Las Posadas celebrations are here
e light blankets of snow and winds of an upcoming winter remind us that Las Posadas are right around the corner. Las Posadas (“ e Inns” in English), is a nineday Latin American holiday celebration, from Dec. 16 to Dec. 24, that revolves around the Christmas story of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and their search for an inn on the night Jesus was born.
e celebration of religion, culture and community involves warm drinks like champurrado, atole or punch, and foods like tamales and buñelos. It also involves singing the songs that are connected to the story of Mary and Joseph looking for
an inn. Depending on who organizes a Posada, a reenactment of Mary and Joseph’s journey takes place and usually involves children playing the roles of Mary, Joseph and the ree Wise Men. Typically, a baby from the party or community will play Baby Jesus. After, families and friends gather for an evening of food and music.
e tradition has evolved from being a religious celebration to more of a nonreligious party, whereas any Christmas celebration in Latin America, or by Latino communities in the United States, can be considered Posadas and don’t necessarily have to stick to the traditions. ey do continue to celebrate community and culture.
In the United States, Las Posadas celebrations are of-
ten organized by community organizations, businesses or nightclubs to celebrate the diverse Latin culture either through food, activities, or music and they typically only last one night instead of the nine days. With the mix of American and Latin cultures, Las Posadas incorporate American Christmas traditions to their festivities by organizing toy drives, or inviting Santa, which Latin American countries don’t believe in. In Mexico, for example, their version of Santa is the ree Wise Men, who they celebrate on Día de los Reyes on Jan. 6. Some Posadas in the U.S. also include Christmas carols into their music queue.
La Ciudad has rounded up a couple of Las Posadas celebrations near Commerce City for friends and families to vis-
Adams 14 low rating performance stands
School district was able to appeal seven rulings
BY YESENIA ROBLES CHALKBEAT
e Adams 14 school district will not have an improved performance rating this year, despite many district complaints about the state’s system.
On Dec. 11, the Colorado State Board of Education voted to approve the nal decisions on appeals from schools and districts that didn’t agree with their annual performance rating, rst released in September.
e state this year received requests to reconsider 15 district ratings and 79 school ratings, compared to 10 district and 81 school ratings appeals last year. Of those requests, the state approved 85 rating changes, including 22 requests for Denver schools. Among the appeals denied was Adams 14’s request to change its district rating.
it to celebrate the meaningful holiday tradition that comes from Latin America.
Where to celebrate Las Posadas 7th Annual Posada Navideña by SHPE Colorado, Prospanica Denver and ALPFA Denver: Starting at 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 13, the SHPE Colorado, Prospanica Denver and ALPFA Denver invite families to their traditional cultural holiday party in Denver. e event is free for members of any of the three organizations; nonmembers pay $12.51 and proceeds from ticket sales will go to the event’s toy drive. All ages are welcome! Registration is required as the capacity is 150 people.
Adams 14, the district with the longest number of low state ratings, is on year 11 of low ratings. e district’s rating for 2024 of priority improvement is the second-lowest rating for districts and is identi ed by orange. It’s the same rating the district received in 2023.
e state is required to step in and order intervention when a school, or district, has ve years of low ratings.
Once under state-ordered plans, a school or district must have at least a rating of improvement, identi ed by yellow, one rung above priority improvement, for at least two years in a row, for the state intervention to stop.
Despite many improvement plans and state orders for Adams 14, the district has not managed to earn an improvement rating a single time in more than a decade.
BY JACKIE RAMIREZ
SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Las Posadas (“The Inns” in English) is a nine-day Latin American holiday celebration that takes place from Dec. 16 to Dec 24. SHUTTERSTOCK
Veteran news innovator to helm CCM
Brooke Warner brings vast experience in digital transformation
Brooke Warner, a veteran news industry innovator who has guided legacy organizations toward a more resilient future, has joined Colorado Community Media as its executive director.
In this role, Warner will lead CCM’s continued transformation into a sustainable community news business. She comes to CCM with extensive experience in digital media, organizational transformation and revenue growth.
“We’re thrilled to have Brooke Warner
take the helm at Colorado Community Media,” said Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro, CEO and cofounder of the National Trust for Local News. “She brings a passion for our mission along with deep experience in digital media, leading transformational change, and diversifying revenue. Our organization will bene t from her leadership as it works to create a sustainable future for community news in Colorado.”
Prior to joining CCM, Brooke served
as general manager at Swift Communications in Nevada, where she managed a portfolio of 25 local media brands. She also was vice president of Draper Digital Media and WBOC-TV in Maryland, where she launched the rst interactive division at one of the state’s largest television stations.
