Boulder Weekly 10.15.20

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No on 2C Endorsers Include: Representative Edie Hooton, HD10 State Senator Steve Fenberg, SD 18 Elise Jones, Boulder County Commissioner Junie Joseph, Boulder City Council Mirabai Nagle, Boulder City Council Adam Swetlik, Boulder City Council Matt Appelbaum, Boulder Mayor Cindy Carlisle, City Council Macon Cowles, City Council Gwen Dooley, City Council Allyn Feinberg, City Council Crystal Gray, City Council Dick Harris, City Council Spense Havlick, City Council Zan Jones, Boulder Mayor Lisa Morzel, Boulder Deputy Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem Susan Osborne, Boulder Mayor Steve Pomerance, City Council

— Mirabai Nagle, Boulder City Council

Moji Agha Len Aitken Cynthia Allison Karl Anuta Carol & Tom Asprey Trace Baker Ramesh Bhatt Suzanne Bhatt Kay and Larry Bingham Joe Breddan William Briggs Cameron Brooks Christopher Brown Alison Burchell Vince Calvano Bob Carmichael Louise Chwala Randy Compton Karen Conduff Cathy Conery Regina Cowles Paul Culnan Kirkwood Cunningham Kelly Cushing Rebecca Dickson Michael & Vindya Donahue

K.K. DuVivier Guy Errickson Barbara Farhar Ron & Ilene Flax Lili Francklyn Ken Gamauf Cristina Geck Elisabeth Gick Duncan Gilchrist Jock Gilchrist Leslie Glustrom Carol Haggans Catharine Harris Frances Hartogh Scott Hatfield Giselle Herzfeld Brian Highland Lynn Hill Chris Hoffman Karen Hollweg Sue & Michael Holtz Marti & Bob Hopper Suzanne Maria Houck Shirley Jin Blake Jones Zan Jones Jeremiah Kaplan Nick Kerwin Dale & Peter Korba Cosima KruegerCunningham

Sarah Larrabee Sandra Laursen Eric Lombardi Hunter Lovins Phae Maurice Conor May Reese McKay Bill McKibben Gene Michalenko Dave Mollerstuen Tom Moore Bob Morehouse Jim Morris Lisa Morzel Ning Mosberger-Tang Charlotte Mudar Michaela MujicaSteiner Emma Mustelier Chuck Palmer Lynne Palmer Liz Payton Susan Peterson Mary Pettigrew Kathryn RamirezAguilar Evan Ravitz Ken Regelson Alison Richards Megan Roemer John Russell

Alessandro Sacerdoti Simon Saia John Satter Tim Schoechle Susan Secord Brad Segal Pat Shanks Jason Sharpe Kathleen Spano Ted Steen Nancy Sullo David Takahashi Rick Tazelaar Ean Thomas Tafoya Jane Thomas Michael Thomason Regner Trampedach Marie Venner Christopher Warren Rick Walsh Leslie Weise Harvey Wellman Steve Welter Bob Westby Steve Whitaker Virginia Winter Julie Zahniser Daniel Ziskin

— Representative Edie Hooton, HD 10

— Adam Swetlik, Boulder City Council

— Junie Joseph, Boulder City Council

Organizations Who Endorse No on 2C Include: International

Progress Now Colorado OVONNI VENTURES

Smarthome Laboratories, Ltd.

Equinox Consultancy LLC

Call to Action Colorado

Vote No on 2C for Cleaner, Cheaper, More Reliable Energy.

Get the facts:

news:

Lack of transparency with Boulder’s new electronic petitioning system raises questions

by Emma Athena

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lab notes:

Predicting seasons of the sun

by Travis Metcalfe

buzz:

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feast:

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With federal help on stand-by, changing health guidelines and bills piling up, independent music venues turn to patrons for support

by Caitlin Rockett

Pick up the phone to support farmers and ranchers

by Brian Coppom

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beer:

Brewing with coffee: Two beverage darlings in one glass

by Amy Martin

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weed between the lines:

DEA releases proposed rules for hemp and CBD, reigniting fear and confusion within the indusrty

by Will Brendza

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Guest Column: Proposition EE is not the solution for Colorado Guest Column: An open letter to my Republican friends Letters: Signed, sealed, delivered, your views Vote Guide: Our 2020 endorsements News: Jail populations drop; radiation levels rise near fracking wells Events: What to do when there’s ‘nothing’ to do...

Home Viewing: ‘Homeland of Electricity’ Words: ‘Black White and Blue Lives’ by Maya Menconi Astrology: by Rob Brezsny Film: The 43rd Denver Film Festival goes virtual Food/Drink: What to try this week along the Front Range Savage Love: Quickies

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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OF COUNTY 2020 WINNER

OF COUNTY 2020 WRITE-IN

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Publisher, Fran Zankowski Editor, Matt Cortina Circulation Manager, Cal Winn EDITORIAL Senior Editor, Angela K. Evans Arts and Culture Editor, Caitlin Rockett Special Editions Editor, Michael J. Casey Adventure Editor, Emma Athena Contributing Writers, Peter Alexander, Dave Anderson, Will Brendza, Rob Brezsny, Sarah Haas, Jim Hightower, Dave Kirby, John Lehndorff, Rico Moore, Amanda Moutinho, Leland Rucker, Dan Savage, Alan Sculley, Ryan Syrek, Christi Turner, Betsy Welch, Tom Winter, Gary Zeidner SALES AND MARKETING Market Development Manager, Kellie Robinson Account Executives, Matthew Fischer, Sami Wainscott Advertising Coordinator, Corey Basciano Mrs. Boulder Weekly, Mari Nevar PRODUCTION Art Director, Susan France Senior Graphic Designer, Mark Goodman Graphic Designer, Daisy Bauer CIRCULATION TEAM Dave Hastie, Dan Hill, George LaRoe, Jeffrey Lohrius, Elizabeth Ouslie, Rick Slama BUSINESS OFFICE Bookkeeper, Regina Campanella Founder/CEO, Stewart Sallo Editor-at-Large, Joel Dyer

October 15, 2020 Volume XXVIII, Number 9 As Boulder County's only independently owned newspaper, Boulder Weekly is dedicated to illuminating truth, advancing justice and protecting the First Amendment through ethical, no-holds-barred journalism and thought-provoking opinion writing. Free every Thursday since 1993, the Weekly also offers the county's most comprehensive arts and entertainment coverage. Read the print version, or visit boulderweekly.com. Boulder Weekly does not accept unsolicited editorial submissions. If you're interested in writing for the paper, please send queries to: editorial@ boulderweekly.com. Any materials sent to Boulder Weekly become the property of the newspaper.

690 South Lashley Lane, Boulder, CO, 80305 p 303.494.5511 f 303.494.2585 editorial@boulderweekly.com www.boulderweekly.com Boulder Weekly is published every Thursday. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. © 2020 Boulder Weekly, Inc., all rights reserved.

Boulder Weekly welcomes your correspondence via email (letters@ boulderweekly.com) or the comments section of our website at www.boulderweekly.com. Preference will be given to short letters (under 300 words) that deal with recent stories or local issues, and letters may be edited for style, length and libel. Letters should include your name, address and telephone number for verification. We do not publish anonymous letters or those signed with pseudonyms. Letters become the property of Boulder Weekly and will be published on our website.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Proposition EE is not the solution for Colorado

by Mary Gallagher Szarmach

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hen 2020 started, no one could have predicted the roller coaster ride we are on. Election season has extended the ride as voters will decide on 11 state ballot questions. Proposition EE is one, a $294 million tax increase asking Coloradans to pay for unidentified projects.

As a family-owned Boulder business going back three generations, including my 86-year-old father, we operate with transparency and accountability. We own and operate 157 gas, tobacco and convenience stores, including 60 in Colorado and employ nearly 800 people.

The proponents of EE claim the money is intended for pre-school education. Make no mistake, this is a slush fund for politicians. Several years ago, a marijuana tax increase passed supposedly to fund education, yet most school districts never saw a penny. Let’s not fall for the same smoke and mirrors again.

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HB20-1427 was introduced with just 72 hours left in the legislative session. The 43-page proposal originated from a backroom deal and, then, legislators pushed it through the legislature with only 20 minutes of review.

There was no public input and little discussion. Good public policy rarely happens in just 20 minutes and this bill, now a ballot issue, is proof of that.

The bill also includes a mandatory minimum price on packs and cartons of cigarettes, which will impact Coloradans who can least afford it, by increasing their costs by up to $1,200 a year. Using an anti-competitive pricing policy to drive out small business and harm consumers is not how we do things here in Colorado.

We have spent most of the year fighting to keep jobs, paychecks and ensure sanity around Colorado households.

What our voters need now is a chance to recover before facing more unfair taxes proposed by our legislature.

Join my family and employees in voting no on Prop EE. Mary Gallagher Szarmach is the senior vice president of governmental and external sffairs and a co-owner of Smoker Friendly and Gasamat, headquartered in Boulder.

This opinion column does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly.

OCTOBER 15, 2020

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An open letter to my Republican friends

By Evan Cantor

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hat I have Republican friends actions must face criminal penalties, shouldn’t come as a surprise. not forgiveness for agitators turning We all do and I think we can protests into riots. For many, Biden all agree with President is too aggressive on crime. Isn’t this Trump when he says this is what my Republican friends want? the most important election in genThey are even more frightened of erations. I know my Republican Kamala Harris, reviled by the left for friends don’t much like Trump, but I her tough-on-crime record as attoralso know they are frightened by the ney general in California. Because of alternatives. What is it that is so ethnicity and gender, she is now subfrightening? ject to the racist attacks of Trump’s What scares birther conspirme is the immiacy. That’s just nent possibility bullshit, not raises of a Trumpsomething my sponsored corpotaxes on individuals earning Republican rate oligarchy friends believe. supporting a For consermore than $400,000 a year, proto-fascist vatives, socialhow is that threatening? caste system that ism raises the is un-American diabolical specNone of my Republican at the very core. ter of commuMost of Trump’s nism and federal friends earn that kind of promises have programs and simply evaporatregulations spinmoney. ed. He didn’t ning out of condrain the swamp. trol. Consider, He has trampled on the First however, that business and trade is Amendment right of the people to conducted within an infrastructure of peaceably assemble. He has encourregulations. Federal programs such as aged bigotry and violence. His latest FEMA assist equally in red states as call is for militia groups to “stand by.” blue. There are a number of services The previous administration was well appreciated by conservatives and denied a Supreme Court appointliberals alike: military, fire, postal serment eight months prior to an elecvice, national intelligence, commerce, tion, but a third Trump nominee is public lands, Medicare and social being ramrodded through the Senate security. Note that services are not while an election has already begun. required to generate profits. That’s All for a president who lost the pop- why we don’t run them like businessular vote, but governs as if he had a es. mandate.

This diabolical specter presumThat’s just me. What is it that ably threatens our freedom to pursue frightens my Republican friends? capitalist enterprise. But capitalism Socialism. But socialists lost this has never been completely free and particular war of ideas during the unfettered in America. There have Democratic Party’s 2020 primaries. always been rules. Republicans have Joe Biden is a long-time middle-ofbeen hawking laissez-faire economics the-roader. He has not advocated and the trickle-down theory ever dismantling private health insurance since the 1980s, but it doesn’t funcnor “defunding” the police. Leftists tion as advertised. Wealth does not dislike him because of crime legislatrickle down. It rises to the top tion in the 1990s. That involvement where it is concentrated and this is makes it disingenuous to accuse him why we have the largest gap between of being soft on “law and order.” He rich and poor since the Gilded Age. has clearly stated that criminal see GUEST COLUMN Page 8

If Joe Biden

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Current Commissioners on 2020 candidates Serving the people of Boulder County for the last eight years has been the honor of a lifetime for both of us, but like a long distance relay race, due to term limits, it’s time for us to pass the batons to the next set of commissioners. While it’s sad to say goodbye, the departure is made easier knowing that we can hand them off to two very capable and committed candidates: Marta Loachamin and Claire Levy.

As a small business owner, teacher and housing advocate, Marta has firsthand expertise with budgeting, management and communication, as well as a passion for tackling housing affordability and resilience. If elected, she will be the first commissioner of color ever elected in Boulder County, and will use her lived experience to further progress on racial equity, climate justice and outreach to underserved populations in our county.

Claire has served as a state representative, assistant county attorney and executive director of a nonprofit organization focused on poverty solutions, gaining a wealth of applicable skills and experience. As a policy advocate and community activist, she has focused on a range of issues from criminal justice reform and environmental protection to minimum wage and civil rights.

Both Marta and Claire prioritize outreach to and representation of all of Boulder County’s residents, and ensuring that government is fair, I

transparent and responsive.

While we’re proud of what we accomplished, there are many urgent challenges left to address, including continuing our efforts to help the County recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, tackle the climate crisis, fight against racial injustice and expand affordable housing opportunities. Marta and Claire are the right candidates to carry on this critical work and more.

