A copy of the complaint [petition] may be obtained from the clerk of the court.
If you fail to file your answer or other response to the complaint [petition] in writing within 35 days after the date of the last publication, judgment by default may be rendered against you by the court for the relief demanded in the complaint [petition] without further notice.
This is an action: Petition to Terminate the Parent-Child Legal Relationship
RESPONDENT: SIMON BAUTISTA GARCIA
Dated: July 30, 2025
Attorney for Petitioner: Yuridia Bazan
Yuri Bazan Law Firm, LLC Atty Reg. #: 51371 6595 S. Dayton St., Ste. 2500 Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Phone: 720-598-8800
Fax: 720-598-8830
Email: yuri@yuribazanlaw.com
Publication: August 7, 2025 Sentinel
NOTICE OF HEARING BY PUBLICATION PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR364 In the Interest of: Savanna Yasmine Chavez Bourgeois
To: Leticia C. Bourgeois
Last Known Address, if any: Unknown
A hearing on Notice of Appointment of Guardian for Petition for Appointment to become Legal Guardian for Savanna Y.C. Bourgeois will be held at the following time and location or at a later date to which the hearing may be continued:
Date: September 9, 2025
Time: 3:00 pm
Courtroom or Division: 12 Address: 7325 S. Potomac St., Centennial, CO 80112
The hearing will take approximately 30 minutes.
Clement David Bourgeois 1085 S. Lewiston Way Aurora, CO 80017
First Publication: August 7, 2025
Final Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel
NOTICE OF VACANCY ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF FOREST TRACE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 2
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, and particularly to the electors of the Forest Trace Metropolitan District No. 2 (the“District”), City of Aurora, Arapahoe County, Colorado.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Section 32-1-808, C.R.S., that one or more vacancies currently exist on the Board of
Directors of the District. Any qualified, eligible elector of the District interested in serving on the Board of Directors for the District should file a Letter of Interest with the Board by 5:00 p.m., on Monday, August 18th, 2025.
Letters of Interest should be sent to Forest Trace Metropolitan District No. 2, c/o WBA, PC, 2154 E. Commons Ave., Suite 2000, Centennial, CO 80122.
FOREST TRACE
METROPOLITAN DISTRICT NO. 2 By: /s/ WBA, PC Attorneys at Law
Publication: August 7, 2025 Sentinel
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
SECOND CREEK RANCH METROPOLITAN DISTRICT
ACTIVE ADULT LIFESTYLE EXPERIENCE PROGRAMMING & MANAGEMENT OVERSIGHT
Notice is hereby given that the Second Creek Ranch Metropolitan District (“District”) seeks professional service management proposals from qualified service providers in the delivery and management of year-round, mission-driven lifestyle experiences programming in the master-planned age-restricted community of Green Valley Ranch Aurora – Reserve, City of Aurora, County of Adams, Colorado (“Community”) as outlined in the Request For Professional Service Proposals, dated August 11, 2025 which can be obtained by contacting the District as follows:
Jennifer L. Ivey Icenogle Seaver Pogue, P.C. JIvey@ISP-Law.com
Proposals are due by Wednesday, September 24, 2025, not later than 5:00 P.M. MT to the District at JIvey@ISP-Law.com. Bids will not be publicly opened and read.
Published in the Sentinel one-time on August 7, 2025
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: SECOND CREEK RANCH METROPOLITAN DISTRICT
Publication: August 7, 2025 Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.
Case No. 2025PR30303
Estate of Jesus Jose Alvarez, Jr., aka Jesus J. Alvarez Jr., aka Jesus Alvarez Jr aka Jesus Jose Alvarez aka Jesus J. Alvarez aka Jesus Alvarez, Deceased. All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado, on or before November 9, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.
Jesus Jose Alvarez, Sr., Personal Representative c/o Brent E. Mecham Johnson Law Group, LLC 385 Inverness Parkway, Suite 250 Englewood, CO 80112 First Publication: July 24, 2025 Final Publication: August 7, 2025 Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30320
Estate of Douglas G. Carlsen, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before December 1, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.