“I’m thrilled to join Colorado Community Media. It has been my mission to help local news companies grow and thrive to meet the needs of readers, advertisers, and communities,” Warner said. “With the support of the National Trust, I’m excited to lead CCM’s continued development into a sustainable community news business for Colorado.”
e National Trust for Local News started in Colorado in 2021 with the acquisi-
tion of Colorado Community Media, the primary source of local news for communities across the Denver metro area. Over the last two years, the National Trust has unveiled a comprehensive overhaul of CCM’s websites and digital news products, and expanded its news o erings to serve growing bilingual audiences in greater Denver.
e Trust also just announced the launch of the Trust Press to print CCM’s newspapers and o er commercial printing services for news organizations and other clients throughout the region. Warner will oversee those operations, as well. Warner’s position replaces the publisher role recently vacated by Linda Carpio Shapley, who is now CCM’s director of Editorial and Audience Engagement.
BRIEFS
Legal self-help clinic
e Access to Justice Committee hosts a free, legal self-help clinic from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on the rst Tuesday of every month. e program is for those without legal representation and needing help navigating through legal issues.
Volunteer attorneys are available to discuss family law, civil litigation, property, and probate law. Call 303-405-3298 and ask for the Legal Self-Help Clinic at least 24 hours before.
Snow Trooper helps get you through the storm
When the flakes start falling, Commerce City Public Works hits the road to plow nearly 300 lane miles of streets in the city.
To help you prepare for a safe com-
mute, the city’s online Snow Trooper map shows which roads have been plowed and how recently. Visit snowtrooper.c3gov.com to see the treatment map and priority level of streets along your route.
As a reminder, the city does not plow state roads, such as Highway 85, Interstates 270 and 76, and Brighton Boulevard. Learn more about the city’s snow response plan at c3gov.com/Snow.
Nominations needed for 2025 Adams County Mayors and Commissioners Youth Awards Adams County commissioners and the mayors of municipalities in the county are asking for nominations for the 2025 Adams County Mayors and Commissioners Youth Awards. is award focus-
es on youth who have triumphed over great odds and serve as inspiration and role models for their peers. is program recognizes young people in grades 6-12 (up to 20 years old) who have overcome personal adversity to create a positive change in their own lives or for those around them. If you know of an individual who has had this impact on others but is not in a school setting, those nominations will also be accepted.
If you’d like to nominate a student for the ACMCYA, please complete the online nomination form. e deadline to submit nominations is Jan. 31, 2025, but please nominate as soon as possible.
If you have questions, please contact Abby Martinez at the City of Brighton Ofce of Youth Services, at 303-655-2186 or agmartinez@brightonco.gov.
Alliance Business Assistance Center grants available
e Alliance Business Assistance Center is excited to announce that 2024 business grants are now available to support your business endeavors.
Sta at the center can assist residents by helping to identify grants that align with their business goals and industry, providing guidance through the application process, ensuring that they have the best chance of success and providing other valuable resources for local business.
To get started, visit our website at https://businessinthornton.com/localbusiness/small-business-support-programs/business- nancial-assistance.
SEE BRIEFS, P5
Brooke Warner
What Are the Costs of Buying or Selling a Home? Homeowners & Investors Need to Know
This is one article you’ll want to read at http://RealEstateToday.substack.com, where the buyer and seller settlement statements at right appear much larger on your computer screen. I have anonymized the actual closing statements from a property I sold for $698,000 this year which had an HOA, a seller loan to pay off, and a buyer loan to fund. This should cover most of the expenses that a buyer or seller might encounter when closing on a home sale or purchase.
We’re blessed in Colorado when it comes to the cost of buying and selling real estate. In many states, there are transfer taxes imposed by state or local jurisdictions, but not here by Colorado or in metro Denver. Also, in some states, both buyer and seller need to hire a lawyer, not just a real estate agent to complete a transaction. Long ago the State of Colorado passed a law giving licensed real estate brokers limited legal authority to explain state approved contracts, so it’s rare for a client to spend money on a lawyer. The exception is when a buyer purchases a new home, because builders have lawyers create their own contracts, and we would be practicing law without a license if we were to interpret those contracts and their provisions for our buyer.
ance renewal), but that escrow can't be credited on your closing. You’ll pay for the property taxes at closing and get a refund of your escrow balance from your lender 30 days or so after closing. On this seller’s settlement statement, the HOA dues are also pro-rated to the date of closing, and since the closing was on the 30th of August, the statement refunds two days’ worth of HOA dues, which the seller had paid on August 1st.