Elise Jones and Deb Gardner, Boulder County Commissioners

For a National Popular Vote We were very disappointed to see the Boulder Weekly come out against Proposition 113 in its Oct. 8 editorial endorsements. This is a proposition that came after the duly elected state legislature passed the bill through both houses and the duly elected governor signed it. It’s on the ballot because U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner’s personal political action committee and astroturf groups pushed the referendum clause of the state constitution to force the issue.

As the Weekly stated, choosing the president should happen by national popular vote. On this, we agree.

The Electoral College maintains a racist distribution of voting power. The particular way that Electoral College votes are unequally distributed means that, per sociologist Sean DarlingHammond, a white person has 1.02 votes for president, while a Black person has 0.98 votes, and a Hispanic see LETTERS Page 8

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE

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Schedule an appointment with yourself today

KEVIN SIPPLE for COLORADO Common Sense for Colorado

Candidate for Representative – State House District 13 ABOUTKEVIN KEVINSIPPLE SIPPLE ABOUT

Rule of Law:Government Governmentagencies agenciesand andofficials officialsshould should follow follow the Rule of Law: the law, law, not made up.up.

If the government won’t follow BackgroundininBusiness Business -- One One of of founders theirown ownpreferences preferencesororlaws lawsthey’ve they’ve made If the government Background foundersofofEldorado EldoradoArtesian ArtesianSprings, Springs,Inc., thenot their thefollow Laws, why shouldwhy anyone? bottled water company.

Inducted Inducted into the Boulder Business won’t the Laws, should anyone?

Inc., the bottled water company. into theCounty Boulder CountyHall of Fame Law Enforcement: I’m a strongsupporter supporterofofLaw LawEnforcement.

Enforcement. in 2010, numerous other community awards.

Law Enforcement: I’m a strong Business Hall of Fame in 2010, numerous other community awards.

Defunding Police supporter is a terribleofidea.

Military: I’mthe a strong the Military and Veteran’s Services.

Expertise with Regulatory Agencies, Including the EPA, FDA, CDPHE Also various Expertise with Regulatory Agencies, Including the EPA, FDA, CDPHE Also Military: I’m a strong supporter of the Military and Veteran’s Services.

Agriculture: I’m a strong supporter of Agriculture.

County and City Agencies including Land Use, Zoning, and Building Departments.

Agriculture: I’m a strong supporter of Agriculture. various County and City Agencies including Land Use, Zoning, and Building Environment: I support maintaining strong enforcement of our Environment: I support maintaining strong enforcement of our environmental Departments.

PUBLIC SERVICE environmental regulations in order toland, keepand our water air, land, and water clean. regulations in order to keep our air, clean.

Volunteer in various Boulder County Agencies. 1992-2002 Placement I support maintaining thetheEndangered Species Act. PUBLIC SERVICE I support maintaining Endangered Species Act. Alternatives Commission, an appointed Board managing seven social services Constitution: a strong Volunteer various to Boulder County together, Agencies.and1992-2002 Placement Constitution:I am I am a strongsupporter supporterofofthe theprotection protection and and enforcement enforcement of our programsindesigned keep families Victim Advocate with the of our Constitutions.

These documents a large the reason our and Alternatives Commission, an appointed Board managing social Constitutions.

These documents are aare large part ofpart the of reason our nation Boulder County Sheriff’s Office 2001 to present, a programseven that provides nation and state are such a good place to live. state are such a good place to live.

Fully support the second amendment. services programs designed to keep families together, and Victim Advocate assistance to victims of crimes, personal tragedies, and natural disasters.

I support thethe development Solar, Hydro, Energy: I support developmentofofallallforms formsofofenergy, energy, Wind, Wind, Solar, with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office 2001 to present,Member a program Member of Colorado Organization of Victim Assistance. of thethat SuicideEnergy: and and FossilFossil Fuels.Fuels.

Fossil Fuels will be necessary until wind and solar power are provides assistance of crimes, andBillnatural Prevention Coalitiontoofvictims Colorado.

Stronglypersonal supports tragedies, the Taxpayer of Rights. Hydro, more developed. disasters.

Member of Colorado Union of Taxpayers.

WHY I’M RUNNING FOR OFFICE WHY I’M RUNNING OFFICE ISSUESI ISUPPORT SUPPORT Twenty-six years ago whenFOR I entered public service as a volunteer, ISSUES Twenty-eight when satisfaction I entered public as a volunteer, FiscalResponsibility: Responsibility: The The Government Government should the years great ago personal thatservice came from helping I discovered Fiscal shouldspend spendour ourtaxtaxdollars dollarswisely. I discovered the great personal satisfaction that came from helping people.

I consider I support sensible spending, no new taxes, and not wasting our money on people. I consider the pursuit of public office in the State Legislature an the wisely. I support sensible spending, no new taxes, and not wasting our pursuit oftopublic officemy in public the State Legislature an opportunity to continue my “showboat” projects. projects. opportunity continue service. money on “showboat” public service.

Why Why Vote Vote for for Me: Me: I believe I believe that that you, you, notnot thethe government, government, areare in in thethe best best position position to to make make decisions decisions about about what what is right is right forfor youyou and and your family. your family.

It’s not the It’s not rolethe of government role of government to dictate to dictate or regulate or regulate anyone’s anyone’s personal personal choices.choices.

If elected, If elected, I pledgeI pledge to do mytobest do my to keep best to alive keep free alive choice, free choice, fairness, fairness, and the andAmerican the American Way.Way.

www.KevinSipple.com BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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OCTOBER 15, 2020

Paid for by Kevin Sipple for Colorado

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LETTERS from Page 6

person has 0.93 votes. Putting a president whom a majority of Americans voted against into office isn’t the only injustice of this outdated system — the racial injustices it inflicts on our country are too big to ignore.

The Weekly argued that a constitutional amendment is a more procedurally correct way of replacing the Electoral College with a popular vote. This “right way” is similarly structured, by the same overt 18thcentury racism that gave us the infamous Three-fifths Compromise, to give more weight to white voices.

A constitutional amendment requires ratification in at least 38 states, giving leverage to the whitest, least populous, states. By suggesting we wait for an amendment likely to never happen, the Weekly suggested that we leave things unchanged.

The Weekly’s call for maintaining the status quo becomes therefore a call to delay advancing racial justice.

If it is true that justice delayed is justice denied, we think all ethical Coloradans must vote for Prop 113.

Kit La Touche, Allison McCarthy and Kim Hoff/via internet

Avoid buyer’s remorse Don’t let a monopoly keep its hands in your pocket. Avoid buyer’s remorse. Get the facts: empowerourfuture.org. Vote no on 2C (Xcel

franchise).

Chris Hoffman/Boulder

For Marta Loachamin As a newly elected City Councilor for the City of Lafayette, I urge you to vote for Marta Lochamin for County Commissioner.

I have studied and practiced leadership with local scientists, strategic thinkers, innovative visionaries and young leaders just starting their careers. Today, I see a need for humanity to bring our three-legged stool of sustainable existence back into balance. A couple of the legs need shoring up and the third is trembling under the load. Those legs are equity, environment and economy. Marta has already shown leadership in supporting these critical societal needs. She created a path to housing for disenfranchised victims in the 2013 flood, participated in natural disaster preparedness planning for the county, and is a single mother, while running her own business. She has demonstrated the ability to identify problems, gather the necessary resources and then fix those problems; she sets a vision and sees it to fruition. Her efforts span our county’s physical, language and cultural boundaries.

In an era of rapid anthropogenic global climate change. Marta’s broad see LETTERS Page 9

GUEST COLUMN from Page 6

If Joe Biden raises taxes on individuals earning more than $400,000 a year, how is that threatening? None of my Republican friends earn that kind of money.

What about the hoary old cry of “Tax and Spend Democrats”?

Republicans have used this tired cliché to demonize the opposition for the last 50 years. Both Reagan and the first Bush raised taxes after promising they would do no such thing. If Republicans are so worried about government spending, why is it that the national deficit has increased so much more on their watch than on either Clinton’s or Obama’s? It is time to retire a tired old mythology crafted before most of us were born.

How do my Republican friends feel about institutionalized racism in America? Is it true that if we, as

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Americans, face up to the facts of the matter, that we “hate America”?

Plainly stated, the answer is no. To admit imperfection is not to hate America, but to embrace an ideal that is quintessentially American, the ideal of the equality of all persons.

We need to embrace this ideal and face up to how it has or has not been practiced, both now and in the past.

Don’t worry. Joe Biden cannot destroy America. He’s not going to take away your guns. He’s not going to make you have an abortion. He’s not going to institute Soviet-style communism. He’s not going to let criminals run rampant in the streets and he’s not going to take away your freedom. The only thing to fear is President Trump himself.

This opinion column does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly.

BOULDER WEEKLY

LETTERS from Page 8

skill set is imperative. The ripple effect of changes to our globe’s climate system will impact everyone. I have learned that systemic and institutionalized barriers to people of color must be removed, and our population engaged in helping humanity adapt to our Earth’s shifting climate regimes.

Enacting a process of engagement will require cultural brokers. I love Marta’s comment that she is here to lead, not sit on a diversity board. She not only is a culture broker, she ensures new ones are trained. Leaders like Marta help all residents get the help they need but also be empowered to help themselves.

Tim Barnes, Lafayette City Councilor

For Prop 114, wolf reintroduction I am writing with my fervent hope that we can all come together in our support of Prop 114, the Wolf Reintroduction measure currently on the ballot. As a native New Yorker, my family spent our summers traveling to Estes Park and then on to Yellowstone and Glacier to see wildlife that had long disappeared from the east coast. I always wanted to live in Colorado to experience wildlife and the natural world. Prop 114 takes an important step in restoring the wolf population and therefore the natural ecosystem’s fragile balance that is critical in maintaining the Colorado we love.

Twenty-five years of research from wolf restorations in Yellowstone National Park and Idaho highlight the successes of wolf reintroduction.

Bringing wolves back to Colorado is essential to rectifying the assault on this species of past generations — it is our duty as stewards of the natural lands and residents of Colorado. In fact, a great majority of Colorado residents agree with me on this measure, with a recent Colorado State University survey finding that over 84% of Coloradans support wolf reintroduction. This support is consistent throughout the state, signifying its legislative strength.

I hope all will look to the scientific data regarding wolf interaction with livestock and ranchers rather than entertaining the falsehoods being spread by fearful anti-wolf contingents. In the Northern Rockies, far less than one-tenth of 1% of livestock that live in wolf-occupied counties are lost to wolves. In the rare event this BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

does occur, Prop 114 provides fair compensation for losses. I urge everyone who is a Colorado resident and cares about the future of our beautiful, wild Colorado to support Prop 114 and restore the natural balance of our fragile ecosystems. I hope everyone will join us in endorsing this important step in ensuring Colorado beauty and diversity is here for generations to come. To show your support for this crucial legislation, add your name at the link below. wolfactionfund.com/ endorse-our-campaign Carol Neustadter/via internet

Endorsement of Loachamin I wholeheartedly endorse Marta Loachamin as a candidate for Boulder County Commissioner. Marta has been a contributor to the betterment of our county community for a long time.

Being a county commissioner is about more than overseeing budgets and road projects. It is about improving the lives of the people in Boulder County.

Marta is an advocate for the underserved in this county and is an entrepreneur and businesswoman. She is a bilingual speaker who has served numerous community service organizations, including the board of United Longmont Hospital, as a consultant to the Community Foundation and as a member of the Hispanic Wealth Project.

For the first time in Boulder County history, we have an opportunity to seat a Latina leader on the Board of County Commissioners. It will be a significant step towards the representation of a larger percentage of county residents. Boulder County is more than a collection of privileged upper-income subdivisions.

It is more important than ever that the Boulder County government benefit from diverse leadership. Marta has made a practice of giving back to the community. Her dedication and passion for doing so are rooted in the sense of personal responsibility. Her background is uniquely varied, inclusive of her link to the immigrant experience. She, more so than the other candidates, understands how finance, investment, and property ownership significantly impact a family’s life. Her perspective isn’t about growing businesses as much as it is about growing families.

Geoffrey W. Simpson/Boulder I

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OCTOBER 15, 2020

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A tough year for direct democracy Lack of transparency with Boulder’s new electronic petitioning system raises questions

by Emma Athena

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teve Pomerance knows City Council won’t always take him seriously, given his laundry list of concerns about Boulder. But since he proved himself right this past spring, when his early alarms about City staff mishandling the 2020 petitioning process were affirmed months after falling on deaf ears, he’s hoping Council will listen now. This time, it’s about Boulder Direct Democracy Online (BDDO), the City’s new electronic petitioning system, and City staff ’s handling of the project.

“The City Council did not track this, and the management of it stunk,” Pomerance says.

A former Council member himself, the longtime Boulderite was a member of the 2018 Campaign Finance and Elections Working Group that drafted the ballot measure to allow electronic petitions in Boulder. The working group was disbanded after the November 2018 election, when voters overwhelmingly approved

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the idea. And with it, Boulder became the first city in the nation to allow citizens to place measures on the ballot via electronic endorsements.