Bruce Carlsen
Personal Representative 6686 Apache Ct. Niwot, CO 80503
First Publication: July 31, 2025
Final Publication: August 14, 2025
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30395
Estate of Douglas Lyle VonVoltenburgh, aka Douglas L. VonVoltenburgh, aka Douglas VonVoltenburgh, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November 30, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Danielle M. VonVoltenburgh
Personal Representative 1140 Antelope Drive West Bennett, CO 80102
First Publication: July 31, 2025
Final Publication: August 14, 2025
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.
Case No. 2025PR30400
Estate of INEZ RAMBERG LEVIN, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado, on or before November 10, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Robert G. Levin
Personal Representative 2922 Central Ave. Cheyenne, WY 82001
First Publication: July 31, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.
Case No. 2025PR30624
Estate of Samuel E. Wing aka Samuel Everett Wing aka Sam Wing, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November 24, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Wendy Wing
Personal Representative 100 Steele St., #317 Denver, CO 80206
First Publication: July 24, 2025
Final Publication: August 7, 2025
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.
Case No. 2025PR30653
Estate of Isabelle Alexander Wetzel aka Isabelle Wetzel aka Isabelle A. Wetzel, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November 24, 2025 or the claims may be forever barred. James Wetzel
Personal Representative 1372 S. Argonne Circle Aurora, CO 80017
First Publication: July 24, 2025
Final Publication: August 4, 2025
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S.
Case No. 2025PR30705
Estate of James Patrick McMahon aka James P. McMahon aka James McMahon, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November 30, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.
Susan M. McMahon
Personal Representative 6598 E. Euclid Pl. Centennial, CO 80111
First Publication: July 31, 2025
Final Publication: August 14, 2025
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR30717
Estate of Patrick Jessie Smith aka Patrick J. Smith aka Patrick Smith, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Denver County, Colorado, on or before December 5, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Ruby Smith
Personal Representative 19123 Gettysburg Valley Dr. Katy, TX 77449
Attorney for Personal Representative
David A. Imbler
Atty Reg #: 52038
Spaeth & Doyle, LLP 501 S. Cherry St., Ste. 700 Glendale, CO 80246
Phone: 843-452-8946
First Publication: August 7, 2025
Final Publication: August 21, 2025
Sentinel
NOTICE TO CREDITORS BY PUBLICATION
PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR31
Estate of Jeffrey Scott Miller, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November 24, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Dena Gonzales
Personal Representative 2945 S. Logan St., Apt. B Denver, CO 80112
First Publication: July 24, 2025
Final Publication: August 7, 2025
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PURSUANT TO §15-12-801, C.R.S. Case No. 2025PR349
Estate of Sharon A. Scholle, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before September 15, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Lana J. Corbin
Personal Representative 16721 E. Prentice Cir. Centennial, CO 80015
First Publication: August 7, 2025
Final Publication: August 21, 2025
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Estate of James Neal Wise, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before August 21, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Jessica Bower
Personal Representative 5686 S. Malta St. Centennial, CO 80015
Attorney for Personal Representative Benjamin Kinney
Atty Reg #: 45881 Kinney Law Office 390 Interlocken Crescent, Ste. 350 Broomfield, CO 80021
Phone: 303-386-4328
First Publication: August 7, 2025
Final Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel
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Estate of Henry J. Beckwitt aka Henry Joseph Beckwitt aka Henry Beckwitt, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before December 1, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Robert Beckwitt
Personal Representative 111 West 67th St., 33E New York, NY 10023
First Publication: July 31, 2025
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Estate of John Price Ganister, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before November 24, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.
Attorney for Personal Representative Krista Beauchamp, Atty Reg #47615
Law Office of Alexandra White, P.C. 12625 E. Euclid Drive Centennial, CO 80111
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Final Publication: August 7, 2025
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Estate of Alison A. Stephens aka Alison Ann Stephens aka Alison Stephens, Deceased.