The biggest deductions for the seller (other than property taxes) are the real estate commissions and the title insurance policy. The purchase contract specifies whether the buyer or seller will pay for the buyer agent’s commission and the owner’s title insurance, but it is still common for the seller to pay both agents’ commissions plus the title policy, as in this case.
There are HOA fees which can also be paid by either party but are typically paid by the seller. Typically, the title company which is closing the transaction pays those fees (for status letter, documents, transfer fee, and more), so those fees are shown here as being reimbursed to the title company rather than paid to the HOA.
statement. If the buyer were paying cash, he or she would have very few expenses other than recording the deed for $10. The biggest costs associated with buying the home are related to the loan, especially if the seller has paid the buyer’s real estate agent and paid for the owner’s title policy.
So let’s look at the seller’s settlement statement first. Not all the debits on this statement are considered the cost of selling. For example, the property taxes for the current year, pro-rated to the date of sale, are not a cost of selling. Since property taxes are paid in arrears (not due until April of the following year), you’re always going to find that pro-ration of property taxes on the settlement statement. If selling in December, that’s almost an entire year’s tax bill. In January through April, if your taxes haven’t been paid, you will find the full year’s taxes plus a portion of the current year’s taxes deducted from your proceeds.
If you have a mortgage, your lender has probably been charging you each month to escrow for next year’s tax bill (and insur-
In addition to paying off the seller’s loan, based on payoff numbers the title company obtains directly from the lender, the closer will deduct a few extra days of interest to cover the time it takes to get the payoff to the lender. If that’s an overcharge, the seller will get a check for the surplus from the title company within a few weeks.
The title company will also escrow a few hundred dollars to pay the final water and sewer bill (unless water is included in the HOA dues), and will refund the excess after they pay the final water/sewer bill. This is the only utility which the title company pays and transfers on your behalf, because an unpaid water/sewer bill would result in a lien against the property, and the title company’s job is to assure the buyer that they are getting the home clear of any liens.
Now let’s look at the buyer’s settlement
Moving, Even Locally, Can Cost You a Lot
At Golden Real Estate, we like to save you money wherever we can. For example, we have a handyman who can help you get your home ready to show or fix inspection issues at a client-only rate of $30/hour.
We also have a box truck which you can use prior to, during and after closing, not just for moving to your new home, but making those dump runs or runs to Goodwill for donating all that stuff you accumulated over the years!
packing material, including bubble wrap, so don’t buy any of those items yourself.
We’ve been offering the use of this truck since 2004. In fact, this is our second truck. It’s hard to estimate how much money this perk has saved both our buyers and sellers, but it must be several hundred thousands of dollars.
We also provide free moving boxes and
We also make the truck available free to non-profits and local organizations, such as Family Promise and BGoldN, which uses it to pick up food from Food Bank of the Rockies for their Golden food pantry.
Those loan costs are large and varied, as is detailed in the buyer’s settlement statement above. There’s the origination fee, from which the loan officer is paid. There is also the cost of appraising the home (in this case paid prior to closing), underwriting, credit report, flood certification, and a couple other lesser fees.
The buyer’s lender wants to be sure the home is insured, so you see that debit on the last line of the buyer’s settlement. (A cash buyer might choose not to insure.)
Not only does the buyer have to pay all those expenses, the buyer is charged for a title policy that covers the lender for the amount of the loan ($500 in this case) and a loan closing fee ($450). The lender will probably want to escrow for property taxes and insurance and will require a deposit for both those expenses that will vary depending on when in the calendar year the clos-
Each year, the FHA raises the limits on its federally guaranteed loans. The limits are based on the median sale price of homes in each county.
Because the Denver metro area’s median home price was calculated by FHA at $710,000, the loan limit for single-family homes was raised to $816,500 this year. That is the loan limit, not the purchase price, although FHA only requires a 3.5% down payment.
The loan limit for a duplex/2-family home was raised to $1,045,250. For a three-family home it was raised to $1,263,500, and for a four-plex, it was raised to $1,570,200.
Boulder County’s limits in each category are slightly higher, starting at $856,750 for a single-family home.
In the country’s lowest-cost counties, the loan limit is $498,257 for a single-family home, and in the highest-cost areas (Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands), the limit is $1,724,725, rising to $3,317,400 for a 4unit property. (Whether 1-unit or 4-units, the borrower has to live in the subject property.)
ing takes place. In this case the buyer is being debited for 3 months of insurance coverage and 5 months of property taxes. There is one big credit which the buyer receives from the seller. The funds which were deducted from the seller’s proceeds for the current year’s property taxes are credited to the buyer, not paid to the county. That’s because the buyer will paying the current year’s entire property tax bill when it becomes due. You see that credit — almost $3,000 — near the top of the above settlement statement.