Pomerance and others, like Evan Ravitz, who originated the idea and also participated in the working group, had hoped for an electronic endorsement system that could expand participation in direct democracy, not just in Boulder but elsewhere too. And they hoped for a system that constituents would feel excited and comfortable using. Such an entrepreneurial position came with twin senses of responsibility and opportunity, weighing risks alongside potential for innovation.

Many from the working group feel the opportunity to lead the country has landed awkwardly flat.

When the first publicly shared screenshots and detailed explanation of the BDDO interface were published, in the meeting agenda notes for the Oct. 13 City Council study session, Ravitz flipped BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

through them, saying, “It’s kind of a joke that it’s incomprehensible.” Another working group member, Valerie Yates, says the newest staff memo is “filled with misrepresentations and inaccuracies.”

Though frustrated, Ravitz is not surprised. This wasn’t the only loss in the fight for more petition accessibility this year: the Colorado Supreme Court struck down an executive order allowing for the remote collection of state petition signatures in response to the coronavirus pandemic; and in Boulder, shelter-in-place and social distancing regulations critically kneecapped campaigns’ signature collection drives, not to mention the City staff errors that botched multiple citizen initiatives. It’s been a tough year for direct democracy.

BDDO, the City-staff-designed electronic petitioning system planned for release in January 2021, brings notions of a win to the scene, but critics of its implementation lament the lack of transparency throughout the process. Many are questioning why and how choices were made, considering Boulder declined an offer for a free, open-source system and in light of the plentiful, documented threats on local- and state-level direct democracy. Now, many ask, why have there been so many issues with the BDDO process?

“Oh, I don’t know — your guess is as good as mine,” Ravitz says. Like a hawk, he’s been watching the last two years, but the City has given little information about the process.

Citing overworked staff, Boulder Weekly’s interview requests with anyone directly involved in the project were denied, and after some staff turnover in the City’s IT department, it remains unclear who is leading BDDO’s project management.

One of the only things Ravitz has been told is that the City had difficulties connecting with the Secretary of State’s office, and determining how the City could get real-time access to voter registration data, which they needed to verify the voting status of potential petition endorsers. So Ravitz started pressing the Secretary of State’s office himself.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

In May, Ravitz co-wrote a resolution with the Boulder County Democratic Party asking Gov. Jared Polis and Secretary of State Jena Griswold to share voter registration data with the City of Boulder.

Historically, however, cities haven’t had direct access to this data and don’t have direct relationships with the Secretary of State’s office, explains Caleb Thornton, legal unit manager for the Secretary of State.

County clerks work closely with the Secretary of State to facilitate elections and upkeep the voter registration database. In turn, city clerks work closely with county clerks to run local elections.

In Colorado, a city can choose to contract its county to run a local election, as the City of Boulder regularly does, or a city can facilitate its own election. Either way, cities are routinely directed to work with their county to attain up-to-date voter information.

Though Thornton couldn’t comment on specifics about the City of Boulder’s request for access to the statewide database, he says, “Generally we’re very protective of allowing any subdivisions to get that data on a live basis, because any time you transfer personally identifiable information electronically, if you’re not doing it the right way, you could put it at risk.”

All of the information BDDO will require for validation is public record, Boulder County Clerk Molly Fitzpatrick says. This includes a constituent’s full name, voter ID number, address, birth date and phone number.

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we’re all treading very intentionally and thoughtfully, and not rushing something like this,” Fitzpatrick says.

She notes COVID could’ve caused some delays, and there have been multiple elections to conduct in that timeframe, including this year’s presidential primary.

Ravitz and the Boulder County Democratic Party were also interested in having the Secretary of State integrate a Boulder-specific electronic petitioning software directly to its own website, so the voter registration data could just stay in one place. “It’s cheaper and simpler,” Ravitz says, A preview In the beginning, Fitzpatrick and it’s what Arizona did of what citizens will when it created an electronic says the City expressed a see when potentially desire to use non-publicly endorsement system for canendorsing a petition in the new available information like didates seeking office (See BDDO system. email addresses for its validaNews, “Courts Rule,” Aug. tion process, but the 20).

Secretary of State ultimately But, introducing a reladirected the City and the tionship like that between County to work with public the City of Boulder and the information alone.

State of Colorado is complicated, as And while the City is already the two jurisdictions have different capable of filing requests to the rules when it comes to petitioning.

County for public voter information, The state constitution requires a petiproviding it on a daily basis was tion circulator to be present during a something new that had to be petition endorsement, which effectively worked out. bans the opportunity for electronic “We had to determine the most endorsements of state initiatives. It’s effective, thoughtful way to do this,” also why BDDO will only serve petiFitzpatrick says. Her office was told to tions for ballot initiatives that address support the City in September 2019, the City code — not the City charter, and now the County will upload a since the state constitution governs daily file to a secure cloud server that amendments to the charter, as further the City is also able to access. clarified during the Oct. 13 City Fitzpatrick says the time between Council study session. An amendment March and September 2019 was to specify this legal interpretation is spent deliberating on who would now being drafted to prevent future provide the data — the County or the confusion (See News, “What will hapState. “Actually no one has to do it,” pen to Boulder’s 2020 citizen initiashe explains, indicating neither the tives?” July 30).

State nor the County is contractually This dissonance came into sharp obligated to provide cities with such focus this summer, when Gov. Polis a data flow. “But, of course we wanted worked with Griswold to draft a to support the City in this.” remote signature system that petiFor its part, City spokespeople say tioners could use in response to the the process has been heavily guided coronavirus pandemic and the state’s by security concerns and no unexsocial distancing requirements at the pected hurdles have come up along time. Their idea was to allow constituthe way, though implementation has ents to print petition sheets at home taken longer than expected due to its to sign, and then scan and email or unprecedented nature. However, no mail signed petitions to campaigns. one BW interviewed could offer more In May, Polis issued two executive specific details. see DIRECT DEMOCRACY Page 12 “[We’re] just making sure that OCTOBER 15, 2020

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DIRECT DEMOCRACY from Page 11

orders, one for ballot initiatives and one for candidates seeking election, temporarily allowing signatures to be collected in this remote fashion.

The executive order addressing ballot initiatives was quickly taken to court, however, as the business group Colorado Concern filed a lawsuit alleging it was an overreach of the governor’s executive power. As Colorado Concern’s CEO asserted in a press release, “Protecting the integrity of the initiative process is just as important in a pandemic as it is during a time of calm.” (A similar scene played out in several Boulder City Council meetings at the start of the pandemic, when Council deliberated but ultimately made no provisions to help citizen initiative campaigns navigate petitioning during the pandemic.)

First, a Denver District Court judge determined Gov. Polis’ order was lawful, then the Colorado Supreme Court took up the case and unanimously sided with Colorado Concern. The executive order addressing ballot initiatives was overturned, though the executive order addressing the candidate’s signatures was left alone.

As BW has proven in extensive investigations (See News, “Behind the Curtain,” Sept. 15, 2015), “Colorado Concern wants to make it impossible for citizens to exercise direct democracy via ballot initiatives.” The probusiness coalition, comprised of the state’s largest Republican donors, has grown into one of the most influential groups in Colorado politics and has previously proposed amendments that would make petitioning more expensive. The day after the Supreme Court decision, a ballot measure creating larger setbacks from new oil and gas projects, which Colorado Concern openly opposed, withdrew from the petitioning process, citing the Supreme Court’s decision and the public health and safety risk of circulating petitions in person during a pandemic as the reason.

“It’s a full-court press,” Ravtiz says.

“There are pressure groups who really don’t like ballot initiatives.”

Which is why, in part, Ravitz and others are paying such close attention to BDDO’s roll-out; the hostile 12

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political environment has been no small threat. But no one outside City staff was let in to observe BDDO’s process, and many question how it was designed and why a free, opensource offer wasn’t taken seriously back in 2019.

“There was no transparency,” Pomerance says.

When it came time to build the software system to facilitate electronic petitioning — something that could validate a voter’s identity and keep information secure — City Attorney

member,” he says. Swetlik was elected to his seat in November 2019, about six months into the City’s work on BDDO, and says from the beginning of his involvement, “It didn’t all feel quite right to me.”

As a Council member, and as someone with a near-decade of experience in the technology industry, he’s still confused as to why an offer from the nonprofit software company MapLight wasn’t taken more seriously.

MapLight was founded to reduce the influence of finances and special inter-

Tom Carr declined requests to form a working group, and didn’t solicit official public input for the project until a courtesy meeting called in December 2019, about nine months after City Council directed City staff to begin building what would become BDDO. Had there been more public participation, Pomerance is confident more citizen-focused care would’ve gone into BDDO’s design. There could’ve been debate and deliberation on what features were necessary, or what the voters wanted the petition to provide — had City staff asked. But, the City was technically under no obligation to solicit or include public input. When asked why Carr recommended against forming a new working group, Carr declined to comment.

Most of all, BDDO could’ve been built as an open-source system — an opportunity that many, including Council member Adam Swetlik, argue did not receive the serious attention it deserved.

“I’ve actually been interested in this since before I was a Council

ests in politics. Plus, open source provides “the most transparency in business,” Swetlik explains, “which I think is very important especially when it’s for major public processes.”

He adds, “In a lot of ways, [open source code is] the safest because everyone can see it — compared to something that could be exploited [with errors] not found for a long time, because only one group is looking at it, if at all, after it’s been created and implemented.”

MapLight President Dan Newman had been tracking Boulder’s 2018 ballot measure for electronic endorsements, and once voters approved it, the nonprofit jumped at the opportunity to build the inaugural petitioning software system. The company refined a prototype and Newman flew himself out to pitch their product to City staff in May 2019. His vision was to create an open-source system that other municipalities or states could use in the future, should the opportunities for electronic endorsements expand elsewhere. At the time, Newman also said his com-

pany could get a system up and running by April 2020.

Despite the fact that MapLight’s offer did contain “multilayer, externally-verified security” according to Newman, City staff declined MapLight’s free offer, citing security concerns.

When asked to expand upon the specific security concerns, the City declined to comment, and no IT professionals involved in the decisionmaking were made available for interview. Newman says he met directly with City staff, in particular former IT director Julia Richman, and she never broached the subject of security to express concerns or ask questions.

Instead, the City opted to proceed with a Request For Proposal (RFP) — a standard administrative practice that facilitates a bidding process for City projects, though it should be noted free services can be accepted without an RFP. The RFP was written by the IT department, the city manager and the city attorney’s office at some point between the months of March and July 2019.

“The specifications that the City chose to write in their RFP were for a system that was much more complicated and expensive than would be needed,” Newman says. He guesses the City fell prey to “a common issue in software projects called ‘scope creep,’ which is that it’s easy to think about more things that you would like the system to do, and to think of them without the context of how that increases the cost and timeline.”

Pomerance and others agree. “It was doing more than was necessary to get the job done,” he says. “It had all his stuff tacked onto the end.”

The City did not hire third-party IT or software security professionals to consult the RFP’s specifications, nor to review the final proposals.

The lack of transparency carried into the RFP process. The City’s specifications added significant costs to the project, which required MapLight to add a price to its proposal. Although MapLight was chosen as a finalist, Runbeck Election Services won the bid. The two proposals came with similar price points, according to the City.

(Runbeck is contracted at $490,000).

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

OCTOBER 15, 2020

Runbeck has an established working relationship with the Colorado Secretary of State and Boulder County, as the company is responsible for printing and mailing some jurisdiction’s ballots, including Boulder County.

Runbeck also provides the state and City of Boulder with petition management software, although it remains unclear when this relationship began.

The City of Boulder is the company’s first electronic petitioning software client. (See News, “Advancing Democracy,” Sept. 24.)

According to the City’s July 5, 2019 RFP announcement, the final vendor was supposed to be selected “the week of Sept. 23. City officials say the hope is to have work begin in Oct. or Nov., so that the system is functioning in time for the Nov. 2020 election.” The contract with Runbeck wasn’t signed until December 2019, however, and the system will not be available until January 2021.

When asked to explain why the timeline changed, Carr says it was a “short time to develop a completely new system particularly when you are dealing with election information.”

When pressed for more details via email, Carr declined.

Toward the end of the contract negotiation with Runbeck, in December 2019 the city attorney’s office did call one courtesy public meeting, after Ravitz and others pressed City staff for updates and answers. Carr told City Council he’d consult the 2018 working group before finalizing the contract, yet when a few members of the working group arrived at the meeting on Dec. 18, 2019, the contract was already signed. “Some jaws dropped,” Ravitz recalls.

Carr, over email, says it was because City staff were “under pressure to get this done. The contract was ready to go. We wanted to get Runbeck moving. The contract has a 30-day cancellation provision. We reasoned that if we heard anything in the working group that was a fatal flaw, we could cancel.”