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Arapahoe County, Colorado, on or before December 7, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred. Wendy Stephens
Personal Representative 20257 E. College Place Aurora, CO 80013
Attorney for Personal Representative Bette Heller, Esq. Atty. Reg. #: 10521 19671 E. Euclid Dr., Centennial, CO 80016 Phone: 303-690-7092
First Publication: August 7, 2025
Final Publication: August 21, 2025 Sentinel
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PURSUANT TO §15-12-801,
OF MARRIAGE” AND “UNIFORM CHILD CUSTODY JURISDICTION” ACTS, due diligence has been used to
within the State of Colorado and further efforts would be to no avail; therefore, publication has been ordered: CASE NUMBER NAME TYPE OF ACTION
2025DR031100 Vanessa Martinez Crisalena v Pedro Jose Calvache Rico Custody
2025DR030712 Sucregri Estafani Ramirez Cruz v Imer Noe Guevara Castellano Custody
A copy of the Petition and Summons may be obtained from the Clerk of the above Court between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.; failure to respond to this service by publication within thirty-five (35) days of the publication date may result in a default judgment against the non-appearing party.
SHANA KLOEK CLERK OF THE COURT
7325 S. POTOMAC ST. CENTENNIAL, CO 80112
Publication: August 7, 2025 Sentinel
Final Publication: August 14, 2025
Sentinel
/S/Melissa Mansfield
What’s in a name? Respect and dignity when it comes to deadnaming trans students
At a time when division too often masquerades as debate, a new Colorado law has come under fire not for what it does, but for what some claim it forces them to say.
Four far-right groups in May filed a federal lawsuit against Colorado’s recently enacted House Bill 1312, claiming that requiring schools and public entities to respect the names and pronouns of transgender individuals infringes on their First Amendment rights.
This lawsuit is not about freedom of speech. It is about denying dignity to transgender people under the guise of constitutional protection.
Colorado’s updated anti-discrimination law doesn’t force anyone to believe something they don’t. It simply requires institutions that serve the public to treat all individuals, including transgender people, with respect and equality. The law does not mandate that anyone abandon their personal beliefs about sex or gender. What it does mandate is that public schools and government-funded institutions cannot discriminate against individuals based on their gender identity. That includes using their chosen name and pronouns.
That argument that having a transgender girl call herself “Carroll” could cause any kind of consternation by asking another child or teacher to call the girl by her name is without any merit. It’s especially a specious argument in that someone could become unhinged by calling a boy or man a “female” name at birth, such as actor Carroll O’Connor or Brigadier General Carroll Edward Adams.
In the eyes of the law, this is not a culture war issue. It is a civil rights issue.
The groups challenging the law, Defending Education, Colorado Parent Advocacy Network, Protect Kids Colorado, and Do No Harm, claim the statute “punishes those who refuse to speak using chosen names and pronouns” and “suppresses traditional beliefs about sex and gender.”
This is about calling someone by their name. That’s it. The argument is a smokescreen for justifying misgendering and deadnaming transgender individuals, both of which are widely recognized as forms of verbal harassment.
One group even cited its members’ use of “Brian Titone” instead of Rep. Brianna Titone’s name as a justification for their claims. Such language is not a benign expression of opinion. It is a deliberate act of disrespect designed to invalidate someone’s identity and belittle them.
The idea that public institutions should be allowed to participate in or condone such behavior runs counter to the very foundations of anti-discrimination law.
The First Amendment guarantees Americans the right to express their views freely. But freedom of speech does not give anyone the right to demean others, especially those acting on behalf of government entities.
Just as a teacher cannot, in the name of “free speech,” call a Latino student by an anglicized nickname against their wishes, or refer to a Black student by a racial slur, they cannot insist on calling a transgender student by a name or pronoun that undermines their identity.
Respecting a student’s name and pronouns is not compelled speech. It is basic decency, long upheld as a cornerstone of educational ethics and public accommodation laws.
The plaintiffs in the case claim that the law infringes on their religious or philosophical belief that sex, or gender, is immutable. But the law does not prevent them from holding or even expressing those beliefs. It only prevents them from using their position within public institutions to impose those beliefs on others.
The U.S. Constitution does not guarantee anyone the right to discriminate in a public setting, even if they claim religious or philosophical grounds. Just as a pharmacist cannot deny birth control based on personal convictions while on duty, a school official cannot misgender a student while on the job.
Just as importantly, House Bill 1312 is not an extreme departure from precedent. It is consistent with a growing number of state and federal policies aimed at ensuring equal treatment for transgender people in education, healthcare, and public services. The legislation simply updates Colorado’s anti-discrimination framework to reflect contemporary understandings of gender identity. This is an understanding supported by leading medical, psychological, and educational organizations.