There could also be a concession for repairs that the seller agreed to in the inspection resolution, although not in this case. Sometimes that concession takes the form of a price reduction, which does not appear as a line on the settlement statement.
Notice that the closing services (notary) fee of $360 is shared 50/50 in this case, as is commonly done, $180 for each party. As mentioned above, visit our blog for more readable copies of those documents and more discussion of transaction costs.
Non-FHA (“conventional”) loan limits are slightly lower for 2024. In most areas, the conforming conventional loan is limited to $766,550. Alaska, Hawaii and high-cost areas have a conforming conventional loan limit of $1,149,825 for a single-family home. FHA loans are attractive because they only require a 580 credit score (as low as 500 with a 10% down payment), and your debt-toincome ratio only needs to be below 57%.
The biggest negative of FHA loans is that they require a mortgage insurance premium (MIP) of 1.75% at closing, plus an annual premium which varies based on your loan-tovalue ratio. MIP is for the life of the loan, unless your downpayment is at least 10%, and remains in effect no matter how low the loan-to-value ratio falls (i.e., how much your equity increases). If your down payment was 10% or higher, the MIP goes away after 11 years. Otherwise, most 15- or 30-year FHA mortgages should be refinanced once the owner can qualify for a conventional loan, hopefully at a better interest rate, to get rid of the MIP.
BRIEFS
e shelter is located at 12155 Park Blvd., south of the Adams County Fairgrounds.
dents should always call 911 for emergencies.
‘Taking No Chances’
Riverdale Animal Shelter o ers holiday discount Adams County’s Riverdale Animal Shelter is o ering discounts for all pet adoptions through Christmas Eve.
e shelter’s Home for the Holidays promotion o ers all pet adoptions of animals a year old and older for $25. Fees at the shelter range from $100 to $300 for dogs older than six months, $25 and $75 for cats and $5 and $60 for small animals. ose fees cover appropriate vaccinations, spay and neutering, microchip identi cation, a rabies tag and a temporary leash or pet carrier. ey also include a complementary visit with a participating veterinary o ce.
CELEBRATE
La Posada Navideña of Coco Bongos Night Club: Come celebrate Christmas with Coco Bongos Denver at 9 p.m. on Dec. 13 for a night lled with vibrant music, delicious food, Christmas drinks and surprising gifts. For more information, visit www.cocobongosdenverco.com. is event is 21+.
Colorado Casas Realty’s Posada celebration: From 12 to 4 p.m. on Dec. 14, Colorado Casas Realty invites folks to join them for their festive Client Posada in Lakewood for an afternoon of fun activities, delicious food like homemade tamales and champurrado and
ADAMS 14
In the last few months, district leaders have asked the state to reconsider the district’s rating, and the state’s way of evaluating any school’s performance based on environmental factors and the impact pollution has on children. e district also wanted the state to reconsider using SAT and PSAT data in the ratings this year, given large performance gaps, and an acknowledgment that drops in high school scores were at least in part due to changes to the test format.
In the o cial Request to Reconsider the application the state looked at, the district wanted the state to exclude its alternative high school’s data from its district rating. State o cials explained that statute and predetermined rules dictate the conditions needed to change a district’s rating. In a case where an alternative school earns the highest rating possible – of performance – and when removing that data raises a district’s rating enough to move up a level, the state allows that exclusion. For Adams 14, neither of those conditions were met.
In a letter drafted by state lawyers to respond to Adams 14, o cials denied that some of the racial and environmental challenges faced by the community factored into the district’s rating.
“ e department recognizes and does not discount the challenges facing the Commerce City community – the impacts of pollution, poverty, food insecurity, and violence in a community with a very high percentage of multilingual learners and high rates of absenteeism. e department very much wants to continue to be a partner in addressing these issues for the bene t of the students of Adams 14,” the letter states. “At the same time, the accountability system is not currently designed to adjust nal ratings based on such challenges.”
For more information or to browse the adoptable animals currently living in the shelter, go to https://animalshelter.adcogov. org/animal-adoption.
CCPD o ers online crime reporting form
e Commerce City Police Department has a new online reporting tool allowing the public to report some non-emergency crimes and receive a police report immediately without speaking to a police o cer.
Community members can now conveniently report incidents that do not require immediate o cer intervention, such as fraud, identity theft, lost property, theft/shoplifting (less than $2,000), and vandalism.
e new form is online now in English and Spanish at c3gov.com/ReportACrime. Resi-
great company!
e event is free to all clients, but for additional information, please reach out to Colorado Casas Realty.