Yates says she was also invited to participate in this meeting, but, “I did not attend because I thought it would be a waste of my time, given that the City had not taken our recommendations into consideration when formulating the RFP and signing the contract. From our discussions in the BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

working group, we all agreed that another working group should be established to pursue the idea and develop the approach. Staff went ahead on their own and bungled it.”

Rachel Friend, another Council member elected in 2019, attended that December meeting alongside Swetlik. At a Council meeting a few weeks later, as she expressed her own disappointment with the lack of transparency, she said the option to cancel the contract had not been clear to the group.

Swetlik remembers intuiting at the December meeting that the choice to go with Runbeck “was already locked in.” This, despite the fact that he felt the Runbeck contract “wasn’t an enticing enough deal for many reasons, [especially] if we could get it at free or substantially lower costs and have it be open source — I thought those were two very, very important things, but others didn’t agree.”

Mayor Sam Weaver, who’s sat on Council for the entirety of the project, has not been concerned with the frequency of updates, and says it’s been comparable to other projects with similar scopes. More communication happened at the beginning, then it tapered off as City staff fanned out to implement the project. “Once those opening discussions were resolved, I’d say updates were similar to what we’d get for a staff-led process with substantial community interest,” he writes via email.

“I wish we had more consistent and constant feedback on where we are in the process and how it’s going,” Swetlik says.

Seven months after the last substantial update, Carr gave a demonstration of BDDO from a petitioner’s perspective at an Oct. 13 City Council study session. After a few questions about BDDO’s system design and the voter validation process, Council directed Carr to continue on course. A public hearing has been scheduled for November.

This concludes a four-part series analyzing online signature-gathering’s role in the future of direct democracy in 2020. Reporting for this series was made possible, in part, thanks to the Solutions Journalism Network. Para leerlo en español, por favor visita boulderweekly.com I

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NASA

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lthough you might take it for granted that the sun is extremely stable over time, the star at the center of our solar system actually changes on almost every timescale imaginable.

Near the surface, bubbles of hot gas larger than the state of Texas flip over in a matter of minutes, while the total brightness increases gradually over billions of years. On the timescale that matters for planning space exploration, the sun modulates its magnetic field every decade, with important consequences for technological societies.

Galileo was the first to point a telescope at the sun, revealing the dark spots that litter its surface. We now know that these “sunspots” are areas where the magnetic field is stronger, keeping the surface cooler and darker than the surroundings. Each spot is enormous, typically the size of our entire planet. If you watched the sun closely over many years, and you counted the total number of sunspots regularly, you might notice an interesting pattern. Every 11 years, the sun seems to show a few sunspots, then many more, and then fewer again.

When there are only a few spots they show up in two bands, about halfway between the sun’s equator and poles.

Over the course of this 11-year “solar cycle” they increase in number, migrate toward the equator, and eventually fade away.

Astronomers have carefully tracked the number of sunspots since the 1750s, and efforts to understand the physical processes that create the solar cycle have intensified during the space age. The long-term record of sunspots reveals that the strongest cycles have hundreds of spots per month at their peak, while the weakest only have dozens. The timing can also vary, with different cycles lasting between eight and 14 years. The underlying reasons for this diversity are still unclear, but it seems to depend on motions deep inside the sun that act as a sort of “conveyor belt” for magnetism. The strongest cycle in the modern record peaked in the late 1950s, and each of the past

four cycles has been weaker than the last.

“We’ve had declining solar cycles for the last 40 years,” Lisa Upton, a solar physicist at Space Systems Research Corporation, says. “Is the sun dying, is it going to shut off, what’s going on?”

Upton studied at the University of Memphis and the University of Alabama before earning a doctorate in physics from Vanderbilt University in Nashville. She moved to Colorado in 2014, and after a brief stint with a Boulder software company she was awarded a prestigious postdoctoral research fellowship to work at the High Altitude Observatory. For most of the last decade, she has been developing a sophisticated computer model of the sun that attempts to reproduce and predict its magnetic cycle. Along with Doug Biesecker at the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Upton recently

BOULDER WEEKLY

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Predicting seasons of the sun

by Travis Metcalfe

helped lead an international panel of scientists to formulate a prediction for the strength and timing of the next solar cycle.

The panel, cosponsored by NASA and NOAA, recruited experts from the U.S., Europe and Asia to evaluate a variety of forecasts over the past two years. Their goal was to come up with the best estimates of when the number of sunspots would start to increase again, when that number would peak, and how many sunspots would be visible during the month around that peak. The panel considered more than 60 different predictions, some of them based on simple correlations and others grounded in the basic physical processes that may be responsible for creating sunspots.

“Here we’ve got this star in our backyard, we’re able to study it in incredible detail, and it encompasses every aspect of physics,” Upton says.

You might wonder why NASA OCTOBER 15, 2020

and NOAA are interested in predicting the next solar cycle in the first place. When the sun is magnetically active, it occasionally has violent eruptions that can spew harmful particles and radiation into the solar system. When these explosions are directed toward the Earth, it can endanger astronauts and orbiting satellites that modern society relies on for GPS and other services.

Predicting this “space weather” is a challenging task, but having a forecast of the overall level of magnetism in the sun helps set expectations about the likelihood of the most extreme eruptions.

In the end, the panel concluded that the new solar cycle would begin sometime between November 2019 and October 2020, and that it would peak at about 115 sunspots in July 2025. This is about the same as the previous peak in 2012, the weakest cycle since the early 1900s. But the experts warn that even feeble cycles can be dangerous.

“Just because it’s a below-average solar cycle doesn’t mean that there is no risk of extreme space weather,” Biesecker said in a statement released by NASA. “The sun’s impact on our daily lives is real and is there. SWPC is staffed 24/7, 365 days a year because the sun is always capable of giving us something to forecast.”

In September, Upton and Biesecker paid tribute to the work of the panel, noting that continued observations had confirmed that the new solar cycle actually began in December 2019, within the predicted range. By the time of the anticipated peak in 2025, NASA plans to send astronauts back to the moon and begin building a permanent base, while SpaceX hopes to send people to Mars. With the coming magnetic season of the sun expected to be mild, the time is right for the next phase of human space exploration.

Travis Metcalfe, Ph.D., is a researcher and science communicator based in Boulder. The Lab Notes series is made possible in part by a research grant from the National Science Foundation.

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Endorsements

For full analysis of our endorsements, visit Boulder Weekly’s Vote Guide online at boulderweekly.com/special-editions/ vote-guide-2020.

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U.S. President: Joseph R. Biden / Kamala D. Harris (D) U.S. Senator: John Hickenlooper (D) U.S. Representative — District 2: Joe Neguse (D) U.S. Representative — District 4: Ike McCorkle (D) CU Regent — District 2: Callie Rennison (D) State Senator — District 17: Sonya Jaquez Lewis (D) State Senator — District 18: Steve Fenberg (D) State Representative — District 10: Edie Hooton (D) State Representative — District 11: Karen McCormick (D) State Representative — District 12: Tracey Bernett (D) State Representative — District 13: Judith Amabile (D) State Representative — District 33: Matt Gray (D) District Attorney — 20th Judicial District: Michael Dougherty (D) (uncontested) Colorado Supreme Court Justice: Retain all Colorado Court of Appeals: Retain all District Court, 20th Judicial District: Retain all County Court Judge: Retain

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County Commissioner — District 1: Claire Levy (D) County Commissioner — District 2: Marta Loachamin (D) City of Louisville – City Council Ward 3: Kyle Brown (uncontested) Town of Superior Trustees (choose three): Mark Lacis, Tim Howard, Kevin Ryan

Amendment C (Conduct of Charitable Gaming): Yes Amendment 76 (Citizen Qualification of Voters): No Amendment 77 (Local Voter Approval of Gaming Regs in Casinos): Yes Proposition EE (Taxes on Nicotine Products): No Proposition 113 (Adopt National Popular Vote): No Proposition 114 (Reintroduction and Management of Gray Wolves): Yes Proposition 115 (Prohibit Abortions After 22 Weeks): No Proposition 116 (State Income Tax Rate Reduction): No Proposition 117 (Voter Approval For Certain New State Enterprises): No Proposition 118 (Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program): Yes City of Louisville Ballot Issue 2A (Single-Use Plastic Bag Tax): Yes City of Boulder Ballot Issue 2B (No Evictions without Representation): Yes City of Boulder Ballot Question 2C (Settlement/Franchise with Xcel): No City of Boulder Ballot Question 2D (Repurpose the Utility Occupation Tax): No City of Boulder Ballot Question 2E (Elect Mayor through Ranked-Choice Voting): Yes City of Boulder Ballot Question 2F (Boulder Arts Commission Charter Amendment): Yes City of Longmont Ballot Question 3C (Revenue Bonds for Funding Water System Improvements): Yes City of Longmont Ballot Question 3D (Charter Amendment to Allow for 30-Year Leases): Yes Sunshine Fire Protection District Ballot Issue 6A: Yes Baseline Water District Ballot Issue 6B: No St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District Ballot Issue 7A: Yes

Amendment B (Repeal Gallagher Amendment): Yes 16

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OCTOBER 15, 2020

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Jail populations drop by almost half during pandemic, according to ACLU

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t appears the coronavirus pandemic has moved the needle in ways decades of criminal justice reform have failed to do. A new report from the ACLU of Colorado, released Oct. 13, explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the depopulation of jails across the state, while crime rates have stayed relatively the same.

Statewide, jail populations decreased by 46% at the height of the pandemic, meaning there was an average of 6,000 fewer people in jail every day.

Whereas the average jail occupancy was 81% pre-pandemic, it’s now at 47%.

(Since July, when jury trials and court sentencing resumed, jail populations have increased 17%.)

In Boulder County, the jail population fell by 43% according to the report.

Sheriff Joe Pelle is quoted: “We have seen jail populations fall across the state, and the sky has not fallen. We are reserving jail beds for those who absolutely should be off the street. But we are erring on the side of letting others stay home with their families. We aren’t using our jail facilities to manage homelessness and drug addiction, which often compounds the problem.”

The report attributes the jail population to four policies in particular: Active management of county jail populations to reserve beds only for those who posed a threat to others; increased use of summons and heightened arrest standards, which led to a 48% drop in people being held pretrial on misdemeanor charges; increased use of personal recognizance bonds, releasing folks without having to pay; and changes in probation, parole and pretrial services, which meant non-criminal infractions and technical violations didn’t send people back to jail.

As such, the ACLU of Colorado calls on legislators to turn these policies into law in their 2021 session to maintain low jail populations across the state, seeing as it could save the state as much as $210 million per year.

“It is tragic that it took a global emergency for actors in Colorado’s criminal legal system to work together to reduce the number of people in jail,” ACLU of Colorado Public Policy Director Denise Maes said in a press release. “It would be even more tragic if we walk away from this pandemic having learned nothing.”

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Radiation levels higher near fracking sites, study finds

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f you live, work, recreate or go to school within 12 miles downwind of a fracking site, you are exposed to higher levels of radiation than people beyond those limits, according to a study by Harvard researchers recently published in Nature Communications.

The study examined data collected near fracking sites across the county from 2011 to 2017, and found that radiation levels were 7% higher near such sites compared to baseline levels. The study found that radiation levels can increase closer to wells and, predictably, decrease beyond 12 miles.

The data is particularly important as the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) recently approved 2,000-foot setbacks for oil and gas wells from homes, schools and other structures — 2,000 feet is, of course, less than a mile, and, so far, radiation hasn’t been as much of a consideration in setback talks as air, water, noise and light pollution. Several municipalities, including Boulder County, are taking another look at local oil and gas regulations, as prescribed by SB-181.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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OCTOBER 15, 2020

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Save Our Stages Fest. Oct. 16-18 via NIVA YouTube page. Free, but donations encouraged. Full schedule: saveourstages. com.

Save our stages

With federal help on stand-by, changing health guidelines and bills piling up, independent music venues turn to patrons for support

by Caitlin Rockett

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f this were a typical year, both the Boulder and Fox theaters would be hosting their 150th shows right now, in mid-October, each on track to hit around 200 shows by the end of the

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year.

That’s 400 shows a year total for the Boulder venues independently owned by Z2 Entertainment.

Instead, the doors to both venues have been shut for six months. Only in the last month has Z2 been able to open Boulder Theater for some very limited seating dinner concerts — 100 socially distanced seats instead of the usual 850-person capacity. The smaller Fox Theatre, with its 625-person capacity, is still closed.

As it stands, Z2 is coming up on 73 total shows for the year as of this writing.

That’s 73 out of 400, a meager 18% of the typical number of shows.

But while the music stopped, the bills kept coming: rent, utilities, insurance, phone and internet services, keeping liquor licenses up to date.

“Even if anyone is barely in the building,” says Z2 CEO Cheryl Liguori, “there’s a lot to keep up with.”

Money from the CARES Act helped,

as did a small grant from the City of Boulder’s Economic Vitality program. But it’s not enough. Z2 has pulled from its savings to keep things rolling, Liguori says, but that pool is “dwindling.”