The law also speaks to broader goals, such as preventing bullying, affirming the identities of transgender youth, and ensuring schools are safe and supportive for all students. As state Sen. Chris Kolker, a co-sponsor of the bill, said, “Let’s return to what this is about. Keeping kids safe, preventing bullying, and ensuring our public systems reflect the dignity of all people.”
For transgender students, something as basic as being called by their correct name and pronouns can be the difference between inclusion and alienation, between safety and risk. Numerous studies have shown that trans youth who are affirmed in their identities experience lower rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. That is not a political talking point; it’s a public health imperative.
Critics argue that the law infringes on the rights of non-transgender individuals. But in truth, their rights remain fully intact. No one is being forced to change their beliefs. They are simply being asked, when representing public institutions, to treat others with the same respect they would expect in return.
This lawsuit is not about protecting constitutional freedoms. It is about preserving the ability to discriminate in the public sphere. That is not a liberty worth defending. Respect is not a burden. It is the bare minimum.
Nature cannot bee kind to me
I’ve learned the hard way that Mother Nature is anything but weak and feeble.
I bought a house in the country a little over 30 years ago — a total fixer-upper. An old couple had lived there — hoarders — and the place was a mess.
But that didn’t trouble me. I was full of energy. I had big improvement plans. Then I learned how ruthless Mother Nature really is.
I first discovered this when I tore off an old porch enclosure. When I began peeling the siding off, I was attacked by hornets and wasps — I eventually uncovered 80 nests! — which sent me swatting, jumping and cussing throughout my yard.
When the first summer arrived, I decided to build a planter in front of my house. I tore out some old shrubs and jagger bushes and came across a nest of ground bees. Ground bees become very angry when they are disturbed.
The nasty little buggers stung me a half-dozen times.
Following advice from a neighbor, I poured gasoline into the nest. I set the canister on the ground, four feet away. I lit a match, but before I could throw it into the nest, I heard Wooooooooooof!
You see, “woof” is the sound gasoline makes when it ignites. It ignites because gasoline gives off fumes, and fumes — I tend to learn things the hard way — are flammable!
Suddenly, an 8-foot flame shot out of the bee’s nest — right up the side of my newly painted house! To my right, I noticed the gas can — filled with 2½ gallons of premium — was on fire.
Thinking quickly, I picked up the canister and ran down my driveway, cussing. I launched the Molotov cocktail into the air. It exploded into a fireball. I raced for the hose and barely managed to douse both fires before I burned down the neighborhood.
I moved to Washington, D.C. in 1998 and rented out my house for many years before moving back to finish off all renovation projects.
Last week I was putting my tractor away in the shed after dark when I got stung a dozen times by hornets I didn’t see, who, I now know, live in a large nest.
Thanks to my forever war with stinging insects, I chuckle when I hear environmentalists describe Mother Nature as feeble and weak.
As author Michael Crichton once said, the idea that nature is “fragile” is profoundly wrong. Earth has survived asteroid strikes, supervolcanoes, magnetic pole reversals and mass extinctions. Long after we’re gone, Crichton said, the planet will still be here — doing just fine.
Scientist Bjorn Lomborg agrees. He doesn’t deny the environmental challenges we face, but says we need perspective. While problems like climate change and pollution are real, he argues they’re often exaggerated in ways that lead to panic instead of practical solutions.
He says that nature is remarkably resilient — forests regrow after wildfires, wildlife returned to Chernobyl and coral reefs have shown signs of recovery. Lomborg believes innovation, adaptation and economic growth are better paths forward than fear and alarmism.
We absolutely must be good stewards of Mother Nature’s beauty and preserve her resources.
Just know that Mother Nature will flood your basement, infest your walls, sting your backside and burn down your house — then go on about her day like nothing happened.
If that sounds fragile to you, I’ve got a hornet’s nest the size of an Airbnb you can borrow.
See Tom Purcell’s syndicated column, humor books and funny videos featuring his dog, Thurber, at TomPurcell. com. Email him at Tom@TomPurcell.com.
TOM PURCELL, GUEST COLUMNIST