La Fantasia Night Club’s Gran Posada Navideña: Starting at 8 p.m. with free entries until 9 p.m. on Dec. 14, La Fantasia Night Club invites guests to their Gran Posada in Denver with musical guests Alvarro Serrano, a Juan Gabriel imitator, and Divas Ilusiones Show with Conjunto Pura Sangre.
For more information, call 720-472-0165 or 720-205-6001. is event is 21+.
Our Lady Mother of the Church’s Posadas: At 7 p.m. from Dec. 17 to Dec. 20, join Our Lady Mother of the Church for their annual Posadas in their Salon Grande of their church in Commerce City.
Successful appeals
For its schools, however, Adams 14 was successful in appealing seven ratings.
Among those, the district’s two middle schools will now have a label of insu cient data for a rating, based on low test participation. e other ve successful appeals were for elementary schools where the district submitted additional local test data.
With all the ratings nalized, Adams 14 this year had two schools with improved ratings
e 17th Judicial District Attorney’s O ce and e Link, a community resource and assessment center in ornton, o er free, 10week programs to families of Adams County teenagers to help develop personal and interpersonal drug-resistance skills. Sessions are from 5:30 to 6;30 p.m. Wednesdays. Call 720-292-2811.
Boards/commissions’ openings
Commerce City has openings for several boards and commissions, including the city’s cultural council, the housing authority, and the Derby Review Board.
Visit https://www.c3gov.com/Home/Components/Form/Form/70316b05422c448492c 51da0f0e0fd86/ to sign up.
For questions, contact 303-289-6489 or email olmcparish@gmail.com.
Gran Posada Vermaak: D’Cartier in Denver opens its doors at 7 p.m. on Dec. 20 for their Gran Posada with special guests Majo Aguilar, Ilusión Norteña, Banda Reyna de Colorado and “El Genio Lucas.”
Tickets for the club’s general area are free and can be picked up from several locations throughout Colorado and information on VIP tables and reservations can be reached by calling 720-621-5701. is event is 21+.
La Posada Navideña at Salon OCampo: Join Salon OCampo in Denver for their holiday Posada from 12 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 22 for the children and families of the community! For more information, contact 720-338-6641 or email sosaivan28@yahoo.com.
and two others with lower ratings, compared to last year.
Alsup Elementary, despite its successful appeal from turnaround to priority improvement, will move forward, now on year three, on the state’s timeline toward intervention.
Reprinted with permission from Chalkbeat, a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.
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Final price tag of race in CD8: $40 million
About $24 million was spent to benefit Caraveo, who lost to Evans by about 2,500 votes
BY JESSE PAUL
THE COLORADO SUN
e nal price tag of the race in Colorado’s highly competitive 8th Congressional District this year was about $40 million, with three-quarters of that sum being spent by super PACs.
Most of the money was spent to bene t incumbent U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Democrat. But it wasn’t enough, as she lost to Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans by about 2,500 votes, or about 1 percentage point.
Caraveo’s campaign raised about $8.1 million for her reelection bid, spending all but about $90,000 of that through Election Day, according to her campaign nance report led ursday with the Federal Election Commission. e report re ected fundraising and spending from Oct. 17 through Nov. 25.
Caraveo spent more than $2 million in the nal weeks of the campaign, most of that on advertising.
Evans’ campaign raised and spent about $2.5 million to beat Caraveo. at includes $642,000 in the nal weeks of the contest, with most of that money going to advertising. e campaign paid Evans $3,000 in salary in November, and still owed $128,000 to vendors on Nov. 25, mostly for victory bonuses.
e campaign had about $88,000 left in cash on Nov. 25.
Coalition Victory Fund and Americans for Prosperity Action.
e 8th Congressional District spans from Denver’s northern suburbs along U.S. 85 into Greeley. It’s expected to be just as competitive in 2026.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s campaign spent nearly $5.7 million as the Windsor Republican successfully moved to the 4th Congressional District on the Eastern Plains from the 3rd District.
Democrat Trisha Calvarese’s campaign spent more than $4 million to try to beat Boebert, including nearly $808,000 in the nal weeks. She had $57,000 in campaign cash leftover as of Nov. 25.
Boebert won by nearly 12 percentage points.
e Colorado GOP brought in $631,000 between Oct. 17 and Nov. 25, while spending nearly $684,000. But $589,000 of that spending was on money sent to the Republican National Committee in an apparent return of dollars raised by a joint fundraising committee with President-elect Donald Trump and other state Republican parties.
e single-biggest super PAC spender on the contest was the Congressional Leadership Fund, which is tied to House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican. e group dropped about $6.7 million on the contest, the outcome of which helped Republicans keep their narrow majority in the U.S. House.