It’s especially difficult for even smaller venues. Unable to reopen because of health and safety protocol during the pandemic, independent music venues across the nation are succumbing to the weight of neverending bills and indefinitely postponed shows. That’s why Z2 joined the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) in April with some 2,000 other indie venues to lobby Congress for more federal support.

Owners demanded help via the Save Our Stages Act, which could provide live music operators with as much as $18 million to operate venues through 2021.

But when Congress left Washington in August for recess without passing a second stimulus bill, which included the Save Our Stages Act, independent venue owners wondered if they’d be left to sink.

“If you’re a mom-and-pop business, not a Live Nation or AEG, you only can take on so much debt,” Michigan club owner Scott Hammontree told NPR in August, “until you can’t take it anymore.”

OCTOBER 15, 2020

In a survey in April, NIVA found that 90% of its members said their venues would close if the shutdown lasted six months or more with no federal help.

Seven months later, Billboard listed more than 80 independent venues across the country that have closed since shutdowns began, including six here in Colorado: The Henry Strater Theatre in Durango; Intrinzik in Montrose; 3 Kings Tavern in Denver; Live @ Jack’s in Denver; La Cour Denver’s Art Bar in Denver; and Hodi’s Half Note in Fort Collins. While it’s impossible to say that the shutdowns were the primary reason for any of these closures, it’s safe to say it was the final straw for them all.

“There’s definitely going to be a lot of smaller venues that will close,” Liguori says. On the board for the Live Music Society, Liguori says she recently finished evaluating more than 100 grant applications for small venues across the country. “And the fear is definitely real that some of these venues won’t make it because there isn’t a tremendous amount of support from the federal government, and not all states are stepping up to help the live music industry.”

It behooves states — and municipal-

ities — to step up and help live music. In Boulder, the City collects 5% of every ticket to a concert, nightclub or theater with its admissions tax, but the benefits don’t stop there. Matt Chasansky, manager of the City of Boulder Office of Arts and Culture, says that a 2016 survey found that locals attending concerts in Boulder spend more than $26 per person on things other than the price of a ticket, like refreshments, meals, transportation, merchandise or child care. For those coming from outside the county, that number increased to more than $42 per person.

On top of that, music venues are anchors for creative scenes.

“These are places that are going to drive people to an area and create a thriving cultural scene,” Chasansky says.

“So coffee shops and gifts shops, art galleries and bookstores crop up around these businesses because music venues are a ready anchor.”

Chasansky says affordability issues make it hard for independent music venues to take root in Boulder. Z2 set up shop in 1992 with its purchase of the Fox Theatre, which for many years was considered one of the top 10 small music

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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venues in the nation, hosting bands like Phish, Radiohead, The Flaming Lips and The Black Crowes in their infancy. That success made the purchase of the Boulder Theater possible in 2010, and the purchase of the Aggie Theatre in Fort Collins in 2019.

Nick and Helen Forster have independently owned and operated eTown Hall since 1991, offering a just-over-200seat space for intimate acts — but eTown also pulls from other lines of revenue, like bookings in its recording studio and high-quality podcasts with legendary singer-songwriters and bluegrass pickers. Z2 also books shows for Chautauqua, but doesn’t own the auditorium (that’s the Chautauqua Association, which leases the land from the City). The Dairy Arts Center is a nonprofit that pays the City $1 a year for its lease. All are suffering and surviving in their own ways.

But that’s it for dedicated performing arts spaces in Boulder; the rest are informal venues, like coffee shops and restaurants (which have also taken a blow during the pandemic).

It’s ironic, Chasansky says, that the Western States Arts Federation just named Boulder the 19th most musicfriendly city.

“We have a lot of musicians but not a lot of places for them to play,” he says.

So, should Boulderites brace themselves for the loss of the Boulder and Fox theaters?

“No,” Liguori says. “We’ll do whatever we can. We have a very supportive group of shareholders. It may put us behind for a good number of years, but we’ll do everything to make sure we survive this challenge.”

Liguori is worried about small venBOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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1795 Pearl St., Boulder, Co 80302 www.tuneupboulder.com

ues, about the state of independent venues across the nation. She says that changing guidelines make it hard for venues to book shows; in Colorado, the Protect Our Neighbors phase of COVID guidelines allows communities to open some businesses with reduced numbers — but a large enough outbreak of COVID could easily revert a community back to phase two, Safer at Home, and close businesses again.

The result is uncertainty that keeps some of the smallest venues, like the Fox, from hosting any shows at all.

To lend a hand to the most vulnerable venues, Z2, along with more than 20 other NIVA member venues, is co-hosting a three-day virtual music festival.

The Save Our Stages Festival will stream live from various independent venues across the country on NIVA’s YouTube channel from Oct. 16-18.

Hosted by comedian and musician Reggie Watts, the festival will feature all new, original performances from the Foo Fighters, Miley Cyrus, Major Lazer, The Roots and Leon Bridges. Local superstars Nathaniel Rateliff and The Lumineers will perform sets from Boulder Theater on Sunday Oct. 18 (see saveourstages.com for a full schedule).

Venues hope the free event will raise awareness as it encourages donations for the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund, which directly supports venues.

Liguori also says Z2 will keep adding intimate dinner concerts through the rest of the year.

“Everybody’s so happy to be back in the building,” she says. “Does it make a big difference financially? Not really, but we’re just happy to infuse some life back into the venue and live music.”

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SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

RESIDENTS IN 7 STATES CASH IN: The phone lines will be ringing off the hook. That’s because for the next 48 hours, packages containing actual Gold Vault Bricks still loaded with four 5-ounce Jumbo State Bars layered in valuable 24 Karat Gold minted by the Federated Mint are being shipped to residents in 7 states. These are the only Gold Vault Bricks known to exist and everyone wants them. That’s because they’re still loaded with Jumbo Gold Bars bearing the name of The First Bank of the United States of America and the state they were once destined for. And here’s the best part. If you live in one of the 7 states listed in today’s publication you cover only the minimum gold fee set for state residents of just $49 per ounce. That’s a real steal because residents living outside of the designated 7 states must pay $124 per ounce if any remain.

Heavy Gold Vault Bricks loaded with valuable Jumbo State Bars layered in 24 Karat Gold are up for grabs as thousands stand to miss the deadline to claim the gold bars; now residents in 7 states can claim the Gold Vault Bricks for themselves and keep all the valuable bars found inside just by covering the minimum gold fee set for state residents within the next 48 hours “It’s like a modern day gold rush,” said Mary Ellen Withrow, emeritus 40th Treasurer of the United States of America.

That’s because actual Gold Vault Bricks™ still loaded with four 5-ounce Jumbo State Bars layered in valuable 24 Karat Gold bearing the name of the First Bank of the United States of America™ and the state they were once destined for are up for grabs as thousands of U.S. residents stand to miss the deadline to claim the gold. Now any resident of those states can claim the Gold Vault Bricks for themselves and keep all the valuable gold found inside.

That’s four massive bars weighing a full 20 ounces of high demand bullion copper layered in valuable 24 Karat Gold in all.

And here’s the best part. If you live in one of the 7 states listed in today’s publication you cover only the minimum gold fee set for state residents of just $ 49 per ounce which totals $980 for the

(Continued on next page)

Listed below in bold are the states that get the gold. If you live in one of these states immediately call the State Distribution Hotline at:

AK AL AR CA

HI IA ID IL IN

CT DE FL GA

KY LA MA ME

MD MI MN MO MS MT NC ND

NH NJ NV NY OH OR PA RI SC

SD TN TX UT VA VT WA WI WV

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SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

(Continued from previous page) full 20 ounces locked away inside these gold vault bricks. That’s a real steal because residents living outside of the designated 7 states must pay $124 per ounce which totals $2,480 if any remain.

“As special counsel to Federated Mint I earn my pay delivering breaking news. And today’s announcement confirming the release of Gold Vault Bricks to the general public is as big as it gets.

Believe me, I know how valuable these Gold Vault Bricks are to resellers, collectors, dealers and anyone else who gets their hands on them,” Withrow said.

“So my advice is this, anyone who gets an opportunity to get their hands on one of these Gold Vault Bricks better jump at the chance before they’re all gone,” Withrow said.

“These Gold Vault Bricks loaded with massive 5-ounce Jumbo State Bars layered in valuable 24 Karat Gold make the most impressive gifts for Christmas, birthdays, graduations, weddings, and any other occasion, especially for that hard-to-buy-for person,” Withrow said.

According to Ms. Withrow, since thousands of U.S. residents stand to miss the deadline to claim the gold, today and tomorrow are intended as a “special 48 hour release” for the benefit of persons living in; CO, AZ, KS, NE, NM, OK and WY. This gives residents of those states a fair chance to claim the Gold Vault Bricks and all the valuable gold loaded inside for themselves.

But, Ms. Withrow added, “The Gold Vault Bricks are only available as inventory permits during the special 48 hour release and once they’re gone, they’re gone.” The emeritus Treasurer added, “Remember this, these Gold Vault Bricks contain a full 20 ounces of high demand bullion copper layered in valuable 24 Karat Gold and we have no power to stop dealers, resellers, collectors and the like from buying up all the Gold Vault Bricks they can get their hands on and reselling them for a big profit,” Withrow said.

Anyone who fails to obtain them during this special 48 hour release may be forced to buy them later in the secondary market from a dealer, reseller or collector at a hefty premium. ”We already know the phones will be ringing off the hook. That’s why hundreds of agents are standing by to answer the phones beginning at 8:30am this morning. We’re going to do our best, but with just 48 hours to answer all the calls it won’t be easy. So make sure to tell everyone to keep calling if all lines are busy. We’ll do our best to answer them all,” Withrow said.

“That’s why Federated Mint set up the State Distribution Hotlines in order to make sure residents in the 7 designated states listed in today’s newspaper publication can get them now,” Withrow said.

The only thing readers of today’s newspaper publication need to do is make sure they live in one of the 7 states listed in today’s newspaper and call the State Distribution Hotlines before the special 48 hour release ends midnight tomorrow.

THESE FIRST BANK OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA JUMBO GOLD BARS ARE THE ONLY ONES KNOWN TO EXIST

THESE ARE THE FOUR 5-OUNCE JUMBO GOLD BARS SEALED AWAY IN EACH GOLD VAULT BRICK BEARING THE STATE DESTINATION

How much are the Gold Vault Bricks worth: The answer is, it’s impossible to say. But, it would be foolish for anyone to try and determine the value of these Gold Vault Bricks based on today’s price of gold. Here’s why. Gold, silver and all precious metal values always fluctuate and there are never any guarantees. But what we do know is that these are the only Gold Vault Bricks still loaded with four 5-ounce Jumbo State Bars known to exist. In fact, the value of the pure 24 Karat Gold layered content is just a bonus for anyone lucky enough to get one of these Gold Vault Bricks because there’s no telling how much the actual collector value could be worth. That makes the minimum gold fee set for state residents of just $ 49 per ounce which totals $ 980 for the full 20 ounces locked away inside these Gold Vault Bricks a real steal since residents living outside of the designated 7 states must pay $124 per ounce, which totals $ 2,480, if any remain.

Why the vault fee is so low: Since thousands of U.S. residents stand to miss the deadline to claim the gold, Federated Mint has re-allocated Gold Vault Bricks to be sent out in the next 48 hours. That means the gold is up for grabs and now residents in 7 states can claim the Gold Vault Bricks for themselves and keep all the valuable bars found inside. These are the only Gold Vault Bricks known to exist and everyone wants them. That’s because they’re still loaded with four 5-ounce Jumbo State Bars layered in valuable 24 Karat Gold bearing the name of The First Bank of the United States of America and the state they were once destined for. That’s four massive bars weighing a full 20 ounces of 24 Karat Gold and valuable bullion copper in all. And here’s the best part. If you live in one of the 7 states listed in today’s publication you cover only the minimum gold fee set for state residents of just $ 49 per ounce. That’s a real steal because residents living outside of the designated 7 states must pay $ 124 per ounce if any remain.

FIRST LOOK INSIDE THE GOLD VAULT BRICKS: Pictured above are the Gold Vault Bricks containing the only Jumbo State Gold Bars known to exist bearing the name of the First Bank of the United States of America and the state they were once destined for. State residents are rushing to get them because the Gold Vault Bricks are still loaded with four 5-ounce Jumbo State Bars layered in valuable 24 Karat Gold. To claim you Vault Brick, just call 1-800-749-6917 GB1041 before the deadline ends. Everyone lucky enough to get them better hold on to them because there’s no telling just how much they could be worth.

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FEDERATED MINT, LLC IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. MINT, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, A BANK OR ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY. IF FOR ANY REASON WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM SHIPMENT YOU ARE DISSATISFIED, RETURN THE PRODUCT FOR A REFUND LESS SHIPPING AND RETURN POSTAGE. THIS SAME OFFER MAY BE MADE AVAILABLE AT A LATER DATE OR IN A DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION. OH RESIDENTS ADD 6.5% SALES TAX. FEDERATED MINT, PO BOX 1200, MASSILLON, OH 44648 ©2020 FEDERATED MINT

STAY CONNECTED Check us out on Facebook and Twitter for events, local news, and ticket giveaways. facebook.com/boulderweeklymedia twitter.com/boulderweekly

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events

events

MEET THE SPIRITS 2020 — A VIRTUAL TOUR OF COLUMBIA CEMETERY.