House Majority PAC, a Democratic group, was the second-biggest super PAC spender on the race, at $6 million. Cara-
veo also bene tted from $2.3 million in spending by Fairshake PAC, a group that backs candidates open to the cryptocurrency, and $1.6 million from the Mainstream Colorado Fund, a PAC funded in large part by nonpro ts that don’t disclose their donors.
Evans bene ted from about $850,000 in spending by America PAC, the group funded by billionaire Elon Musk, as well as infusions from the Republican Jewish
REVERSE MORTGAGES
Chairman Dave Williams’ consulting rm received $24,000 from the Colorado GOP, bringing the total Fox Group Ltd. has been paid during Williams’ term — which began in March 2023 — to $144,500. e party also paid $22,000 to two law rms between Oct. 17 and Nov. 25 and had $276,000 in cash leftover at the end of the reporting period.
Colorado Sun correspondent Sandra Fish contributed to this report. is story was printed through a newssharing agreement with e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned nonpro t based in Denver that covers the state.
Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, left, joined GOP state Rep. Gabe Evans on Oct. 6, 2024, at a campaign stop in Colorado as Evans battled to unseat Democrat Yadira Caraveo in the 8th Congressional District. Evans won the closely watched race by about 1 percentage point.
PHOTO BY BENTE BIRKELAND / CPR NEWS
George “Ron” Ronald Neely
April 7, 1936~ November 28, 2024
George Ronald Neely, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle, and friend, passed away on November 28, 2024. He was born in Ogallala, Nebraska, on April 7, 1936, along with his twin brother, Don, to Glenn and Mary Ann Neely. e family lived in Nebraska for a brief time before moving back to Colorado when Ron’s father found work as a meat cutter in Ft. Lupton. e Neely family then settled on Ron’s grandfather’s farm in Wattenberg, where Ron spent much of his childhood.
Growing up on the farm was a formative experience for Ron, as he worked alongside his grandfather and great uncle farming with horses. e family had three teams of horses, and limited use of tractors, making it a truly hands-on, oldfashioned farming life. Ron and his twin brother attended Wattenburg Elementary School through the 8th grade before moving on to Ft. Lupton High School, where they graduated in 1954. Both were active in athletics, playing football, basketball, wrestling and track. Ron and Don both played on the 1953 state championship basketball team and then the 1954 state runner-up team.
In Loving Memory
coach and junior high sports coach. Ruth continued her nursing career in Burlington, Colorado. ey purchased and moved into an 8’x42’ trailer, as housing was scarce in the area. Teaching and coaching in Stratton presented challenges, but Ron’s coaching made a lasting impact on the students, and he was proud of their team successes and achievements.
In 1961, Ron and Ruth celebrated the birth of their rst child, Jerry. at same year, they left Stratton and moved to Prospect Valley. Ron taught high school biology and chemistry and coached wrestling at Weld Central High School. e family later moved to Brighton, where Ron continued teaching science and coaching wrestling, football, and track at South Junior High (now Vikan Middle School). Over these years, the family grew with Sherry, Greg and Pam joining Ron and Ruth’s home.
In 1967, Ron transitioned from the classroom to the assistant principal role, serving in that capacity for seven years before becoming the principal of Vikan Middle School. In 1971, Ron earned his master’s degree in Secondary Education from Adams State University. He served as principal until his retirement in 1991.
During the summer months, Ron and Don helped their parents in the family-owned grocery store, Neely’s Grocery, in Commerce City. ey also worked on the Stieber farm during the haycutting season, where Ron learned the value of hard work, family and community.
After high school, Ron attended Colorado State University (CSU) on a basketball scholarship for a year before transferring to the University of Northern Colorado (UNC). While in college and during summer he worked part-time at the Safeway warehouse, spending 13 years in the frozen food department.
In 1955, Ron met Ruth Ann Dahl on a blind date arranged by his brother, Don. ey dated for two years before marrying on June 8, 1957. June 8th was a signi cant date for Ruth’s family, as it was the wedding anniversary of Ruth’s grandparents, parents, aunt and uncle, Ruth’s younger sister, Pat, and then their daughter Pam.
After Ruth completed her nursing program at St. Luke’s Hospital and University of Denver in the spring of 1957, the newlyweds moved to Greeley. Ron then continued his studies at UNC and Ruth began her nursing career at Weld County Hospital. In the nal two years of college, Ron worked as an evening manager at Gordon’s Downtown Food Liner.
After he graduated in 1959, the couple moved to Stratton, Colorado. Ron began his teaching career as a high school science teacher, varsity wrestling
During retirement, he enjoyed spending his time in various hobbies, including traveling the world, hunting, shing, wood working, gol ng and decorating for holidays. He spent many days building elaborate holiday displays, especially for Christmas, with sixteen wooden reindeer and a gingerbread cottage populated by Santa’s elves.