Oct. 16-18, historicboulder.org/meet-the-spirits-2020. Price: $10-$22 (only one ticket needed per household).

Meet the Spirits 2020 is a virtual tour of Columbia Cemetery, as told by some of Boulder’s most

BY BOULDER WEEKLY STAFF

If your organization is planning an event of any kind, please email Caitlin at crockett@boulderweekly.com.

It’s also a weekend full of opportu-

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DANIEL GUILLORY, PHOTO BY RICK VILLARREAL

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DICKENS HORROR FILM FESTIVAL.

11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, The Dickens Opera House, 300 Main St., Longmont.

Price: $15-$50. For the virtual experience please visit: xerb.tv/channel/dickenshorrorfilmfestival/virtual-events.

MOTUS THEATER PRESENTS JUSTUS: STORIES FROM THE FRONTLINES OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15 via Zoom. RSVP at motustheater.org.

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The Horror Crowd, Swipe, Cottonmouth, Nightmare, Look Twice, Boolala, Killing Time, Don’t Die

COURTESY RION EVANS

SAVE OUR STAGES FEST.

6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16-Sunday, Oct. 18, with live performances by Nathaniel Rateliff and The Lumineers at Boulder Theater.

Available to stream for free via YouTube, saveourstages.com.

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BACKPORCH SERIES PRESENTS: COMEDY WITH RION EVANS.

7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder. Tickets are $20-$80.

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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see EVENTS Page 24

OCTOBER 15, 2020

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EVENTS from Page 23

COURTESY TRUE NORTH

LITTLE TREE ACOUSTIC HOUSE CONCERTS PRESENTS TRUE NORTH — AN ONLINE CONCERT.

6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, littletreeacoustic.appspot.com. Suggested donation of $12.

Helmed by award-winning songwriter Kirsten Grainger and supported by bluegrass superstars Dan Wetzel (multi-instrumentalist), Martin Stevens (mandolin, octave mandolin, fiddle, vocals) and Josh Adkins (upright bass, vocals), True North crafts powerhouse bluegrass. Their recently released album, Ghost Tattoo, debuted at No. 1 on the National Folk Music Charts, just like the band’s previous two albums. Little Tree House Concerts is providing you a chance to see True North in the comfort of your own home for a small donation of $12 on a sliding scale, “meaning,” says Little Tree founder Joe Wern, “you are welcome to donate more if you value it and can afford it in this time when our artists need our support the most.” Wern asks to please donate early to allow ample time for contact about how to join the concert live online.

COURTESY JESTERS DINNER THEATRE

2020 STEVENS LECTURE WITH FORMER JUSTICE OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA ZAK YACOOB.

Noon. Thursday, Oct. 22 via Zoom, colorado. edu/law/research/byron-white-center/john-paulstevens-lecture. This event is free.

The annual John Paul Stevens Lecture brings a distinguished jurist to Colorado Law to discuss judging and the state of the judiciary. This year’s speaker is Justice Zak Yacoob. Blind from infancy, Justice Yacoob studied at the Arthur Blaxall School for the Blind in Durban, South Africa. He completed a law degree at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal. While at the university and during his law practice, Justice Yacoob was a member of the African National Congress underground; participated in community organizations involved in anti-apartheid and community activities, including the United Democratic Front and the Detainees Parents’ Support Group; and engaged in activities aimed at protecting the rights of people with disabilities.

COURTESY THE GOOD KIND

AN EVENING WITH THE GOOD KIND.

7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder. Tickets are $55 per person in tables of four or eight.

This homegrown jam band specializes in Phish, Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, The Rolling Stones “and other good kinds of music.” All tickets are sold in tables of four or eight and include two drinks (beer, wine or well), two McDevitt Taco Supply Tacos (chicken, pork or veggie), and chips and salsa per person. Additional beverages, food and upgrades are available for purchase at the table. Gratuity is not included.

BOULDER MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART VIRTUAL STUDIO TOUR: CHRISTINE NGUYEN JESTERS DINNER THEATRE PRESENTS ‘THE FOREIGNER’ — A STUDENT PRODUCTION.

Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons, through Oct. 24.

Seating is limited. Dinner and show: $33; show only: $15, jesterstheatre. com or 303-682-9980.

Come see budding local actors in this fun, two-act comedy. It all starts when two Englishmen, Froggy and Charlie, arrive as guests at a fishing lodge in rural Tilghman County, Georgia. Shy Charlie agrees to accompany Froggy on the trip after his sick wife begs him to go. When people at the lodge try to talk to Charlie, however, his depression around his wife’s illness keeps him from engaging.

Froggy claims that Charlie cannot talk because he is a “foreigner” from an exotic country, and does not understand English. Thinking he can’t understand them, the lodge’s guests quickly begin revealing their secrets, and Charlie soon discovers scandals among some of the residents. Patrons are expected to wear a mask at all times except while seated. Tables are distanced at least six feet apart, seating is limited to 46 and is distanced from the stage.

Noon. Thursday Oct. 15.

To access Virtual Studio Tours live, log into your Instagram account on the phone app or from a web browser, then navigate to BMoCA’s profile and click on the circular icon with BMoCA’s logo.

Virtual Studio Tours are a 30 minute interactive program “AURORA ISLAND” (2020), CHRISTINE NGUYEN that explores local contemporary artist studios. Artists take viewers behind the scenes of their studio practice with insights into their processes, inspirations and artwork. Christine Nguyen was born and raised in California and currently resides in Denver, and also works in Long Beach, California. Her work draws upon the imagery of nature, the sciences and the cosmos, “but it is not limited to a conventional reading of these realms,” Nguyen writes. see EVENTS Page 26

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

EVENTS from Page 24

WE’VE GOT ISSUES

HOMEVIEWING ‘Homeland of Electricity’

BUT NOT YOU...YET

by Michael J. Casey

Come join our Team

RUSSIANFILMHUB.COM

We’re a local company helping other businesses grow.

Not looking for someone to move mountains, just someone to help us reach higher.

Boulder Weekly is seeking a highly-motivated, career-oriented Sales Professional.

The right candidate has excellent written and verbal skills paired with business creativity. Experience in sales (media sales especially) is preferred, while an education in business, sales, or marketing is encouraged.

Email Cover Letter and Resume to: Publisher Boulder Weekly franzan@boulderweekly.com

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n Tuesday, Oct. 20, TCM’s Women Make Film series continues with episode eight of Mark Cousins’ docuseries Women Make Film: A New Road Film Through Cinema. The themes of the night’s programming: home, religion and work.

Encompassing all three themes — but not airing on TCM — is Homeland of Electricity, Larisa Shepitko’s second film made for the Soviet Union, but never released during her lifetime.

Made in 1967, Homeland of Electricity is the second of three 30-minute segments commissioned by the government to celebrate the October Revolution’s 50th anniversary. But when Shepitko and her comrades turned in their work, authorities rejected them for not being patriotic enough.

Watching them today, it’s no shock the government turned its back on the films — collectively titled Beginning of an Unknown Era. Shepitko opens her segment in a barren desert pocked by drought with the mysterious awakening of a young Christ-like figure. Shepitko films the man in stark black and white free of adornment. It’s like a Byzantine painting — ascetic and abstract.

The man follows a small religious procession to a nearby village void of food and water; drought has dried the earth to a crisp. The only thing of value the villagers possess is a motorcycle engine, which runs on grain alcohol distilled from petrified wheat.

The cycle has no wheels, so the villagers use it to generate electricity to power light bulbs fastened to a star atop a pole.

Why waste electricity to power the star? Because it’s their only possession that might instill hope. And when the stranger proposes to use the engine to power a wellpump, water replaces the star.

It’s been said every generation brings a touch of apocalypticism to the table. From a micro-level, it’s understandable, especially from the viewpoint of Eden lost. But from a macro-level, it’s ridiculous to think this life-giving planet that has existed for billions of years will somehow, someway end on your watch.

That’s what makes Shepitko’s Homeland of Electricity powerful: It shows that no matter how far down we go, no matter how hard we are punched in the teeth and stripped of dignity and humanity, we will rise again. The world keeps turning, and what was once a waterless wasteland will soon be fertile farmland. All you need is hope, be it a star, a motorcycle engine or a water pump.

Shepitko never lived to see Homeland of Electricity theatrically released. She died in 1979 in a road accident at the age of 41. In 1987, 20 years after finishing Homeland of Electricity, the collection Beginning of an Unknown Era was finally screened with two segments — Angel from filmmaker Andrei Smirnov and Homeland of Electricity — playing the Moscow International Film Festival thanks to Mikhail Gorbachev’s glasnost policy. The third and final segment was lost and has yet to be found.

Search for Beginning of an Unknown Era at the excellent RussianFilmHub.com to stream Homeland of Electricity and tune-in Oct. 20 to TCM’s Women Make Film series.

OCTOBER 15, 2020

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Black White and Blue Lives

by Maya Menconi

Screams and shouts, full of hate “To once again make America great” “Don’t forget all lives matter” are the cries.

How can we believe that when every 10 minutes a child in Yemen dies?

How can we believe that when White men can get what they want when they throw rages.

As immigrant kids sit in cages Even though there is one house burning you wish us to quench them all?

Black lives matter is simply what we call.

Oh you believe Blue lives matter?

Blue matters when it flashes with red over a black body who couldn’t Breath, What’s the matter?

Are you uncomfortable when there are riots on the streets?

What do you not understand about no justice no peace.

Of the systemic racism right below the surface.

We must educate ourselves and put free speech to purpose.

And so we begin to speak up and fight!

A new generation who believes equality is right!

You can either stand in our midst, Or we will fight against this injustice until you are bound at the wrists.

We need racist cops in jail.

And innocent black lives let off of bail.

Just because I was born with lighter skin, I will never know how it feels to be drowning in oppression, unable to fight For my kin.

They watch the same silenced story,

“Go back to your country!”

A White police killing a minority.

Who the hell do you think brought them here?

Over and over they must stay quiet, so they don’t die too.

Stripped of rights and freedom with dreams and hope nowhere near.

But every time another falls the pain is always new.

I wonder if the cops can say the names of the sons and daughters they Strangled and shot.

Change is churning as we speak.

As years go by, and, in school no one is taught,

Open Range Competition Teams Summer Day Camps Classes & Private Lessons

Target & Hunting Full Service Retail Pro Shop & Service Recurve & Compound

High Altitude Archery 455 Weaver Park Rd #500 Longmont, CO 80501 720-491-3309

Dead bodies hidden for so long that they have finally begun to reek.

Fifteen-year-old Maya Menconi lives in Carbondale and attended a Juneteenth event in Rifle. She wrote this afterwards.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

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OCTOBER 15, 2020

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It would anchor you more thoroughly in the here and now of your actual life, and inspire you to shed any fantasies that you should be different from who you are.

BY ROB BREZSNY ARIES

MARCH 21-APRIL 19: Would you be willing to meditate

on how you might become more skilled in the arts of intimacy? Would you consider reading books and websites that offer guidance about strategies for being the best partner and ally you can be? Are you receptive to becoming more devoted to practicing empathy and deep listening? I’m not saying you’re deficient in these matters, nor am I implying that you need to improve your mastery of them any more than the rest of us.

I simply want you to know that now is an especially favorable time for you to make progress.

TAURUS

APRIL 20-MAY 20: Entre chien et loup is a French

idiom that literally means “between dog and wolf.” It’s used to describe twilight or dusk, when the light is faint and it’s tough to distinguish between a dog and a wolf.

But it may also suggest a situation that is a blend of the familiar and the unknown, or even a moment when what’s ordinary and routine is becoming unruly or wild.

Entre chien et loup suggests an intermediary state that’s unpredictable or beyond our ability to define. In accordance with astrological omens, I propose you regard it as one of your main themes for now. Don’t fight it; enjoy it! Thrive on it!

MAY 21-JUNE 20: For 34 years, the beloved

American TV personality Mr. Rogers did a show for children. He’s now widely acknowledged as having been a powerful teacher of goodness and morality. Here’s a fun fact: His actual middle name was “McFeely.” I propose that you use that as a nickname for yourself. If McFeely doesn’t quite appeal to you, maybe try “Feel Maestro” or “Emotion Adept” or “Sensitivity Genius.” Doing so might help inspire you to fulfill your astrological assignment in the coming weeks, which is to allow yourself to experience more deep feelings than usual — and thereby enhance your heart intelligence. That’s crucial! In the coming weeks, your head intelligence needs your heart intelligence to be working at peak capacity.