Ron also loved attending athletic events, never missing a family member’s game. He was in almost every high school and college gym in Colorado following his children and grandchildren to hundreds of basketball games. He also endured numerous freezing and scorching softball, baseball, and football games and track events. If they played, him and Ruth were going to attend. He enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren talking about school and sports. He was very proud they all received college degrees and with all their athletic success.
Ron is preceded in death by his parents, Glenn and Mary Ann Neely, his wife, Ruth and twin brother, Don. Ron is survived by his four children Jerry (Deb) Neely, Sherry (Tim) Barnard, Greg (Sandy) Neely, Pam Smith, along with six grandchildren Alexandra (Omar), Curtis (Ashley), Caitlyn, Kylie (Trent), Courtney, Mick, one step-grandchild Stephanie (Zach), three greatgrandchildren Audra, Nakoa, Henry, one stepgreat-grandchild Trace, his sister-in-law Patricia Lambert and by many nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends who will miss him deeply.
NEELY
Chicana/o license plates will be available January 2025
BY JACKIE RAMIREZ
SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Earlier this year, State Sen. Julie Gonzales and Rep. Tim Hernandez saw the legislative approval of the “Creating the Chicano Special License Plate” bill. After two previous unsuccessful attempts in 2016 and 2018, the Chicano License Plate will now see the light of day from the fronts and backs of cars for Colorado drivers who wish to sport their heritage.
“Being a Chicano is about consciousness,” Hernandez told Colorado Community Media in March 2024. “It’s about the consciousness of understanding our heritage, but the willingness to be able to do something about it… Being a Chicano, Chicana, Chicane, or Chicanex person means that you have a willingness to not just be conscious of our history but a willingness to do something about it, to advocate for our communities today.”
According to Exploratorium, a public learning laboratory in California devoted to science, art and culture, “Chicano” or “Chicana” is used to describe someone who “is native of, or descends from Mexico and who lives in the United States.” However, with the diverse culture of the Spanish-speaking community, the term can take on a di erent meaning for every individual.
On Dec. 6, El Movimiento Sigue, a Pueblo-based collective of Chicanx and the Indigenous community that was recently selected as the Nonpro t Qualifying Organization to oversee the Chicana/o License Plate program, sent out a reminder that the license plates will be available next month.
To be eligible for the special license
plate, drivers must make a $50 donation to El Movimiento Sigue either online or in person. e donations will be used to “help youth leadership programs and facilitate the well-being of Colorado’s Chicano communities,” Denise Torrez, the president of El Movimiento Sigue, explained on Colorado Public Radio.
After the donation, folks will be emailed a personal identity number from the collective to be able to order their Chicano
License Plate for their car or motorcycle from the DMV, either in person or online. e donation is a one-time fee, but a PIN is required for each vehicle receiving plates.
e reminder states that the license plates are print-on-demand, so it can take around four to six weeks to receive them.
“Don’t get me wrong: a license plate is only a symbol. Symbols and symbolic victories will not be enough to save us from
the jaws of poverty, violence, corporate power, and white supremacy in a state that denies us housing, education, and healthcare for all,” Hernandez wrote in a La Cucaracha article. “ Symbols do, however, inspire us to think, study, and build di erently for ourselves. e Chicana/o Special License Plate is a symbol that invites us to invest in the cultural education of our young people, like was once done for me.”
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Public Notices call Jean 303.566.4123
Legals
Metro Districts Budget Hearings
NOTICE FOR PRPOSED BUDGET
Notice is hereby given that a proposed budget has been submitted to the Industrial Park Sanitation District for the ensuing year of 2025. That a copy of such proposed budget has been filed in the office of the Industrial Park Sanitation District, 6625 E. 49th Ave., Commerce City, Colorado, where same is open for public inspection. That such proposed budget will be considered at a meeting of the Industrial Park Sanitation District to be held at 6625 E. 49th Ave, Commerce City, Colorado, on December 20, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. Any taxpayer within such Industrial Park Sanitation District may at any time prior to the final adoption of the budget file or register his objections thereto.