CANCER

JUNE 21-JULY 22: A blogger named Dr.LoveLlama writes,

“You may think I am walking around the house with a blanket around my shoulders because I am cold, but in fact the ‘blanket’ is my cloak and I am on a fantasy adventure.” I approve of such behavior during our ongoing struggles with COVID-19, and I especially recommend it to you in the coming days. You’ll be wise to supercharge your imagination, giving it permission to dream up heroic adventures and epic exploits that you may or may not actually undertake someday. It’s time to become braver and more playful in the inner realms.

LEO

JULY 23-AUG. 22: According to author Rev. Dr.

Marilyn Sewell, “The body has its own way of knowing, a knowing that has little to do with logic, and much to do with truth.” I recommend that you meditate on that perspective. Make it your keynote. Your physical organism always has wisdom to impart, and you can always benefit from tuning in to it — and that’s especially important for you right now. So let me ask you: How much skill do you have in listening to what your body tells you? How receptive are you to its unique and sometimes subtle forms of expression? I hope you’ll enhance your ability to commune with it during the next four weeks.

AUG. 23-SEPT. 22: In his fictional memoir Running

in the Family, Virgo author Michael Ondaatje returns to Sri Lanka, the land where he spent his childhood, after many years away. At one point he enthuses that he would sometimes wake up in the morning and “just smell things for the whole day.” I’d love for you to try a similar experiment, Virgo: Treat yourself to a festival of aromas. Give yourself freely to consorting with the sensual joy of the world’s many scents. Does that sound frivolous? I don’t think it is. I believe it would have a deeply calming and grounding effect on you.

OCTOBER 15, 2020

SCORPIO

OCT. 23-NOV. 21: “You can’t learn anything when

you’re trying to look like the smartest person in the room,” writes author Barbara Kingsolver. That’s a useful message for you right now. Why? Because you will soon be exposed to teachings that could change your life for the better. And if you hope to be fully available for those teachings, you must be extra receptive and curious and open-minded — which means you shouldn’t try to seem like you already know everything you need to know.

NOV. 22-DEC. 21: I’ve decided not to use quotes

by famous writers who’ve endorsed bigoted ideas. In the future, my horoscopes won’t mention the work of T. S. Eliot, Roald Dahl, V. S. Naipaul, Edith Wharton, Kingsley Amis, H. P. Lovecraft, Flannery O’Connor, Rudyard Kipling and Louis-Ferdinand Céline. I’m sorry to see them go, because I’ve learned a lot from some of them. And I understand that many were reflecting attitudes that were widespread in their era and milieu.

But as I’ve deepened my commitment to fighting prejudice, I’ve come to the conclusion that I personally don’t want to engage with past perpetrators. Now, in accordance with current astrological omens, I invite you to take an inventory of your own relationship with bigoted influences — and consider making some shifts in your behavior. (More info: tinyurl.com/BigotedAuthors1 and tinyurl.com/BigotedAuthors2)

CAPRICORN

DEC. 22-JAN. 19: Capricorn chemist Tu Youyou

doesn’t have a medical degree or Ph.D. Yet she discovered a treatment for malaria that has saved millions of lives. The drug was derived from an ancient herbal medicine that she spent years tracking down. In part because of her lack of credentials, she remained virtually unsung from the time she helped come up with the cure in 1977 until she won a Nobel Prize in 2015.

What’s most unsung about your accomplishments, Capricorn? There’s a much better chance than usual that it will finally be appreciated in the coming months.

AQUARIUS

JAN. 20-FEB. 18: “Luck is what happens to you when

fate gets tired of waiting,” says author Gregory David Roberts. If that’s true, I expect that a surge of luck will flow your way soon. According to my astrological analysis, fate has grown impatient waiting for you to take the actions that would launch your life story’s next chapter. Hopefully, a series of propitious flukes will precipitate the postponed but necessary transformations. My advice? Don’t question the unexpected perks. Don’t get in their way. Allow them to work their magic.

PISCES

VIRGO

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SEPT. 23-OCT. 22: “The hardest thing you will ever do is trust yourself,” says Libran journalist Barbara Walters. Really? I don’t think so. In my experience, the hardest thing to do is to consistently treat ourselves with the loving care we need to be mentally and physically healthy. But I do acknowledge that trusting ourselves is also an iffy task for many of us. And yet that’s often because we don’t habitually give ourselves the loving care we need to be healthy.

How can we trust ourselves if we don’t put in the work necessary to ensure our vitality? But here’s the good news, Libra: In the coming weeks, you’re likely to be extra motivated and intuitively astute whenever you improve the way you nurture yourself.

SAGITTARIUS

GEMINI

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FEB. 19-MARCH 20: Have you formulated wily plans

and crafty maneuvers to help you navigate through the labyrinthine tests and trials up ahead? I hope so. If you hope to solve the dicey riddles and elude the deceptive temptations, you’ll need to use one of your best old tricks — and come up with a new trick, as well. But please keep this important caveat in mind: To succeed, you won’t necessarily have to break the rules. It may be sufficient merely to make the rules more supple and flexible.

BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

Boulder’s Local Music Shop Since 1971 Shop online at hbwoodsongs.com for no contact pickup or free local delivery (on purchases over $20).

Open to customers or for pick-up with these new hours of operations: Mon.-Sat. 12-5 pm Sun. 12-4 pm

3101 28th St, Tebo Plaza, Boulder

303.449.0516

hbwoodsongs.com

The best is yet to come

The 43rd Denver Film Festival goes virtual

by Michael J. Casey

N

either wind nor rain nor sleet nor snow has stopped ON THE BILL: 43rd Denver Film Festival, the Denver Film Festival before — though the blizvirtual, Oct. 22-Nov. zard of 1997 tried when it dropped 21 inches and 8, denverfilm.org/ shut the city down. That year Jack Palance received dff43/ DFF’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the legendABOVE: Frances ary cowboy accepted the award inside the Warwick Hotel. The McDormand stars in crowd that night may have been small, but they were mighty ‘Nomadland’ (even money says they were staying at the Warwick or lived close by).

At least in the time of pandemic, we won’t have to brave the elements to attend this year’s DFF. We won’t even need to go any farther than the living room as all 180-plus movies programmed will be virtual (save for three, more on that in a minute).

That shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it’s not the only thing different this year. For starters, DFF is seven days longer (Oct. 22-Nov. 8), tickets are cheaper, and the recognizable Hollywood studio titles are all but absent (because Hollywood studio films are all but absent from 2020 in general). There’s an upside to that: More space for foreign and independents, not to mention all the homegrown movies featured in the Colorado Spotlight sidebar.

This year’s heavy hitters: Minari, the story of a Korean-American family searching for the American dream on a small Arkansas farm — it won both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. dramatic feature at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; Apples, the Greek breakout hit from 2020’s truncated festival season; and Nomadland, the recipient of both the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion and Toronto International Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award.

Nomadland will be one of three movies getting the drive-in treatment at Red Rocks (Thursday, Oct. 22). The other two are Nine Days, which won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance (Saturday, Oct. 24), and Ammonite (Thursday, Oct. 29). All three shows begin at 7 p.m.

DFF’s biggest get this year: nonagenarian documentarian Frederick Wiseman and his latest work, City Hall. Wiseman has spent his career exploring American institutions with a hands-off observational approach, and this look at Boston’s City Hall couldn’t be timelier. We’ll talk more about City Hall and Wiseman’s legacy when CU-Boulder’s International Film Series rolls out a Wiseman retrospective in November, but ticket buyers to DFF’s screening of City Hall will also be treated to a post-screening Q&A with Wiseman, who is receiving this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

There’s more, a lot more: Undine is the latest from German filmmaker Christian Petzold, once again teaming with the spectacular Paula Beer; The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel picks up where the documentary The Corporation left off in 2003 and throws coronavirus and social unrest into the mix; 76 Days captures the genesis of the coronavirus pandemic from the frontlines of Wuhan, China; and Shiva Baby is the comedic antidote you’ll need after all those weighty docs.

It’s gonna be great. Head to denverfilm.org/dff43 to download the full guide, purchase tickets and stream the movies.

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The pandemic has hit so many businesses hard this year, perhaps none more so than those in the food industry. While many farmers and ranchers have been able to adapt in order to make ends meet, much still needs to be done. So Boulder Weekly asked Brian Coppom, executive director of the Boulder County Farmers Market, to share how folks can keep local farmers and ranchers in mind this election season and beyond. ’ll take a look at it.”

Such was the underwhelming reply last week when one of our Colorado politicians was asked whether he would support a federal bill directing more aid to small and mid-size farmers. In this year’s heated election cycle, one might be excused for thinking the concern of community agriculture needs to take a back seat to more pressing issues, like COVID-19 and who will become our next president. However, such dismissal is ill-advised and short-sighted. The compounded effects of unprecedented challenges Colorado farms and ranchers are experiencing this year is reducing the reliability of our food system and will affect the lives of Coloradans for years to come.

Farms and ranches were already struggling due to several years of declining prices, increasing costs and the impacts of trade tariffs — resulting in a net farm income drop of 15% in 2018 alone.

Trade and COVID-19 relief packages, including the Marketing Facilitation Program and Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, have served the largest of these operations, with over 50% of benefits going to just the top 10% largest farms and ranches. Market disruption caused by COVID-19, though, was indiscriminate and

PHOTOS COURTESY BCFM

Pick up the phone to support farmers and ranchers

by Brian Coppom

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the impacts reached far down the supply chain to the small and mid-size farmers and ranchers who we know as our neighbors.

Fortunately, there are currently several efforts to support and strengthen Colorado’s smaller operations that make up the heart of our agricultural system. These critical efforts, though, will fail if they are subject to the

see RELIEF Page 35

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1 Eat This: Cool noodles @ Zoe Ma Ma The weather may be cooling down as autumn descends on Boulder County, but that doesn’t mean the Colorado sun still doesn’t bring some afternoon heat. As such, we weren’t quite ready to order some of Zoe Ma Ma’s classic noodle soup variations on a recent visit to the Boulder restaurant. Instead, we went with the Cool Noodles: fresh chilled organic egg noodles are served with julienne of cucumber, bean sprouts and ginger-sesame dressing.

Although Zoe Ma Ma currently has no inside dining, we enjoyed the dish under the fall sunshine at one of the cordoned-off street tables.

Zoe Ma Ma. 2010 10th St, Boulder, 303-545-6262, zoemama.com/ boulder.

BOULDER WEEKLY

usual partisan dynamics. When making your election choices, insist that your incumbent congressman or congresswoman and to-be-decided Colorado candidates for U.S. Congress vote to advance the efforts below to support the future of our local food system.

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Drink This: Barquentine Brewing Company’s Goat Got Out Again Farmhouse IPA The 2020 version of the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) is underway, which means if you haven’t picked up your GABF passport yet, you still can (greatamericanbeerfestival.com/passport/) and partake in a weekend’s worth of free and discounted beer from participating breweries. There are plenty to choose from in Boulder County, but if you’ve frequented GABF in the past, then you know the festival is not about the familiar; it’s about the discoveries. So, in that spirit, head down to Edgewater and Barquentine Brewing Company for half-priced flights — ideal for a brand new brewery with a varied selection. Pictured left to right are Cabana Pop (tropical fruit sour), Goat Got Out Again (farmhouse IPA), Sloans Lake Yacht Club (table beer) and Dubbel (abbey-style ale). Goat Got Out Again is the standout: Fermented with a Belgian yeast strain and Brettanomyces, it’s hop-forward with pops of citrus, ripe fruit and resin, with a funky, bready backing. It’s brighter than you might expect, and it’s worth the full pour.

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BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE

Brewing with coffee

Two beverage darlings in one glass

Story and photos by Amy Martin

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t’s not unusual to start your day with a coffee and end it with a beer. I do it all the time. They are by far my two favorite beverages, not to mention industries. Both are full of passionate people who care about a well-crafted product and really dig into the nuances of their ware.

“Not all coffee is created equal,” Matt Sandy, marketing manager at Great Divide Brewing Company, says. “Just like you wouldn’t use subpar hops, barley or yeast, don’t skimp on the coffee you select.”

Great Divide is no stranger to coffee beer — the brewery does a formal collaboration with another longtime Denver institution, Pablo’s Coffee, when brewing its Coffee Porter. For this beer, Great Divide takes whiskey barrels that previously held its Yeti Imperial Stout and transports them to Pablo’s, where they’re filled with green coffee beans that are then aged.

Once the green coffee reaches the desired flavor profile, the beans are roasted, ground and sent back to the brewery.

Great Divide’s brewers then make a massive batch of cold brew with the ground coffee and add it to the porter on the cold side.

I recently homebrewed my first coffee beer and opted for a frequently used coffee-infused style: stout.

Though you often find porters and stouts as the leading contenders for additional coffee flavor, the options are endless. I’ve imbibed delicious coffee blondes, browns, dubbels, saisons and more. The key is selecting your beer style and then selecting a complimentary coffee.