Dated: December 2, 2024
INDUSTRIAL PARK SANITATION DISTRICT
By: Steven Olson Manager
Legal Notice No. CCX1516
First Publication: December 19, 2024
Last Publication: December 19, 2024 Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express
and Settlements
WINDLER PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITY
WINDLER - 1881 Park –Barn and Playhouse
Sealed Bids will be received by Windler Public Improvement Authority, hereinafter referred to as OWNER, at the office of the Authority Engineer, Merrick & Company, 5970 Greenwood Plaza Boulevard, Greenwood Village, CO 80111, until 10:00 AM local time on December 27, 2024, for:
1881 Park – Barn and Playhouse
This Contract provides for the construction of the following: Two building structures – a barn and a playhouse located in 1881 Park. 1881 Park is located southwest of E-470 and E. 48th Avenue near Tibet Road and 45th Place.
Copies of the Bidding Documents may
be requested from the Windler Public Improvement Authority, at the email of the Authority Engineer, barney.fix@merrick.com, beginning December 12, 2024. NO PAYMENT REQUIRED.
Bidders must be licensed Contractors in the State of Colorado.
Bids will be received providing unit price for items; however, the price given will be on a maximum not-to-exceed amount, as described in the Bidding Documents.
The Work is expected to be commenced within sixty (60) days after the Date of Contract.
Bid Security in the amount of five percent (5%) of the total Bid Price must accompany each Bid in the form specified in the Instructions to Bidders.
The Successful Bidder will be required to furnish a Performance Bond, Labor and Material Payment Bond guaranteeing faithful performance and warranty bond for three-years after Substantial Completion, and the payment of all bills and obligations arising from the performance of the Contract.
The OWNER reserves the right to award the contract by sections, to reject any or all Bids, and to waive any informalities and irregularities therein.
For further information, please contact Barney Fix at Merrick & Company at 303-751-0741.
Legal Notice No. CCX1511
First Publication: December 12, 2024 Last Publication: December 19, 2024 Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express
Public Notice
WINDLER PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITY
Connector Roads #2 – SWMP
Sealed Bids will be received by Windler Public Improvement Authority, hereinafter referred to as OWNER, at the office of the Authority Engineer, Merrick & Company, 5970 Greenwood Plaza Boulevard, Greenwood Village, CO 80111, until 10:00 AM local time on January 17, 2025 for:
Connector Roads #2 – SWMP
This Contract provides for the construction of the following: Approximately 15 acres of stormwater management as well as grading for about 2 miles of roadway. The project location is north of E. 48th Avenue and south of E. 56th Avenue between E-470 and Harvest Road.
Copies of the Bidding Documents may be requested from the Windler Public Improvement Authority, at the email of the Authority Engineer, barney.fix@merrick.com, beginning December 19, 2024. NO PAYMENT REQUIRED.
Bidders must be licensed Contractors in the State of Colorado.
Bids will be received providing unit price for items; however, the price given will be on a maximum not-to-exceed amount, as described in the Bidding Documents.
The Work is expected to be commenced within sixty (60) days after the Date of Contract.
Bid Security in the amount of five percent (5%) of the total Bid Price must accompany each Bid in the form specified in the Instructions to Bidders.
The Successful Bidder will be required to furnish a Performance Bond, Labor and Material Payment Bond guaranteeing faithful performance and warranty bond for two-years after Substantial Completion, and the payment of all bills and obligations arising from the performance of the Contract.
The OWNER reserves the right to award the contract by sections, to reject any or all Bids, and to waive any informalities and irregularities therein.
For further information, please contact Barney Fix at Merrick & Company at 303-751-0741.
Legal Notice No. CCX1517
First Publication: December 19, 2024
Last Publication: January 2, 2025
Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express Non-Consecutive Publications
Notice to Creditors
PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Patricia Ann McAlister, Deceased Case Number: 2024 PR 356
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado on or before April 12, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.
Dennis D Tomsick
Personal Representative
829 Royal King Drive Cheyenne, WY 82007
Legal Notice No. CCX1512
First Publication: December 12, 2024
Last Publication: December 26, 2024
Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express
PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of Mark Anthony Pfeifer, Deceased Case Number: 2024 PR 300
All persons having claims against the above-named estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Adams County, Colorado on or before April 12, 2025, or the claims may be forever barred.
Charles M Knapp
Personal Representative 5400 E 62nd Way
Commerce City, CO 80022
Legal Notice No. CCX1513
First Publication: December 12, 2024
Last Publication: December 26, 2024
Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express Name Changes
PUBLIC NOTICE
Public Notice of Petition for Change of Name
Public notice is given on September 18, 2024, that a Petition for a Change of Name of an adult has been filed with the Adams County Court.
The petition requests that the name of Elina Viktorovna Vasilchuk be changed to Elina Viktorovna Lupenko Case No.: 24 C 1682
By: Deputy Clerk
Legal Notice No. CCX1515
First Publication: December 12, 2024
Last Publication: December 26, 2024
Publisher: Commerce City Sentinel Express ###
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