Kurt Hans, founder and CEO of Ampersand Coffee in Boulder, has done several collaborations with local breweries including Asher Brewing, Beyond the Mountain Brewing, Finkel & Garf, Uhl’s Brewing and Very Nice Brewing Company. Hans is so passionate about coffee that he remembers exactly where he was when he had his first cup (a small roadside cafe called The Coffee Cup Cafe in rural Minnesota when he was 10 years old with his mother, grandmother and greatgrandmother.)

“There are several factors to think about, including how the coffee is introduced to the beer — will it be infused as ground or whole bean — or will it be added as a cold brew coffee syrup concentrate?” Hans says. “Once the process is determined, you need to think about what the beer is like without the coffee, and you want to select a coffee that will complement the otherwise occurring flavors and attributes in the beer.”

For my homebrew (Damn Fine Coffee Stout), I added whole bean coffee as a cold addition. I used a medium roast that had dark chocolate, raisin and floral notes. This complemented the caramel, black and chocolate malts used in the recipe, and neither the malt nor the coffee overpowered the other. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that the options for crafting a coffee beer are endless, and I can’t wait to change the style, try a different coffee, and experiment with when and how I add it. This coffee homebrew adventure is just beginning.

Coffee cupping

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ne of the most exciting parts of brewing a coffee beer is selecting which coffee to use. Just like beer, coffee is an incredibly complex beverage containing a multitude of subtle characteristics. There are a lot of parallels between evaluating beer and coffee, which makes it fun. One way the experts evaluate coffee is through a process called cupping.

During cupping, they “evaluate and score coffee up to 100 points on fragrance, aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, sweetness, uniformity, taints/ defects and overall impression,” Hans, of Ampersand Coffee, explains.

Hans’ advice for those interested in cupping at home?

“Have fun with it and don’t expect to be good at it right away,” he says. “Focus on one or two attributes and try to really describe those attributes well as you enjoy your daily coffee for a period of time. Once you have those down, start focusing on other attributes.

Another thing I like to say is that when you are evaluating coffee flavor, almost all coffees have some type of chocolate note in them. So when thinking about flavor and trying to figure out a complex flavor, start with what type of chocolate you taste — milk, dark, baker’s, etc.

— and then focus on what else you are tasting. Often when you identify one flavor you are tasting, the others become more apparent because you can focus further on those other flavors.”

Ampersand also offers public coffee cuppings. For more information, visit ampersand-coffee.com.

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BOULDER WEEKLY

RELIEF from Page 31

The Local and Regional Farmer and Market Support Act (Local Farmers Act) is one of two important federal bills. This bill, introduced in the House by Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-North Carolina), will provide emergency grants to farmers and ranchers selling locally, farmers markets and food hubs. Importantly, $50 million of funding is dedicated to historically underserved BIPOC farmers and ranchers. This bill is the only relief effort that is directed to small and mid-sized operations and will provide critical funding to support our local food system.

“Farmers and ranchers have been under intense stress and market uncertainty for months during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and Representative Adams recognizes that Congress must step up to help,” Eric Deeble, policy director at National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, said in a press release. “This bill offers the need for more effective, targeted aid that meets the real needs of the producers and local food businesses working hard to feed their communities right now.”

The majority of animal processing and distribution infrastructure is made for large animal operations. These facilities dominate the supply chain and process thousands of animals a day, leaving small ranchers with few efficient options to have their livestock processed. The Strengthening Local Processing Act is a bi-partisan bill introduced by Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Nebraska) that will authorize competitive grants to small establishments or new smallscale slaughter facilities for activities related to COVID-19 response and recovery. It will also authorize new grant programs for colleges and universities to establish or expand meat processing training programs and for existing or new small processors to develop safety plans and expand needed infrastructure such as cold storage and sanitation systems. These programs will create market efficiencies and strengthen the small ranchers who make up more than 80% of Colorado’s ranching population.

“There is a broadening concern over corporate concentration in the meatpacking industry. In a previous time, we had more local meat processing. This bill helps stimulate a return to that previous model, creating a robust market in local economies, linking the farm to the family,” said Rep. Fortenberry, ranking member on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration.

The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) makes direct payments to commodity farmers for lost sales due to COVID-19. The first CFAP round of $19 billion, announced in April, was specifically directed to commodity growers and left out smaller farms that sold locally and regionally. CFAP 2.0 was introduced in September to further expand commodity funding but also expanded eligible crops including specialty crops (known to us laymen as vegetables). CFAP 2.0 is an improvement over the original version and may benefit local farms who are able to take advantage of it.

Finally, rank partisanship has prevented Congress from approving budgets when needed and relies on Continuing Resolutions to keep the government running for years.

True to form, a Continuing Resolution was enacted in late September, delaying final budget approvals and leaving vital increases in agricultural programs unfunded.

Farmers are again left to endure an indeterminate amount of time (weeks, months, years?) without needed support. Some will not be able to endure. Make sure your representative knows that a functioning government and implementing hard-won program increases must be a top priority. Our Colorado farmers and ranches deserve and depend on it.

BOULDER WEEKLY

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BY DAN SAVAGE

lately want in my pants and they assume because I’m queer I’m also poly without asking directly. So people ask me if I want to “hangout” and I’m often unsure if they mean “hangout” in a date context or a friend context. I’ve ended up on dates I didn’t know I was going on! My biggest issue is that I don’t understand why people want to date/fuck me but don’t want to be my friend. I’m pretty average looking and I am not overly flirty. So why is this happening?

—Noodling On This Problem Over Lattes, Yeah?

Dear Dan: I live in North Carolina.

One of our two senators, Thom Tillis, is a Republican who tested positive for COVID-19 after cavorting with the president at the White House. But when I opened the local paper, lo and behold, the top story wasn’t the ill Tillis but the admission by his Democratic opponent in the senatorial race — Cal Cunningham — that Cunningham had, in fact, exchanged “sexts” with a woman who is not his wife. I braced for dick pics or kink Dear NOTPOLY: There’s nothing revelations or worse when I clicked stopping you from asking — asking directthrough to the website that broke the ly — for a little clarity: “Hangout? I’d love story. At the very least I to! But do you mean ‘hangROMAN ROBINSON expected explicit referencout’ as in ‘spend time es to sex. But nope! We’re together as friends’ or being told to clutch our ‘hangout’ as in ‘let’s-go-onpearls — and to vote for a-date?’ I ask because I’ve Tillis — over some text wound up on a couple of G-rated messages about dates that I didn’t know “lots of kissing” and a were dates and it was awkvague wish to spend a ward.” As for why this is night together. I guess happening... well, either the these laughably tame poly people in your social exchanges round up to circle assume — incorrectly salacious because both — that all queer people are parties are married to other poly or you’re much more people. It would be funny if it weren’t so attractive than you’re giving yourself credit sad and if it wasn’t threatening the for, NOTPOLY, or some combo of both.

Democrats’ efforts to retake the Senate.

—Voter In North Carolina Enraged Dear Dan: I sent you a letter yesterday. Today I told my husband I want a Dear VINCE: So the worry here is that divorce. So I didn’t need any advice from the people of North Carolina are going to you after all. Once I laid it out in my letter vote for a U.S. senator who can’t open his to you and thought about the last three mouth without Donald Trump’s nutsack years and the amount of struggling with falling out — Senator Thom Tillis — over this I have gone through, I realized that it Cal Cunningham because Cunningham was SO. DAMN. OBVIOUS. There was sent a few not-that-dirty text messages to no question. There was only an answer. a woman who isn’t his wife. Sigh. Tillis has Divorce. It has been horrible the last couliterally spent the last four years tongueple days but things are starting to feel a bathing the balls of a man who has cheatbit better. The worst part is the intense ed on every wife he’s ever had and been pain that I have caused him. He loves me credibly accused of sexual assault by two so much and it is painful to tell him that I dozen women. By association and proxim- do not love him the same way. But I am ity, Tillis has a far more scandalous record. holding tight to my firm belief that in a few But whoever wins the senate election in years, he will understand that I did this North Carolina, there’s not enough mouth- out of love — for him and for me. Thank wash in the world to get the stench of you. Even though you did not need to Trump’s taint off Tillis’s breath. respond, just being there to write helped.

—Writing Was Enough Dear Dan: I’m in my early 30s and I’ve been struggling to make new friends.

Dear WWE: I’m happy it helped just A lot of the people in my extended social to write the letter, WWE, and I read your circle are polyamorous/queer, and while I letter and I agree: you’re doing the right identify as queer, I’m in a monogamish thing for yourself and your husband. Best relationship that isn’t poly. Lately I have of luck to you both. been finding that I have been getting approached a lot by people who want a Send questions to mail@savagelove. romantic/sexual connection. It seems like net, follow Dan on Twitter @ the only people who want me around FakeDanSavage and visit ITMFA.org.

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Muddied waters

the Federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Some background: According to the 2018 Farm Bill, the difference between “hemp” and “marijuana” comes down to delta-9 THC content and that’s it. Legally speaking, hemp that exceeds .3% delta-9 THC becomes marijuana. Scientifically, though, both are part of the same family: cannabaceae; and even of the same genus: cannabis — no matter what their THC levels are.

Meaning that hemp farmers have to walk a very fine line. They’re growing the exact same plant as pot farmers, but if their product exceeds that .3% delta9 THC threshold, then they are suddenly running an illegal operation.

Should that happen, under the 2018 Farm Bill, farmers or producers would have been dealing with the USDA. However, the DEA’s new IFR suggests that, in fact, hemp farmers aren’t yet out of the woods. If their flower or extract accidentally spikes over .3% delta-9 THC — at any point during the growing or extraction process — the responsibility of enforcement shifts back over to the DEA, and the farmer could be facing a massive fiscal loss as well as criminal charges.

Which is a daunting prospect considering how much THC content can fluctuate with small environmental changes: simple sugars in the soil, temperature changes in a grow room and humidity can all cause THC levels in hemp plants to spike. And during CBD extraction, another cannabinoid known as THCA can be easily and accidently converted into delta-9 THC, Baskerville explains.

“During the heating process, you can inadvertently convert THCA (which is a non-illegal substance) into delta-9 THC, thereby making a product that was previ-

DEA releases proposed rules for hemp and CBD, reigniting fear and confusion within the industry

by Will Brendza

H

emp farmers everywhere sighed with relief when the Farm Bill was renewed in 2018. That renewal effectively decontrolled hemp, removing the plant from the definition of “marijuana” in the Controlled Substances Act and shifting the responsibility of enforcement from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

That’s a very important distinction, according to Henry Baskerville with Fortis Law Partners. The USDA is very pro-farmer; they want to work with farmers to help them succeed and produce as much as they can, he says.

“The DEA, of course, is the opposite.

They’re wanting to stamp out any sort of drug issues,” Baskerville says. “If you run afoul of the [USDA], they’re not raiding your farm with automatic rifles.”

The relief the 2018 Farm Bill offered was short-lived, however. In August of this year, the DEA released a slate of proposed rules for the hemp and CBD industry, which has once again stirred up nervousness and confusion among farmers and producers who don’t want to end up on the wrong side of the law.

“Any time the DEA is trying to shoulder their way back into the party, for hemp farmers that’s a scary prospect,” says Baskerville, who works almost exclusively with cannabis, hemp and CBD clients.

This Interim Final Rule (IFR), effective Aug. 21, aims to implement some of the Farm Bill’s hemp amendments into

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ously under the threshold suddenly go above,” Baskerville says.

Baskerville’s problem with that is simple: A hemp farmer trying to responsibly run a business, working hard to comply with the law, can still unintentionally and quite suddenly become a criminal and subject to the DEA’s wrath.

“If you’re trying to run a legitimate business, and trying to do the right thing, and you nevertheless get ensnarled with the government or get accused of engaging in illegal conduct, that is a problem,” Baskerville says. “When people are unwittingly ensnarled with the law, then we’ve got an issue.”

So, what can hemp farmers and CBD producers do to protect themselves in light of the DEA’s new IFR? Tyler Williams is the founder of Cannabis Safety and Quality (CSQ), a Colorado-based cannabis certification company that works with a lot of hemp farmers and CBD businesses to minimize risks and protect their brands. He says that seed-to-sale quality certifications are the industry’s best friend right now.

“The best thing you can do, as a hemp farmer or CBD manufacturer, is to have all your ducks in a row,” Williams says. “This is an industry where you walk a fine line of what’s legal and what’s not. And if you have all the paperwork showing that you’re trying to do the right thing, that’s going to go a long way. No matter what happens from this IFR.” Williams says, producers and farmers should get certified for safety and quality. Not just to ensure quality to their customers, but also to create a paper trail proving that they have been trying to play by the rules.

Williams also notes that the IFR released by the DEA is still in its public comment period until Oct. 20, meaning nothing is set in stone yet.

“What I’ve been telling my clients is, let’s see what comes out of these public comment hearings,” Williams says, explaining that industry groups like the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) have already put together formal comments for the DEA about these proposed rules.

Which will hopefully help clarify whatever the DEA is trying to convey through this IFR. “The DEA probably thought that they were providing guidance and clarification on the ruling,” Williams says.

“Instead, they just confused a lot of people and muddied the waters.”

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